When I come to these dermatology conferences I listen to a TON of lectures. At each one I try to pick at least one point that I’m going to take home and apply to my practice. I just got done with todays sessions and I’m about to head to a networking reception but thought I would share with you some of my “pearls” or “take-homes” of the day.
1. Derms disagree- Have you heard the saying “there is more than one way to skin a cat”? Even the best dermatologist have different opinions on how to approach a disease or wha drugs to use. Sometimes you just have to see what everyone else does and then pick what works best for you and your patients. There isn’t always a right or wrong answer, everything isn’t black and white.
2. The more you magnify skin the uglier it gets. This was a realization I made today thanks to the 5x magnifying mirror in my bathroom. I was thinking my skin looked pretty good until I looked at my self in that thing and saw every little bump and discoloration. Then during dermatopathology lectures I looked at skin as seen under a microscope, even crazier. The lesson learned here is, if you are going to judge your skin do it from the same distance as everyone else. Magnifying mirrors are unnatural and not nice, get rid of yours, no ones looks at your skin under a microscope and you shouldn’t either.
3. Dermatology is its own language. Some of the words we use sound like I just got cursed at in German or some other language I don’t understand. My point is that if I can get overwhelmed then I know you guys can get overwhelmed. Don’t feel bad to stop me and ask what something means. It’s normal to be overwhelmed by the language of dermatology, it’s foreign to most people.
4. Nail polish doesn’t necessarily cause brittle nails, nail polish remover is the problem. Brittle nails are a common problem and women constantly ask me what they can do to strengthen the nail. Dr. Pheobe Rich is a renowned nail expert who I love to hear speak. She gets so excited about nails so take her advice. She recommends good nutrition (plenty of protein since nails are protein) and good nail care practices (moisturize, don’t traumatize).
5. Women generally earn less than men. What?!? Why?!?! {insert sad face emoji here} It’s not because we are less than men but because we don’t negotiate. They did a study called the boggle game study where they told men and women they would pay them $20 to play a board game. After they were done playing the board game they payed them only $10. The study found that women were much more likely to take the $10 and go on whereas the men wanted to know where the other $10 were and spoke up about it. I’m now brainstorming ways to help women in the work force not be afraid to stand up for themselves and show support for each other. Let me know if you have any ideas.
I’ve learned so much more than what I even have time to put in my blog but I hope you guys are enjoying the little skin tidbits that I’m throwing at you throughout the week.
Enjoy your weekend!
Stay Skintastic, Nina
