Monthly Archives: January 2013

Red Face Syndrome

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Rhoda, a 41 year-old professional woman, has had a facial eruption off and on for a number of years.  It began with perioral dermatitis but evolved over time to the “red face syndrome.” What follows is her story and her dermatologist’s office notes. I had been diagnosed with perioral dermatitus many moons ago and was prescribed some wonderful topical steriod ointment to treat the red, ugly, pimply like eruptions. My dermatologist clearly warned me….”do not keep using this medicine, it will rebound and makes things even worse.” At the time I took it seriously; used the ointment for a few days and things cleared up nicely. Then the monster returned!!!!!  … Continue reading →

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Sun and Heart Health

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This is a challenging TED video that all who are interested in “practicing safe sun” should watch.  “Our bodies get Vitamin D from the sun, but as dermatologist Richard Weller suggests, sunlight may confer another surprising benefit too. New research by his team in Edinborough shows that nitric oxide, a chemical transmitter stored in huge reserves in the skin, can be released by UV light, to great benefit for blood pressure and the cardiovascular system. What does it mean? Well, it might begin to explain why Scots get sick more than Australians.”  Perhaps, the slavish avoidance of ultraviolet light recommended by many dermatologists is not a panacea.

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In Poor Taste: Terbinafine-induced dysgeusia in a 58-year-old man

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Abstract:  This is a case report of dysgeusia and glossodynia in a 58-year-old man, which he developed during a 12-week course of oral Lamisil (terbinafine) prescribed as treatment for presumed onychomycosis.  Although these side effects are documented in the medical literature, many clinicians are either unaware of them or neglect to mention them to patients prior to prescribing the drug. The literature suggests that dysgeusia is more likely to develop in the older patient who has a low BMI.  There is no known treatment for the disorder, which may resolve on its own or become permanent. Keywords:  terbinafine, Lamisil, dysgeusia, ageusia, hypogeusia, altered sense of taste, medication side effects, onychomycosis, … Continue reading →

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Acne Unmasked

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Bukowski on Acne From Ham on Rye Black Sparrow Press 1982 Ham on Rye, a semi-autobiographical novel, follows Henry Chinaski, Bukowski’s thinly-veiled alter ego, during his early years. It contains harrowing descriptions of Bukowski’s suffering from acne conglobata and his reflections on the dermatologists who treated him.  Fortunately, today, isotretinoin can help most of these patients. Here are some excerpts from Ham on Rye:   Chapter 29 I was ashamed of my boils at school.  At Chelsey, you had a choice between gym and ROTC.  I took ROTC because then I didn’t have to wear a gym suit and nobody could see the boils on my body. Handling the rifle … Continue reading →

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Seborrheic Dermatitis: Cri de Coeur

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In his Op-Ed piece, “Diary of a Creep,” published in the Sunday January 6, 2013 New York Times, the journalist Rend Smith gives the best description of seborrheic dermatitis we have ever read.  Here are excerpts from that piece which can be read in its entirety on the NY Times website. “My problem isn’t as luxurious as aging.,,Yet there’s obviously a corruption, a slow, unidentifiable toxin seeping into my life. I have volcano-ash dandruff, so I haven’t gotten my new hair “shaped up,” in the parlance of black barbershops, out of embarrassment… But worse than anything else is my face, or more specifically, the skin there. The condition I have,, … Continue reading →

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Acne: Worst Case Scenario

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Excerpt from “72 Scars”  Evergreen Review. Technically speaking, Scar #1 began in 1971 and lasted well into the 1980s. Like many teenagers, I had acne, but unlike many teenagers, I had the worst case any doctor had ever seen. The only thing to compare it to is Charles Bukowski’s description in Ham on Rye. It started out innocently enough. My dad would drive me to Dr. Fried in Englewood, NJ every Saturday of my freshman year. The treatment would begin with a 30 second x-ray radiation treatment of the afflicted areas and then Dr. Fried would take out a dermatological instrument and go to work squeezing the pimples on my … Continue reading →

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