Business Insight presented by Arlington Dermatology Eczema? Dermatitis? Allergy? Many patients come to my practice with a 'rash'on their skin, often in multiple places and often quite severe and itching. They may have gone to their primary care doctor before, but the advice given to them did not work out well. For a dermatologist, some signs of typical skin disorders are obvious; in some other cases, biopsy would confirm the correct diagnosis. And it is crucial to have any 'rash' diagnosed correctly. I like giving one example from the past to prove how significant it is to have a correct diagnosis made. Years ago, I had a frustrated patient who tried almost every moisturizer and at least three prescription medications for his eczema, as his primary doctor called the rash. It seemed like with every application of any cream or ointment, the rash was getting worse. The symptoms of itching and burning were impossible to bare, especially after a shower at night. The more cream the patient applied, the more severe the symptoms were. inflammation, sometimes additional sleep After conducting a 48 hours allergy test on this patient, I identified that he was allergic to the to itch, base of almost every over the counter product as well as some of the Rx drugs. That base, making the cream looking like cream was not an active ingredient but it did cause an allergic reason, and they have yet to come up with reaction. Once we knew that, we ordered a compound of a low level steroid made on a different base and the rash was cured. medication for patients who cannot sleep due Nothing of the above is perfect and we want to find the real source. Like with every disease, clinical trials seek that source and an answer. Medical science is much closer to this discovery and studies are plenty: only in 2020, US probably have conducted about 30-40 different atopic dermatitis trials. Many, Many cases are not so successful in resolution. Atopic dermatitis is the most interrupted by COVID-19, had to slow down difficult to treat. It is chronic, genetic, and it mostly starts in childhood, which many of us may not remember. Atopic from Greek means patients is a huge priority. Some recent studies 'strange' and atopic dermatitis is truly strange. It comes and goes, triggered by many factors including environmental factors, stress, dust, Contrary, not treating inflammatory skin temperature, and more. Often, patients cannot even explain what their triggers might be. As a disease, it is described as a misguided response of the immune system to those multiple trigger medical visit. Over the counter creams may not factors and associated with deficient hydration be a good solution, especially if the eczema of skin. Immune system's production of some protein responsible for proper hydration is simply not working correctly. The problem is we still investigate which protein it is. We do know that the reason of the disease comes from within our bodies but, because we are not sure what to target, we end up treating clinical trials. symptoms rather than disease. Antihistamines for itching, topical or systemic steroids for skin and will continue into 2021. Like in every clinical trial, the safety of the are showing that biologics do not seem to cause a higher risk of coronavirus infection. disorders might be an actual risk. Patients who experienced increased flaring or their 'rashes' in the fall and winter should not wait with their affects their life-style or sleep pattern. By popular statistics, there are 15 million people suffering from atopic 'strange' dermatitis. If you are one of them, do not wait: come to see us. We have many options for you, including receiving free care and medicine through the Michael Bukhalo, MD Arlington Dermatology 5301 Keystone Court Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 Tel. 847 392 5440 | www.arlingtondermatology.net Business Insight presented by Arlington Dermatology Eczema? Dermatitis? Allergy? Many patients come to my practice with a 'rash'on their skin, often in multiple places and often quite severe and itching. They may have gone to their primary care doctor before, but the advice given to them did not work out well. For a dermatologist, some signs of typical skin disorders are obvious; in some other cases, biopsy would confirm the correct diagnosis. And it is crucial to have any 'rash' diagnosed correctly. I like giving one example from the past to prove how significant it is to have a correct diagnosis made. Years ago, I had a frustrated patient who tried almost every moisturizer and at least three prescription medications for his eczema, as his primary doctor called the rash. It seemed like with every application of any cream or ointment, the rash was getting worse. The symptoms of itching and burning were impossible to bare, especially after a shower at night. The more cream the patient applied, the more severe the symptoms were. inflammation, sometimes additional sleep After conducting a 48 hours allergy test on this patient, I identified that he was allergic to the to itch, base of almost every over the counter product as well as some of the Rx drugs. That base, making the cream looking like cream was not an active ingredient but it did cause an allergic reason, and they have yet to come up with reaction. Once we knew that, we ordered a compound of a low level steroid made on a different base and the rash was cured. medication for patients who cannot sleep due Nothing of the above is perfect and we want to find the real source. Like with every disease, clinical trials seek that source and an answer. Medical science is much closer to this discovery and studies are plenty: only in 2020, US probably have conducted about 30-40 different atopic dermatitis trials. Many, Many cases are not so successful in resolution. Atopic dermatitis is the most interrupted by COVID-19, had to slow down difficult to treat. It is chronic, genetic, and it mostly starts in childhood, which many of us may not remember. Atopic from Greek means patients is a huge priority. Some recent studies 'strange' and atopic dermatitis is truly strange. It comes and goes, triggered by many factors including environmental factors, stress, dust, Contrary, not treating inflammatory skin temperature, and more. Often, patients cannot even explain what their triggers might be. As a disease, it is described as a misguided response of the immune system to those multiple trigger medical visit. Over the counter creams may not factors and associated with deficient hydration be a good solution, especially if the eczema of skin. Immune system's production of some protein responsible for proper hydration is simply not working correctly. The problem is we still investigate which protein it is. We do know that the reason of the disease comes from within our bodies but, because we are not sure what to target, we end up treating clinical trials. symptoms rather than disease. Antihistamines for itching, topical or systemic steroids for skin and will continue into 2021. Like in every clinical trial, the safety of the are showing that biologics do not seem to cause a higher risk of coronavirus infection. disorders might be an actual risk. Patients who experienced increased flaring or their 'rashes' in the fall and winter should not wait with their affects their life-style or sleep pattern. By popular statistics, there are 15 million people suffering from atopic 'strange' dermatitis. If you are one of them, do not wait: come to see us. We have many options for you, including receiving free care and medicine through the Michael Bukhalo, MD Arlington Dermatology 5301 Keystone Court Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 Tel. 847 392 5440 | www.arlingtondermatology.net