Any month is a good month to give thanks.
From the Editor
Dr. Schwarzenberger is the former physician editor of DermWorld.
By Kathryn Schwarzenberger, MD, FAAD, November 1, 2024
However, there is something special about November — other than the obvious day of Thanksgiving — that encourages me to think about the good things in my life. November offers a brief moment of quiet during the frantic time warp that always seems to occur at the end of the year as we zoom out of Halloween costumes into our end-of-the-year festivities. I know the past few months have been difficult for some of our members affected by previously unimaginable weather events; others have faced personal and/or professional challenges. A common theme I see shared in recovery stories is “community.” We cannot always avoid the difficult times in life, but those around us, however we define our community, can really help. I am so very appreciative of the life-long friends I have made in dermatology. Little did I know when I chose my career path that dermatology is so much more than just medicine; it is truly a community, for which I am grateful.
Another community I have been involved with is the contact dermatitis world, so this month’s focus on fragrances is near and dear to my heart. Fragrance allergies are one of our most common causes of allergic contact dermatitis and helping our patients navigate the path of fragrance avoidance is at best difficult, if not sometimes impossible. Fragrances can hide in products under many different guises and even be present in plain sight if they are used in products for purposes other than to impart a good smell (head-bang emoji). There are strategies, however, for diagnosing and managing fragrance allergies and several of our experts offer their best tips to help you help your patients. I think you will enjoy this article but be forewarned: once you become fragrance aware, it’s hard not to become a compulsive label reader looking for them!
Having been in medicine now for several decades, I have survived many changes, but one of the biggest paradigm changes has been in our medical record keeping. Like it or not, for most of us the days of paper charts are long gone and we are stuck with electronic health records that on a good day torment us by requiring an incessant number of clicks. (On a bad day, I may have suggested that JK Rowling channeled EHRs when she created the soul-sucking Dementors.) Will augmented/artificial intelligence save us? A growing number of us are already using digital assistant augmented intelligence programs in our practices and it seems likely that more will follow quickly. I am excited to hear about the possibilities in our future and hope you will also enjoy reading about them. Anything that involves fewer clicks and results in less “note bloat” has my support!
I will close with a shout-out in recognition of all the many things our members do to support our specialty. We highlighted only a few this month, ranging from skin cancer checks, to giving advice on how to give a great talk, to running Camp Discovery for our kids with skin diseases. If you have not been involved on the production side of the AAD’s many educational programs, you have likely benefitted from them. Our members, along with the amazing staff who support them, are truly the heart of our community. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
