THE SHOW MUST GO ON

WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

By H.L. Greenberg M.D.

During the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, I rotated through Infectious Disease for a month at the National Institutes of Health with Dr. Anthony Fauci as a 3rd year Internal Medicine Resident at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C..  At that time, there was a lot of fear surrounding health care workers getting HIV disease by providing care to patients with HIV/AIDS.  While at first, we did not know much about HIV, over time as a community, we followed universal precautions and learned that gloves and eye protection were essential when doing procedures on infected patients.  We are now a good 6 months into the Covid19 pandemic here in Las Vegas; schools are going online, some businesses remain closed and there seems to be no end in sight for life with the virus.  Covid19 statistics are being updated daily by the State of Nevada Department of Health and Human Services.  Large gatherings remain taboo, people are losing their jobs, some businesses will never recover, and I have personally seen patients neglecting their health, relationships, and staying away from loved ones and families during this pandemic.  Face coverings as part of a universal mask policy has been mandated by the governor and 100 compliance ambassadors in Las Vegas are being sent to, “help educate businesses about the governor’s recent mask directive”.  Having been masked since 3/2020, Las Vegas Dermatology is now ordering, “The Derm Bros” and “Las Vegas Dermatology” branded masks for our staff.

In 5/2020 I blogged about the possibility of immunity passports for people who already had Covid19 and opined about how long the period of Coronavirus immunity is- weeks, months, years, lifetime, etc.  Having had Covid19 back in 1/2020 (my interview on “The Vegas Take“) and with a repeat SARS-COV2 test on 7/16/2020 demonstrating continued IgG (+) Antibodies- I better understand this particular disease and how it affected my body, while as a concerned global citizen I continue to see how Covid19 wreaks havoc on society.  Covid19 is a deadly disease and I believe the worst of this disease still lies ahead as restrictions are eased and people try to get back to normal.  When I posted my thoughts about Covid19 on Facebook it was not well received, and I took a break from the social media platform.

We continue to do our best to provide safe and excellent care to our patients with dermatologic concerns in the Las Vegas Dermatology Clinic.  Because many patients remain scared to leave their homes, we continue offering telemedicine, whereas in the office we prescreen for sick patients, deep clean rooms, and wear masks.  In the clinic, we practice social distancing, use PPE, and engage in enhanced cleaning techniques.  One of the best things to come out of the Quarantine has been the educational discussions that Dr. David Cotter and I have had on a series of topics that we’ve called, “The Derm Bros Virtual Happy Hour”.  Our topics have included:  Acne, Skin Cancer, Psoriasis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Psoriatic Skin Mimickers, Scarring, and my favorite topic- “All Lasers, All The Time”.  We hope you will join us for the next, “DermBros” Virtual Happy Hour, which will be on Thursday 8/13/2020 at 5 pm PST, where we will cover the topics of Atopic Eczema, Dermatitis, and Patch Testing.  Many people have written in their questions or asked them live during them during the show.  Join us on Facebook and Instagram live under the @lvderm @hlgreenberg or @davidcottermdphd handles.

Currently, we are conducting 6 clinical trials in the office- 2 of which are related to Atopic Eczema, 2 for psoriasis, another for lichen planus, and 1 on squamous cell skin cancer.  If you think you are interested in new or free medication for your skin condition- check out our new research page.  Skin problems remain medical problems, and people who put off skin checks for cancer are having their tumors discovered now at a much more advanced stage.  Although we are all concerned about Covid19, there are other medical conditions that need to be treated.  If you have a medical or now even a cosmetic concern of the skin- call the office and make your appointment today 702-456-3120 – The Show Must Go On.