Under My Skin

Facing the world

Publish date: March 2, 2018
By
Alan Rockoff, MD

 

We all face the world with our faces. Even for dermatologists, the way a face looks has more than medical significance.

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Edgar is 86. His COPD recently caught up with him, and he needs oxygen. The nasal prongs that deliver it are irritating, but what really bothers him about them is that he won’t attend any activities in his assisted living facility wearing nasal prongs and trailing a tank.

Photo collage of faces inside a profile AndreyPopov/Thinkstock
Recently, his pulmonologist allowed him to take breaks from supplementary oxygen, which delighted Edgar. That his oximeter reading drops from 86% to 81% when he moves around turns out to be less important for Edgar than the fact that he can now leave his room and hang out with other people.

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Brenda comes in with a large bandage on her forehead. She takes it off to show me a large, jagged, fully-healed scar. Four months ago she gashed her head on an appliance and didn’t get medical help in time to have the wound properly stitched.

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