Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Representation Matters in Skin Care

It's Fat Tuesday! While this holiday typically signals indulgence and a bit of throwing caution to the wind, last week's loosened mask mandates were not what we had in mind.
 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 
By Anisa Arsenault, Associate Editorial Director
It's Fat Tuesday! While this holiday typically signals indulgence and a bit of throwing caution to the wind, last week's loosened mask mandates were not what we had in mind. Plus, Mardi Gras is all about masks—albeit a totally different kind.
Today's Top Story
Representation Matters in Skin Care
If you've ever searched for information about a skin condition on Google, you've probably come across articles paired with stock imagery of a White woman clutching her wrist. For years, people of color have been left out of medical depictions of skin conditions. It's nearly impossible to find meaningful representation of skin conditions on a range of skin tones.
 
We're hoping to change that. Last week, Verywell launched the latest installment in our Health Divide series, dedicated to how common conditions affect people with darker skin. We zero in on the symptoms and management of psoriasis, eczema, and melasma. And we spoke with patients willing to share their own journeys of diagnosis and treatment.
Know More
Because of a lack of knowledge about how it presents, providers are prone to misdiagnosing skin conditions like eczema in non-White individuals.
Feel Better
There are several resources to help people with dark skin tones connect with healthcare providers who specialize in skin of color, including the Skin of Color Society and BlackDoctor.org.
READ MORE
You probably knew that darker skin tones are underrepresented on health websites and in medical literature. But a 2021 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology shows just how glaring that lack of representation is.
Canada Approves a Plant-Based COVID Vaccine
Last week, Canadian regulators approved the first plant-based COVID-19 vaccine for use in adults aged 18 through 64. The vaccine, called Covifenz, demonstrated a 71% efficacy against COVID-19 infection in clinical trials. While mRNA vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna introduce your body to COVID's spike protein, Covifenz's "virus-like particles" are able to house even more non-infectious components of the virus, helping your body mount a more robust immune response in case it ever comes into contact with the real thing.
READ MORE
FDA Updates Side Effects For 3 Rheumatoid Arthritis Drugs
A four-year study of rheumatoid arthritis patients taking Xeljanz linked the drug to a higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and cancer. The risk was highest in participants over the age of 65. In light of these findings, the FDA is updating the labeling to reflect these risks on Xeljanz and two similar JAK inhibitor drugs: Olumiant and Rinvoq. If you're taking these medications for rheumatoid arthritis, talk to your healthcare provider about your personal risks and benefits. You may be prescribed a drug called methotrexate or a TNF inhibitor instead.
READ MORE
 
In Other News
  Before He Was Ukraine's President, Zelensky Was Ukraine's Paddington. Vulture
 
  Acute Care at Home Brings the Hospital to Patients' Living Rooms. NPR
 
  Dogs Grieve When a Friend Dies, Study Finds. NBC News
More From Verywell
What to Do (and Not Do) If Someone Is Having a Stroke
READ MORE
Breathe Better With Steam Inhalation
READ MORE
Can Wine Protect Against COVID-19?
READ MORE
 
How'd we do? If you have any feedback, send us a note at
 
feedback@verywell.com.
     
You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Verywell Health newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here.
 
A DOTDASH MEREDITH BRAND 28 Liberty Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10005
 
© 2021 verywellhealth.com - All rights reserved. Privacy Policy

No comments:

Post a Comment