Twitter and What I Found There

A Peek into the Field of Dermatology in 140 Characters or Fewer

I would like to preface this post by saying that I think Twitter is amazing. It's a website filled with vague-posting at other people, cute animal pictures, and iconic celebrity tweets. When I was asked to look into a work field using twitter, I was doubtful. I had always just assumed that Twitter was for enjoyment and I was wrong; it can be very educational as well. In the following post, I'll talk about what I found when looking through my intended field of study: pre-physiology with a pre-med intent, and more specifically and farther down the road, dermatology.

Seibert, Fred. "Twitter [Badge]" 01/04/2013 via flickr. Attribution-No Commercial-No Derivatives License

Overview of Dermatology on Twitter

• There seem to be a few main topics being discussed by dermatology experts on Twitter right now. The first one that seems to be in big debate is whether or not self-screening for cancerous spots on your skin is actually helpful. There seems to be a general consensus that the average person doesn't have a clue what to look for, so it's better to have a professional do it. The next big topic that is being discussed across multiple feeds is how patients react to having a doctor typing on a computer during a visit. It seems that most people would prefer that their doctor not use a computer at all, which isn't good for doctors, as the computer makes writing prescriptions and logging information much easier. 

Interesting Stories about Dermatology on Twitter

"How to Talk to Your Teen about Tanning"

• I thought this article was really interesting because I grew up next to the beach in South Florida, where in middle school and early high school the only thing cooler than going to the beach and getting a tan, was going to the mall and getting a Frappucino from Starbucks. This article really goes into detail about the negative consequences of tanning (the ones that actually affect your health, not when every single person you meet asks, "If you're from Florida, why are you so pale?") and how you should approach your teen and talk to them about how these consequences that may affect them for the rest of their lives. This article was basically just something I could relate to, and even though I've never been a fan of tanning, it was really interesting to read about it (and think about all my friends who are no doubt going to get skin cancer) and how it is actually an epidemic among the youth of America (but Taylor Swift doesn't think it's cool according to the article, so why would anyone tan?) that is largely caused by peer pressure and societal beauty standards. 

B., Tristan. "An Artificial Source Tanning Bed" 04/14/2004 via Wikimedia Commons. Attribution-Share Alike License

"Leishmaniasis: the Flesh-Eating, Dog-Culling, War Plague"

• First of all, the title of this article alone made me suddenly very interested in this article about a flesh eating skin parasite, not that that's a boring article anyway. Interestingly enough, experts believe that this is the "leprosy" that is referred to in the Bible. What I found most interesting about this particular article, however, is how detailed it was with the background, the symptoms, those who are at risk (don't worry, this gross disease isn't found in America), and how it is affecting society as a whole. As someone who is easily entertained by semi-gross things, I have to admit that I read the entire article and even looked at the picture slideshow. Overall, I was extremely interested at all the information that was supplied on this disease.

First Impressions

• I would say that overall I was kind of shocked at how mundane most of the stuff dermatologists tweet is. Initially I though that there would be more interesting articles and controversy, but most of it was friendly mom advice, like "Don't forget to wear sunscreen" or "10 reasons to avoid a tanning salon." I sort of anticipated that there would be talk of skin cancer, because for most people, that's the biggest skin concern they will ever have. I expected a few more gross pimple or cyst removal stories, but found none, and didn't quite expect an editorial on a flesh-eating disease. So to summarize, I would say that the dermatology Twitter both exceeded and fell short of my expectations.