Practical Tips for Managing Common Skin Conditions

Skin conditions are among the most common reasons patients seek advice from healthcare professionals, creating frequent opportunities for pharmacist intervention and support. This course reviews common dermatologic conditions encountered in pharmacy practice, including eczema, poison ivy, and other minor skin conditions and infections, while exploring the pharmacist's role in screening, triage, treatment selection, patient counseling, and prevention. You will be better prepared to support evidence-based management of common skin conditions and help patients access appropriate dermatologic care.

HOST
Rachel Maynard, PharmD
GameChangers Podcast Host and Lead, Clinical & Partnership Education, CEimpact

GUEST
Jamie McConaha, PharmD, BCACP, CDCES, FCCP
Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice
Duquesne University School of Pharmacy

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 CPE INFORMATION
Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of this knowledge-based activity, participants should be able to:
1. Describe clinical features and management considerations for common skin conditions encountered in pharmacy practice.

2. Explain the pharmacist's role in screening, triage, treatment selection, patient counseling, and prevention of dermatologic conditions.

Rachel Maynard and Jamie McConaha have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

0.05 CEU/0.5 Hr
UAN: 0107-0000-26-307-H01-P
Initial release date: 8/10/2026
Expiration date: 8/10/2027
Additional CPE details can be found here.

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Transcript

Welcome And CE Credit

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Here on Game Changers, we're all about helping you stay ahead of pharmacy practice. But why stop at listening? You can earn CE credit for this episode and hundreds more by visiting CEimpact.com and logging into your account or creating a new one. Get credit, get inspired, and make your learning count.

Why Skin Questions Feel Hard

SPEAKER_00 0:18

Hi everyone. Welcome to the Game Changers Clinical Update Podcast. I'm your host, Rachel Maynard. How many times in your practice have you been faced with a question from a patient showing you a bump or a rash or a spot on their skin and asking, what is this? I know for me, that was always a tough question because a lot of skin issues can look really similar. And as our scope as pharmacists continues to expand, it's more important than ever to be able to evaluate these conditions. So today we're going to navigate this potentially murky area of practice and discuss some tips for answering those questions when patients ask. And so to do that, I'm so pleased to welcome our guest, Dr. Jamie McConaughey. Welcome, Jamie.

SPEAKER_01 0:53

Hi, thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_00 0:54

So excited to have you, and thank you so much for taking time out of your busy practice to meet with us. But um before we dive into this topic, maybe you could share a little bit about yourself, your background, your current role, and why you're passionate about this topic.

Meet Dr. Jamie McConaughey

SPEAKER_01 1:06

Yes, absolutely. So as you said, my name is Jamie McConaughey. I am an associate professor of pharmacy practice at Duquesne University's School of Pharmacy in Pittsburgh, PA. I practice as an ambulatory care pharmacist with Allegheny Health Network. And I've been doing that for over 10 years. Prior to that, my practice site was in community pharmacy, and I also continue to moonlight in community pharmacy as well. And like you said, sort of working in community pharmacy, we would always get those questions about derm conditions. And I felt at the time we we went over some of it in our curriculum, but I felt like there was definitely a lack of knowledge among pharmacists about some of the more common skin disease states. So I actually developed an elective course now that I teach at Duquesne on common derm conditions. And we've also integrated more of that into our curriculum as well. So it's definitely a passion area of mine. I feel like with a lot of these disease states, there's um a lot of changing landscape in terms of medications and things like that. So it's always interesting and an important area for pharmacists to stay up to date with.

SPEAKER_00 2:15

Excellent. Well, it sounds like you have uh the exact expertise that we were hoping to have on this podcast. So thank you again for taking time.

A Simple Way To Triage

SPEAKER_00 2:23

Um, I think let's go ahead and just start with some of the most common skin conditions that we as pharmacists tend to see. Um, I know that's a very broad question because um it could range from anywhere from a rash to a bite to poison ivy oxumac to um things like eczema or even fungal infections for that matter. It could be a whole scope of things or thinking about potentially riskier things like cancer. So there's this broad spectrum. And maybe if you were to try to just how to help us think about categorizing this or sort of overview of what are these skin conditions that we're most often thinking about.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

So, yes, so absolutely. I feel like, like you said, there are so many skin conditions that patients present with, and thinking of it as sort of an ambulatory or community type of perspective, um, you know, so many times patients do come up to the counter and just say, what is this rash? And it's difficult because so many disease states present very commonly or, you know, very similarly. So um, you know, eczema versus even a mild case of psoriasis, both may have sort of that red erythematous rash, but it could be two totally different disease states that we treat differently. Um, and then of course, some that might be a little bit easier to distinguish, like a bug bite or sunburn or things like that. Um, so I feel like when a patient comes up, the most important thing obviously is to look at whatever they're showing you. Um and then sort of asking those background questions and getting a very thorough history. That's gonna help us sort of um maybe eliminate some of the more serious or referral type of situations and also hone in on what we could recommend self-treatment for, or um, you know, what type of counseling we can provide for that patient. So um, I know that's a very vague answer of just, you know, get three, but um, you know, there's so many questions that you can ask with derm conditions. So, you know, things like when did it start? How long has this been here? Was it, you know, they changed a fragrance or a soap or a laundry detergent? Is that, you know, sort of maybe just a mild case of acute dermatitis? Um, or is it something they've had longer and they've tried appropriate OTCs and it's not clearing up? And then we can sort of think like, okay, they have been using what they should be using now. Again, can we go to a next step or do we need to refer them on? So I guess that's sort of a very, again, broad approach of how I would start it, but I think you really have to start by just looking at it and then asking the patient lots of questions to get to the bottom of what's going on.

SPEAKER_00 4:58

Yeah, yeah. And I know it's when I was even thinking about how to what to ask, you know, it's it is, it's can be, it can span the spectrum. So we really do start it need to start somewhere. And I think you calling out the the questions, looking at it, and then the follow-on questions. And let's talk about some more of those questions because I think that can help shape again where we might be going, what we might be thinking about. So you said, you know, how long has it been going on? Um, what they've tried or haven't tried, and helping us use that information to figure out what it might be, the location, right? Like where it is on the body is obviously something we would see, but that is another clue potentially. And then, you know, potentially other symptoms like pain or itching or discharge, that sort of thing. But maybe you have other questions that come to mind. I know sort of follows on each other, but anything else that we might be thinking about off the top of our heads?

SPEAKER_01 5:53

Um, I think you hit on most of the ones. The only other things I can maybe think to add to that list is um, you know, sort of what you said at the end. Are there any sort of systemic symptoms which might make us think again it's a referral? Um, and then you could also see is it something that anyone else at home or they're they're in close contact, yeah, some sort of infectious type of thing. Um, but the other ones, I think you you hit the nail on the head with all of those questions.

SPEAKER_00 6:21

Yeah. Well, and I appreciate you calling out the um potentially inactive ingredients that could be causing this too, because that might be something people aren't thinking about, that it's caused by a fragrance or some sort of allergen or something. And um that could be the issue too. So, in terms of the assessment of outside of the questions, but in terms of actually looking at the issue, the skin issue, what are some of the features you're looking for

What The Rash Looks Like

SPEAKER_00 6:48

there? How do you again rule in or out certain conditions based on appearance?

SPEAKER_01 6:52

Yes. So I think, you know, based again on what it looks like and sort of what they've answered to the questions we just asked them, um, that's gonna help us, you know, obviously identify patterns and think about what type of condition it may be. I think one of the more common ones is eczema, so or atopic dermatitis. When we see patients with that, the you know, key feature is intense itching or paritis. So um dry skin and itching, if a patient is complaining of that, especially in really young patients, you know, if it's a mother parent or caregiver for a young child, then you know, my mind might go sort of like that's an eczema type of thing. Um, as you mentioned earlier, you know, what's the location? So again, if we're thinking eczema, it's usually in like the flexural regions, so where um like skin folds sort of hit each other. Um, so that might be one example. I think one that, you know, is maybe more obvious just by looking at would be acne. And I think that's one we get so many questions on. And again, sort of thinking of the age range here, right? So this tends to be more like around puberty, teenage years, that type of thing. So obviously you can look and see if there's those lesions, are they inflamed? Are they, you know, really bad and maybe bordering on cystic type of acne? What's the location on the face, chest, back, that sort of thing. Trying to think of other ones that we may see. So psoriasis um also has a dry appearance a lot of time. Now there's, you know, there's different types of psoriasis, but the most common is going to be that dry appearance of psoriasis, so the plaque psoriasis. Um, so you know, sort of like the name suggests, it looks like a plaque on the body, but that also may be red and itchy, which is where we want to differentiate that from an eczema. And then, you know, we mentioned a little bit about looking at like infectious types of things. So if it's a fungal infection, you know, um, they usually have that scaled border, right? Where it's more flesh-colored on the inside. Um, we could look at, you know, things like poison ivy, or they having again the itchiness or their vesicles are streaked, that would point us that way. Um, so again, it appearance starts it um based on the question and what's making it worse. Then you might sort of hone in. And when I have an idea then of you know what type of condition I'm thinking, and a lot of times the patients have an idea too, right? Like they'll be like, sure, sure. It's burning outside, it's poison, you know, I think it's poison ivy. So based on that, then I sort of you know do my follow-up assessment and try to like, you know, ask more specific types of things to see, you know, is this definitely the disease state? So making the appropriate recommendation.

SPEAKER_00 9:23

You know, another one that comes to mind is again the idea of a bite, something that might look like a bite. So maybe a very sort of contained, red, raised issue.

Bite Versus Abscess Warning Signs

SPEAKER_00 9:35

And how do you differentiate perhaps a bite versus uh something like MRSA or something more potentially something that is self-limiting versus something that maybe needs attention?

SPEAKER_01 9:51

Yeah, so that's a great one. Um, so again, I think the history. So if they were outdoors, maybe exposed to insects, um, or if they even felt getting the bite, I know, then, or if it appeared very suddenly, that would made me lean more towards like an insect bite of things. And those are again like that small puncture, which you may or may not see, and that localized redness, some swelling and itchiness, with it's something a little more serious like a MERSA or an abscess. Um, a lot of times, again, we can eliminate if there isn't any known insect exposure, but that one we see progressively worsen over time, whereas a more mild bite would tend to get a little bit better. So even if they're taking pain reliever or putting any sort of anti-itch cream on it, you would expect that to alleviate it. Whereas something a little bit um more severe, example, you know, again, MRSA, that would worsen over that 24 to 72 hours. Um, you're gonna get like a warm type of nodule, and that's gonna be more painful.

SPEAKER_00 10:53

Okay, so that's where the question around what have you tried is really key to see what they have tried, what has hasn't helped, and that helps guide your decision too. Absolutely, yes. Okay. Um, you know, you could spend a whole hour on other sorts of skin conditions like warts, uh, corns, calluses, that sort of thing. That that also is something people ask about, which is a skin condition, but clearly presents very differently than some of the things we've been talking about.

SPEAKER_01 11:21

Right, a little bit easier to identify for

Warts, Corns, And Calluses

SPEAKER_01 11:24

sure.

SPEAKER_00 11:24

Yeah, yeah. Um, I I guess, you know, if you between warts, corns, calluses, are there sort of differentiating features between those that come to mind for you? That's a good question.

SPEAKER_01 11:36

So warts uh obviously tend to hang around a little bit longer. So we know that they're caused um a lot of times by viruses. They can be a little bit, they're usually not painful, but sometimes if you sort of squeeze them from the side, it hurts, whereas if it's a callus or a corn, it hurts more from direct pressure because they develop because of friction or manipulation or like repetitions. Again, we see these commonly on the feet, or there's that like repetitive abrasion. Um, I think that would be one of the the easiest way to identify. Um, you know, both of them on the feet, but I think warts too. Sometimes we see those on the hands and other bodies.

SPEAKER_00 12:19

Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_01 12:20

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:21

Yeah, I think the location there, like you said, that that is a really good cue because again, your the corn scalluses are more about the pressure and and that sort of prompting it to develop, whereas warts could be anywhere on the palms, feet, uh, even other areas. And um, yeah, this also I think sort of lends the question of cancer potentially

Skin Cancer Red Flags ABCDE

SPEAKER_00 12:42

being an issue. So any sort of unusual, maybe colorless bumps, growths, you know, people ask about skin tags too, all of these sorts of potential growths that we don't have maybe defining features for, that starts to get into the red flag discussion and referral. So, what are some of those red flags and referral situations that come to mind?

SPEAKER_01 13:06

Yeah. So, you know, with when we're thinking skin cancer, I always think of the ABCDE mnemonic that we probably all learned in pharmacy school. Um, we also want to refer that on, again, if it's some sort of lesion that is long-lasting. So if it's not healing after, you know, three to four weeks, you know, a couple weeks, then definitely refer that on. Um, if it's bleeding, crusting, or continuing to grow. So we always look for changes in size. I know um just even my own personal experience, my daughter had an unusual-looking mole, and she's young and it was on an area that's not as sun-exposed. But you know, here's me teaching dermatology. So that of course is in the back of my mind. And I even started maybe a little bit, I don't know, corny, but I was like taking pictures of it like with a little measuring tape next to it, right? Um, but yeah, I mean, I think that's that's sort of what I always go back to, is like that that A, B, C, D, E. And like you said, they can be colorless, but if some of those other features are changing, um, especially growth, that would absolutely be something I want to get checked out. Even if you're referring them to dermatology, and it's something they want to document and then follow over time as well. So I think you have another set of thoughts on it.

SPEAKER_00 14:25

And maybe you could just refresh us about that ABCDE for those of us who have maybe didn't learn that so recently. Yeah, I know I it I know of it, but now I'm like struggling to think about what are each of those components. So let's just review that too. Yes, okay.

SPEAKER_01 14:40

So through an ABCDE rule, um, is again we're looking for skin cancer here. So A is asymmetry. So if half of that mold doesn't really match the other half, so it's not a perfect circle or color is off that type of thing. Um, B is for border, so we're looking for an irregular border or poorly defined. C is color, so usually lesions that have multiple colors or uneven pigmentation would be a red flag. Um, and then as we mentioned though, some can be colorless. So you can have like some melanomas that can be pink or a flush colored, so you have to think about that as well. Um, your D is for diameter, so if it's the cutoff is six millimeters. So I usually tell patients about the size of a pencil eraser. If it's larger than that, um, that's a red flag. And then E is evolving. So that is, is it changing over time? So changing in size, shape, color, um, any of those types of things would be again a warning sign.

SPEAKER_00 15:37

Okay. And that goes back to I think it's a really good call out of taking a picture with some sort of you know quantitative assessment there to see over time. And I think that applies even for people, sort of the recommendations are to do sort of this ongoing check, you know, be aware of your skin, be aware of what it looks like, right? And and part of that, if you have some spots like that, to be monitoring that even over years, right?

SPEAKER_01 16:01

Right. Well, and I think, you know, a lot of times, you know, it it takes so long to get in with specialists that, you know, this is something that they do want to keep an eye on. Um, and so, you know, pharmacists obviously were very accessible healthcare providers. So, you know, probably the whole reason we're recording this is they come to us a lot of times to ask these questions. These are great recommendations that we can give them to, you know, make sure you're monitoring. But if we do want to refer them, get that appointment. But in the meantime, here's what I would continue to watch for to see if it you know becomes a little more emergent type of situation.

SPEAKER_00 16:32

And I guess to follow on to that, what are so say you you have an assessment of what you've worked with the patient, you have this assessment of what it might be. You maybe recommend whatever treatment is appropriate for that. And again, we can certainly talk about treatment, but I think that is challenging because the treatment might vary so widely. Um, but maybe you can speak to that a little bit too how you think about treatment care, you know, broadly, high-level considerations. And then what do you advise the patient to be aware of and be thinking about in terms of follow-up with you or with another clinician if needed?

OTC Treatment And Follow Up

unknown 17:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:06

So that was a lot there, but okay.

SPEAKER_01 17:08

So I'll start at the treatment part of things. So um over the counter, we don't have a ton of options. I feel like there's a lot of over-the-counter products, but they sort of fall into similar categories, right? Like you have your moisturizers, you have your antifungals, you have um, you know, your acne type of treatments, that sort of thing. So obviously it would start, and you know, topical steroids, of course. Um, I think it would start, you know, sort of thinking what disease state it is. Um, but two of the mainstays of treatment I definitely are definitely going to be moisturizers and topical steroids. Um, and I think that's really important. This is going back to something we talked about earlier with eczema versus psoriasis. So um knowing which disease state we think we're dealing with, because eczema, we use steroids, but steroids can actually worsen psoriasis.

SPEAKER_00 17:58

And okay.

SPEAKER_01 17:59

A lot of patients, you know, they have this red rash, and that's the first thing they want to put on it is some cortisone cream or something like that over the counter. But and and I also don't want to downplay the use of moisturizers. I mean, they can absolutely be a treatment, and for some of our, you know, our contact dermatitis, our atopic dermatitis or eczema, like those are going to be your mainstays of treatment, and they can also be used preventatively for patients as well. So if we know we have a young child that gets these eczema flares, like that's going to be one of our biggest counseling points, is making sure they're using a very occlusive type of moisturizer, making sure when they're bathing, you know, that lukewarm water immediately after bathing, sealing in that moisture with a moisturizer, that types of thing. So I don't want patients to ever think like, oh, it's just a lotion. Like they're really important in keeping the skin hydrated and really preventing some of these, these other, you know, derm conditions or issues that they may present with. Um, okay, we're gonna have to remind me of what the second part of that was.

SPEAKER_00 18:58

The follow-up sort of yeah, the follow-up, when would you encourage somebody to either follow up with you or another provider and some of those things to be monitoring after they go home with maybe some sort of self-treatment or you know, non-prescription care?

SPEAKER_01 19:14

Yes, absolutely. Um, so I think the first thing is, and I'm gonna get to your question, but you also want to make sure they are being adherent to whatever we're recommending. Right. Good call. Yep. Um, because a lot of these things are going to be topical medications, and a lot of times patients just aren't very adherent to topicals, or even if they are, they may not use them for the correct length of time. So depending again how severe their skin condition is, and maybe which one it is, I think plays a role in how soon you're gonna recommend they follow up. Something like an insect bite, we hopefully would see improvement quickly, whereas again, something maybe like a more chronic type of eczema or acne is gonna take a little bit longer, right? For those who usually give six to eight weeks of treatment before you would expect improvement. So, you know, making your recommendation for the patient, really encouraging that they are adherent to it, you know, explain how this is going to benefit them and help them. And then based on which skin condition they have, I think really ties into how soon they should follow up again. Um, but I I think general rule of thumb if for anything really, at least two weeks, because if you're using topicals, I feel like that would be an appropriate amount of time. And it's not getting worse during that time frame. Like that would be correct. Right, right. Come back sooner or or follow up. But I think that's a a pretty conservative measure of at least seeing some improvement for most skin conditions.

SPEAKER_00 20:39

Yeah, yep, that makes sense and seems fair. And I think it's generally aligned with most OTC labels. I think they're usually like seven to 14 days, depending on the product, of course. And so um, yeah, that that's a good sort of guideline to go by for sure, even though we're talking about a variety of different things. I do appreciate you calling out the moisturizer consideration too, because uh, for many, you know, another issue, skin issue is just dry skin too, depending on the time of year and humidity and all of these things. So um moisturizers can play a really important role. To hack onto that, how do you help a patient select a moisturizer?

How To Pick A Moisturizer

SPEAKER_00 21:15

Because there's so many out there.

SPEAKER_01 21:17

So I before I started really getting into you know some of the research and specializing in Durham, this was a great uh question I often had. I'm like, yeah, what's what's the cheapest? What smells good? Yeah, yeah. Um, but there's actually I we do an entire lecture at in our school about the ingredients and moisturizers because there there is a science to it, honestly. So um, what you're looking for, so if you're a pharmacist and you, you know, I always recommend to you know anyone go out in the aisle, look at that active ingredient list on the products. Um, but you're looking for something that's a humectant, so that's something that's going to draw water into the skin. So some of the common ingredients you're looking for there are going to be glycerin. Urea, higher hyalonic acid, I trouble all the time. Um, yeah, but those, so um, like urea is a great cream. I it's in lots of like foot creams, like people use dry heels, things like that, because it does like sort of draw in that extra water, but then you want to combine that with an occlusive. So this is going to be something that forms that protective barrier over the skin. So it's going to trap that water in. Um, the gold standard, the one we see the most is petrolatum. Um, but mineral oil, lanolin, those are all occlusives as well. So those are like the two main things I look for in a moisturizer. So I personally, if it's a very dry area of skin, a thicker area of skin, I look for like a higher percentage of that urea. Um, or again, glycerin or hyaluronic acid, and then combining that with some sort of petrolatum or occlusive agent to keep all that water in.

SPEAKER_00 22:55

Okay. And to be clear, that's talking about moisturizing. If we have a condition where we know moisturizing is the solution, what we're trying to recommend. Yes. Whereas the when you're I thinking about uh an occlusive in any sense, whether petrolatum or something covering a topical product, that is something we would not necessarily want to recommend if this patient's using a topical steroid, uh, for example. Yes, sorry. No, yeah. It's just it's again, we're talking at a very high level, so it's hard to make broad generalizations, but it's a it's a different point to call out that when people are using a topical steroid, because we said moisturizers and steroids are very commonly used for most conditions. And it is a reminder, I think, that occlusion is not desired uh necessarily for most people using an OTC steroid. Yes. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 23:48

That's correct.

SPEAKER_00 23:48

Yeah, yeah. Um, I also appreciate how you called out the adherence consideration with topical products because um proper use, whether it's a moisturizer or an antifungal or a steroid, I uh we do want to be thinking about ensuring it they're using it the way as directed on the label, again, which is going to vary, but to especially like with a topical um antifungal, ensuring that they're getting the most benefit out of it and the condition will be managed rather than recurring. So maybe you could speak to that a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 24:20

Yes. So I the and honestly, I absolutely agree for the antifungal, but the condition that comes to mind a lot for me is acne. Um there's yeah, so many over-the-counter acne products, and a lot of them are topical. You're right. There's only about three active ingredients in OTC acne products, anyway. I mean, most of them are gonna be benzyl peroxide or salicylic acid. Um, but if you think about the years of when this typically affects you, you get like this teenage years or you know, uh adolescent years and they have acne. So they're gonna go select or you recommend an OTC product, they use it, and those you need to use six to eight weeks. So um a lot of times they're just they're not going to be adherent to it, or they start to notice some clearing up and then stop using the product, which then you know obviously is going to cause a recurrence. So I think you know, adherence for for any disease state is is super important. Sure for a lot of them, it is going to be continue using for the recommended length of time, even if it looks like your skin is getting better.

SPEAKER_00 25:23

Right. Yep, great call. And the other thing that came to mind as you were just talking about that is prescription products too, and ask because we were when we were talking before, I was sort of thinking about OTC, what you've tried OTC to help manage this, but just also being aware of that full medication history, what they might be using, what conditions they have, what might be contributing or not to that particular complaint. Also, you know, something that we need to be asking about.

SPEAKER_01 25:51

Absolutely. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 25:52

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:53

Just since we were talking about acne, you know, there are a lot of medications that can worsen acne too. So that full med list is important.

SPEAKER_00 26:01

Absolutely. And also thinking about any topical products by prescription the patient might be using and whether that is a concern or consideration with any OTC products they're using too. Acne, again, as an example, there are prescription products that might have the same ingredients as over-the-counter products. So just being aware of that too, both from an interaction and duplication perspective. Yes, I agree. Yeah. So it's it's tough. I mean, it's tough to sort of talk about this at a high level, but maybe it, you know, we can be thinking about the adherence considerations, the proper use considerations once we've identified an issue, but also all those key questions that we're asking about to help assess and triage the patient up front. Um

Top Self Treat Mistakes

SPEAKER_00 26:45

what would you say are the most common maybe mistakes that people have when trying to self-treat or questions that come up that, you know, myths, misconceptions. What are maybe some of those top clarifications and counseling points we can be giving to patients about proper use of and management of skin conditions broadly? That's a good thing.

SPEAKER_01 27:07

So I think one thing I've heard from or not heard, but I've seen with patients, they think more is better. So they think if you use more of it, it'll make it work faster. Um, and that can lead to adverse effects, right? So, you know, with that, a thin layer is generally all you need. So I think telling patients, you know, topical medications aren't necessarily like sunscreen, you know, a thin layer is usually enough. Um, some patients think that if it's burning, it's working. So they think like irritation, like, oh, it's it's attacking whatever the problem is, but right that might not be what we want, right? Yeah, yeah, dryness from some products, but you know, again, that severe irritation is not the goal and not what we want them to experience. And then I think, you know, I guess kind of back to steroids one more time. I think we also on the other side of the thing, then we have people that are very fearful of them and they're afraid of cheese, yes, steroid creams. So I think just especially on children, so you know, counseling that they're safe when they're used properly. And most of the problems come with prolonged use and with very potent steroids, um, which we don't generally see over the counter, you know, or if they're using them in in places where they shouldn't be, so sensitive areas or thin skin areas.

SPEAKER_00 28:23

Absolutely. Yeah, I think I think those are good again. Not all topical products are the same. And so helping ensure patients are uh aware of the product they're using, why they're using it, how to use it, and um sticking to it uh to ensure they're getting the most benefit from it. Um, and then I think too just calling out those those potential ingredients and products that people may have sensitivities to. And as you said, I really like the point of if it's burning, that's not necessarily a good thing.

SPEAKER_01 28:52

Right. We do have some counter irritants over the counter, but we don't always want right, right, right, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:59

So um, before we wrap up, is there anything we haven't talked about? Again, this is a challenging topic because it we're not focusing on one specific area, but any any sort of general considerations we need to be thinking about, especially again as pharmacists, I think more and more as we're seeing scope of practice um expanded in different states, pharmacists are going to be called to action on this. And so we're um any anything we didn't get to touch on?

SPEAKER_01 29:22

I think honestly, that we we touched on a lot of it. I think um just pharmacists shouldn't be afraid or or hesitant really to work with patients on skin conditions. I, you know, a lot of times they come up against that window and say here's a rash, and you get a little nervous because what could it be? It could be a whole plethora of disease states. Um, but you know, we're pharmacists and we're helping treat the patient, not just the rash. So these skin conditions look similar. Um, you know, talking to the patient, getting that history, sort of understanding what they have and haven't tried, how long it's lasted. Um, I think we're we're more knowledgeable sometimes than we give ourselves credit for with this. Um we can make great recommendations and be, you know, great resource for those patients.

SPEAKER_00 30:04

I think that's true. I I do

Game Changer Takeaway And Wrap

SPEAKER_00 30:06

think I know speaking for myself, um, skin conditions is not necessarily something I feel very confident on, but I think you're right from experience that uh what we've what we've been taught in school, what we've seen in practice, what patients come to ask uh come to us asking about, we do sort of see these patterns, I think, over time. And you sort of do get better at recognizing them. So even though it might be a little uh you get a little bit of a concern when that question comes up, the more you dig into those questions that we've talked about before, I think that can really help to boost the confidence. So um thank you so much, Jamie. Really appreciate this conversation and for sort of digging into this a little bit. It is our game changers podcast. So we do always wrap up with what we think is the game changer that we want our listeners to walk away with. So, what would you say is that game changer outside of what you just shared? Because I think the pharmacist, you know, having that confidence is super important too. But any other sort of bottom line things to be keeping in mind with this topic?

SPEAKER_01 31:03

I think, and this may be reiterating what just said a little bit, but I think for me the biggest game changer is that as pharmacists, we don't need to diagnose every rash, but we do need to know common presentations, asking the right questions, and then recommending evidence-based self-care when appropriate. And then obviously recognizing when referral is necessary as well. So, you know, every skin condition is just an opportunity for us to improve a patient's quality of life.

SPEAKER_00 31:28

I love that. That's a great game changer. Thank you, Jamie. Thank you so much for your time and for walking us through some of these common scenarios. I really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 31:38

No, it was wonderful. Thanks for having me. It was fun.

SPEAKER_00 31:41

Awesome. Thank you. And we've talked about a lot of great practical tips today. Those will all be summarized in the practice resource that goes along with this podcast. We hope today's conversation gave you something useful to bring back to your practice. That's always our goal. And before you go, be sure to claim your continuing education credit. Your time and engagement count, and we want to make sure you get credit for it. Thank you so much for being part of the Game Changers community. We look forward to the conversation with you all next week.