This article is featured in the May, 2015 edition of “Williamsburg’s Next Door Neighbors” on page 51, available here as PDF. by Greg Lilly, Editor Dr. Donna Corvette practiced internal medicine before she decided to specialize in dermatology. “There is a tremendous overlap between skin and internal medicine,” she explains. “The skin is a window to internal problems of the human body. A dermatologist is trained to look at a person’s skin to determine if the rash is due to autoimmune disease, medications, internal organ dysfunction, cancer, genetic disorders. The list of possibilities is extensive. I’m glad I trained in both internal medicine and dermatology. The extra training allows me to have an understanding of the entire body and enables a ‘root cause/integrative’ approach to medicine versus approaching the skin and the inner workings of the body separately.” Her childhood experiences led to her decision to become a physician and teacher. Dr. Corvette’s father worked for IBM and took the family to different parts of the country. Around the age of six, she and her family settled in Rockville, Maryland. She always had a passion for learning and for teaching. Even at a very young age, she was an entrepreneur. […]
Sunscreen
This article contains some pearls of wisdom I have learned from practicing medicine for half of my life and spending time with thousands of patients. Intuition is Everything: A patient should always believe and trust in their own instincts. Don’t let a provider tell you are fine if you think differently. No one knows your body better than you. Increased Pace of Medicine: The demands on physicians have increased exponentially over the years. So before you visit your doctor, prepare carefully. Create a one-page synopsis listing your medications, medical problems, allergies, hospitalizations and operations. Keep copies of your pathology reports, scans and laboratory results. Most patients assume this to be the responsibility of their physician. Not so, because some of your lab work may be in hospital system A and some in hospital system B. Your provider may only have access to half of your labs or information. Looking Younger: Are you thinking, “buy this laser procedure, add this filler to your face or put more botox in your system?” These procedures can certainly help, but the simple truth is “you are what you eat, drink and inhale” and sunshine destroys the skin. The skin never forgets a tan or […]