Covid-19 info

To Our Georgia Skin Cancer & Aesthetic Dermatology Patients:

As the situation regarding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve, we want to let you know that the health and safety of our patients, employees, and surrounding communities are our top priorities. We are taking this health concern seriously and are taking every precaution and putting preventative actions in place as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and local authorities.

We are now able to offer Teledermatology visits to certain patients with select dermatology concerns. This requires a phone, tablet, or computer with picture or video capability, but allows us to inspect suspect lesions or rashes remotely and make recommendations. Please call our front desk (706) 543-5858 to see if your dermatology concern will qualify for a Teledermatology visit. Schedule now!

Please consider calling our office (706-543-5858) and rescheduling any routine skin checks if you have no other questionable lesions or skin health concerns. We are going to continue to see patients that attend their appointments but seek to do so wisely.

• The CDC has expressed that individuals over the age of 60 are at a greater risk when exposed to the coronavirus (COVID-19). Therefore, we especially ask that individuals over the age of 60 carefully consider the risks they are exposing themselves to when out in public. We will be glad to reschedule any routine appointment with our office to a later date.

We ask that you please assist us by doing the following during your visit to our office:

• For the safety of yourself and others, we require that you wear a mask throughout the entirety of your visit.
• Please arrive on time for your appointment, rather than too early since that will help minimize the amount of time you spend in our waiting room.
• Please limit the number of family members accompanying you on your visit to our office. To decrease the potential spread of this virus and follow CDC recommendations for social distancing, we are only allowing patients in our waiting room.   Other guests will be asked to wait in your vehicle. In addition, after checking in at our front desk, you may be asked to wait in your vehicle, and we will call you when your Provider is ready. This is being done to adhere to the social distancing policy as recommended by the CDC.

Listed below are a few of the steps we are taking in order to ensure the safety and health of our Patients and Staff:

• ALL PATIENTS and STAFF will go through a verbal screening process upon entering our building, before entering our waiting room, and will be asked:
• If you are currently experiencing any flu-like symptoms such as fever, body aches or cough, or have experienced these symptoms within the last 14 days.
• If within the last 14 days, you have been in contact with anyone who has been diagnosed with the coronavirus or is experiencing flu-like symptoms.
• ANY PATIENT experiencing any of the above symptoms, or who has been in contact with anyone with the above symptoms, will not be permitted to enter our building, and we will gladly reschedule his/her appointment to a later date.
• ALL PATIENTS and STAFF will be screened for a fever using our quick and easy forehead scan thermometer. We are ordering additional forehead thermometers for our satellite offices and expect them to arrive later this week.
• ALL PATIENTS and STAFF will be required to sanitize their hands with disinfectant supplies provided at the point of entry into our building. In addition to the above, the following measures are in place:
• ALL PATIENTS and STAFF will be required to wear a mask.Our medical office space is continuously cleaned as part of our normal course of business, and we will maintain rigorous standards including cleaning and disinfecting high-touch, high-traffic areas.
• Our office is stocked with quality hand soap and disinfectant supplies.
• EVERY employee is charged with the highest standard of personal hygiene, as well as taking responsibility for doing their part in maintaining cleanliness in their work area.
• We are ensuring our Employees have the information they need to stay healthy, and Employees not feeling well in any regard will not be allowed in the workplace.
• Limiting the amount of contact our patients have with shared objects can help reduce the spread of certain infections, including COVID-19. Therefore, we have removed all magazines, books, and other reading material from our waiting areas and exam rooms.

As always, we are committed to maintaining a safe environment for both our employees and patients, while delivering the best medical care possible. We want to thank you for the trust you have placed in our Providers and Staff and appreciate your help and support in helping us with the safety measures we have put in place. We sincerely ask that you take the necessary precautions to keep yourself, your families, and the surrounding communities safe. If you have any other questions about your visit or about scheduling an appointment, please contact our office at (706) 543-5858.

Best Regards,

The Providers and Staff at Georgia Skin Cancer & Aesthetic Dermatology

COVID-19 Q & A

Is it safe to get a COVID-19 vaccine if I have an autoimmune condition, or am on a Biologic medication for treatment of my skin disease?

Yes, it should be safe for you to get a vaccine. There is no advisory against vaccinating people with autoimmune diseases, and medical experts say there is no reason to believe that the current COVID-19 vaccines on the market will be unsafe for these populations.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are made with mRNA technology, which contain genetic instructions for one part of the coronavirus instead of the entire virus itself. Vaccine scientists expect  vaccines made with this technology will be safe for immunocompromised patients and those on immunosuppressant drugs. More data is needed to understand whether immunosuppressant medications or unchecked disease activity may reduce vaccine effectiveness, however it should still provide protection for the vast majority of patients with psoriasis and other autoimmune diseases.

Is it safe to get a COVID-19 vaccine if I have had facial fillers in the past?

Yes, it is safe. A prior history of facial fillers should not keep you from getting a COVID-19 vaccine. The risks from acquiring and being infected with the COVID-19 virus far outweigh the risks from a reaction to one of the vaccines. The incidents that have been reported are very rare, and these facial swelling reactions have been mild and responded quickly to oral steroids and/or oral antihistamines. None of the cases required the use of an EpiPen or hospitalization, none were considered life-threatening, and there were no long-term complications in those who reported having facial swelling after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

It should also be noted that this is not a new phenomenon in patients who have facial filler. We have seen rare cases of facial swelling in areas of fillers after infections like sinus infections, upper respiratory infections, or even dental procedures. It has also been reported after receiving the flu or shingles vaccine. The facial swelling is likely because of reactogenicity after the vaccine, where the immune system was temporarily “revved-up”, and briefly reacted to the filler material.

There has been no relationship between the COVID vaccination and Botox or Dysport. These contain completely different ingredients, and there are no reports of adverse reactions to a COVID-19 vaccine in patients who have previously received Botox or Dysport.

If you do receive a vaccine and happen to develop swelling of your face in an area where we have injected filler, please contact our office and we will guide you in treating the reaction.