Eps. 10 | Skin Deep: Protecting Your Health from Head to Toe

Your skin does more than protect you. It can be one of the first indicators of what is happening inside your body.

In this episode of EmpowerND, we sit down with Lindsey Koach from SkinWin Dermatology to take a closer look at skin health and how it connects to your overall well being. From new spots and changes in moles to dryness, irritation, and other visible changes, your skin can offer important clues that should not be ignored.
We walk through what to watch for, when it is time to get something checked, and how to take a more proactive approach to your health. If you have ever wondered whether a spot is “worth getting looked at” or what actually happens during a skin exam, this episode breaks it down in a way that is approachable and easy to understand.

🎧 Listen, learn, and take your health seriously from head to toe.

Learn more about us at wewnetwork.org

The EmpowerND Podcast is hosted by Women Empowering Women, a membership based non-profit organization dedicated to connecting, supporting, and educating women. Through community, events, and resources, Women Empowering Women helps women grow, build confidence, and explore their potential, supporting them every step of the way as they become the best version of themselves. To learn more about Women Empowering Women’s projects or how to become a member, visit wewnetwork.org.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome back to Empower Indie Podcast. This podcast creates a space for honest conversations about health, well-being, and community resources to help people in southwestern North Dakota live healthy, full lives. The Empower Indie Podcast is produced by Women Empowering Women, a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting, supporting, and educating women to help them become the best versions of themselves. To become a member or learn more, visit wewnetwork.org. Your skin can reveal a lot about your overall health, but many people ignore warning signs or wait too long to get something checked. Today we're talking about how skin health connects to the rest of your body. When something might be a red flag and simple habits that help keep your skin healthy long term. Let's get started. Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about what you do?

SPEAKER_00 0:58

Yeah, um, so I am Lindsay Coach. Um I'm from Dickinson originally. I just moved back with my with my husband and our two small kids from North Carolina in May, and I work at Skinwind Dermatology, which just opened in the old hospital here in Dickinson in February.

unknown 1:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:13

And I'm a nurse practitioner there.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

Awesome. And Skinwind has a few different locations in North Dakota, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:18

Correct. Yep. Yep. Williston, Bismarck, and Minot.

SPEAKER_01 1:21

Okay, awesome. So we'll get into the content. So first, how can your skin reflect your overall health?

SPEAKER_00 1:28

So there's so many different things with the skin. So, you know, there's like if your skin's, you know, a yellow color, it could mean there's something wrong with your liver. If it's, you know, dusky and dry and you're having hair loss, it could be a thyroid issue. There's so many different things that we see on the skin that people probably ignore. It's just like, I just have dry skin, but it could be a more internal issue or something going on that maybe needs to be corrected.

SPEAKER_01 1:54

Are there signs on the skin that could indicate serious health issues before other symptoms appear?

SPEAKER_00 2:01

Yes. So there's definitely, you know, rashes that can pop up with breast cancer. There's rashes that pop up in later stages of syphilis. So, you know, if somebody has that sexually transmitted infection, they may not know they have it and they just have this rash show up one day. Um, and then, you know, things like psoriasis or lupus, you know, you can have some internal issues with that as far as like joint pain or with lupus, there's kidney issues that can happen, things like that.

SPEAKER_01 2:29

I think one thing that uh that a lot of people don't realize as well is that like your nails can contribute to that too, like your hair, all of those things, you know, can indicate different things. And so when we're looking and and examining them, we're looking at those things as well. And and I don't think that a lot of providers don't point it out to them, and so then they don't realize that like that's part of the assessment and that there's things and and signs that we're looking for too.

SPEAKER_00 2:54

Right, yeah. The uh nails can definitely show a lot of changes and show like because even psoriasis sometimes it only shows up in the nails and nowhere else on the skin or even internally.

SPEAKER_01 3:05

So can untreated skin conditions affect other parts of the body? We kind of covered that already with with different areas. Um one of the things that I know we've talked about in the past is how kratom shows up in the skin. Yeah. So just talk about a little bit about that because I think that's pretty interesting.

SPEAKER_00 3:21

Mm-hmm. Yeah, and the hard part with that is they haven't found a cure for it. So, you know, you see someone come in and they have this kind of gray, like you know, silvery appearance to their skin, and then that's the first question, you know, we started asking is are you taking kratom? And you know, being honest is the most important thing, so we can try to help you because you know, I know people take it as like a kind of over-the-counter anxiety, I think is what it's for. And energy, I think, is how it's advertised too. So right, but yeah, they're seeing all these long-term non-reversible discolorations in people, especially in the face.

SPEAKER_01 3:58

Yeah, and that's pretty alarming when that happens. So I think that's one of the most alarming ones I know of that that especially in this area with like all of our oil workers and stuff and having that sold in the gas station, it's something really important to make sure they're aware of when it comes to skin conditions. Right. Um, so talking about red flags, how do you know if a mole, rash, or red or spot needs professional attention?

SPEAKER_00 4:23

So as far as like, you know, like say a melanoma goes, um, you know, if it's something you've had your whole life and you notice it starts itching, hurting, bleeding, changing in color, shape, or even losing pigment, that's a sign you should probably get that checked. Um, and then other types of skin cancer, you know, if it a lesion pops up and it just is really fast, really painful, there's a type of squamous cell that can do that. And then basal cells, if it's just this little spot that won't go away and then it keeps getting bigger, you've had it for a long time, that should be checked too. There are just these really subtle signs that sometimes it can just look like a mole or people think it's a bug bite, and it might be something more than that.

SPEAKER_01 5:04

How often do you think that that people should get a skin check? Um, and does it depend on like their family history, their skin type, their age?

SPEAKER_00 5:13

Mm-hmm. So a lot of times it's yearly. Um, and age definitely has something to do with it. History of sun exposure, if they're fair skinned, I usually like to do yearly. And then if there's any um immediate family history of melanoma, like in a first-degree relative, those people need to get checked every year because they are at a higher percentage of getting a melanoma at some point in their life.

SPEAKER_01 5:36

Okay, so going on to prevention and daily care, uh, what daily habits make the biggest difference for healthy skin? I know this is really important for for like acne patients too. So kind of tell us about what you do for acne.

SPEAKER_00 5:50

Okay, so sunscreen is definitely a big one. And, you know, it's gonna help your pores from getting bigger later in life. Um, just overall anti-aging with acne patients. Um, you know, everyone's a little bit different. Everyone's skin is a little bit different, and you treat it kind of depending on age, because as we age, our skin needs different things. When you're younger, it's maybe a little more oily, and as you get older, it's dry, and it may not even be acne, it could be rosacea. So there's a lot of different treatments for acne. It can be something as simple as a couple different prescription topicals, or they may need something as extreme as Accutane. Uh, depending on their severity, age, you know, if they're having any scarring, we really, you know, judge each case individually.

SPEAKER_01 6:37

And then I know that uh some patients aren't aware that their diet and hydration uh and lifestyle choices can impact their skin.

SPEAKER_00 6:46

Mm-hmm. Yeah. So I've had, you know, a few patients, especially psoriasis, that, you know, they're not on any long-term medications. They're like, yeah, I did some research, I changed my diet, and I really don't have issues. And if I do, I just put some lotion on if I get a little spot pop-up. And, you know, the research on it, there's not a ton of like great evidence, but I've had plenty of people say that they feel like it helps them. And I think that's great. You know, I think diet, hydration, all that stuff definitely contributes a lot to our skin.

SPEAKER_01 7:15

I think something that I've really realized is how much the gut health impacts their skin as well. So, like, I'll give an example. My husband was diagnosed with psoriasis and he found that if he followed an autoimmune paleo diet, he didn't have any outbreaks or any sk skin changes. Well, then, you know, years down the road, he does a GI map and finds out that really he's had H. pylori this whole time. And so it was an infection that was causing his gut to be inflamed. And then every time he would eat things that would feed the H. pylori or irritate the H. pylori, his skin would flare up again. And so I just think that people don't really realize how much they're all all of those things are connected and how much it all really originates in the gut as well.

SPEAKER_00 7:59

Right.

SPEAKER_01 8:00

So are there common mistakes people can make with skincare products?

SPEAKER_00 8:04

There are. I mean, being a millennial, you know, I grew up in the days of like the St. Ives, like glass on your skin, face wash, and you know, really harsh toners. And it's important not to do too many acne treating products, I think, especially, you know, in those patients, because you're just stripping the skin barrier, drying your skin out, and it's just going to lead to more problems. So that's, you know, a pretty common mistake, and then not reapplying sunscreen throughout the day. And, you know, I find that people are, you know, they say, Oh, I just I tan really easily. So I don't really put on sunscreen, but really you are damaging your skin even just getting a tan that you know damages the skin kill skin cells and can still lead to skin cancer later in life.

SPEAKER_01 8:50

So if someone was to come and see you at St. Joe's Plaza and, you know, in your new location, kind of walk us through what that visit would look like.

SPEAKER_00 9:00

Okay. So yeah, it depends on what they're being seen for. So say it's like a full skin exam. We um have our medical assistant do the intake, you know, any family history, personal history of skin cancers, things like that, what spots they're personally worried about that day. And then we'll have them get undressed to their comfort level, you know, whether they keep like their bra and underwear, and um give them a gown and then they wear that for the exam. And one thing that some people don't realize is that we're pretty up close and personal because we have, you know, our magnifier, we're looking at every spot. And another thing that really helps me diagnose is you know, feeling the spots on the skin because with little pre-cancers, you can't always detect them with just the naked eye. So, you know, touch is a big deal with that, and then you know, we look through your scalp, we look, you know, between your toes, kind of everywhere.

SPEAKER_01 9:56

So, yeah, and I think that um, so my husband went to you guys um to Skinwyn for some basal cell carcinoma and had a great experience, and so I think that having that resource in our community is huge. Like it really is a big step forward with making sure that our community is taken care of because I know that at some times I've referred patients and it's taken up to a year to get into places, and with SkinWin coming into our area, we don't have that wait time anymore. So I'm excited about that. So, how can listeners reach you to schedule an appointment?

SPEAKER_00 10:34

So um we do have a website, the phone number is the same for all the offices, and they'll just kind of direct you to where you need to go um to you know be scheduled with us. And um your provider can send a referral as well. Take lots of referrals, and I know we have signs kind of all over town at this point. I've been doing a lot of promotion with that, so you'll probably see my face and Dr. Hoffman's face, you know, even like going into runnings. So good.

SPEAKER_01 11:06

So if you have a spot, mole, or skin change that you've been wondering about, consider scheduling a professional skin check. Dermatology services are available locally through Skinwind Dermatology, Sanford Health, St. Alexis Health, and Urban Unwind. Thank you for joining us today and for sharing your expertise and experience with us and our audience. And thank you to our listeners for listening in and being part of the conversation with us. Until next time, stay informed, stay empowered, and we'll see you on the next Empower ND podcast.