Tracee Blackburn, PA-C: Gut Health for Healthy Skin

“What we started off with was gut health. We know that 80% of our immunity is in our gut. And so, if there's a lot of inflammation that is internal or systemic, it can definitely show up in the hair, skin, and nails. I spoke about a lot of things in regard to if we need to repair the gut; we call it gut rehab. There are probiotics, which is such a hot topic, but when you go to the store, it's like skincare, which probiotic do you use? Do you need a probiotic? Is there a probiotic specific to the condition that you have been diagnosed with? So, we dived into that,” said Tracee Blackburn, PA-C, in an interview with Dermatology Times.

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At the 2024 Diversity in Dermatology meeting in San Antonio, Texas, Blackburn, a board-certified physician assistant at Medical Dermatology Associates of Chicago in Illinois, presented alongside Brittany Scurto, PA-C, to discuss highlights from their session, “Flash Pass to Integrative Medicine.”

When discussing integrative medicine and looking at the whole patient, Karen Johnson, MD, a board-certified gynecologist from Chicago, Illinois, joined Blackburn and Scurto to review hormone health in integrative medicine. Blackburn shared some of Johnson’s pearls, which included informing clinicians that there are 4 different types of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

In response to the knowledge of there being 4 different types of PCOS, Blackburn said, “Who knew? But it’s all about getting to know your patients and knowing them, not just for what they’re presenting with, but instead asking questions that can show them the root cause of why they’re here... Hormones and gut health are really big in dermatology right now because it affects so many of us.”

“I love what Diversity in Dermatology has done to encompass this integrative sector and I believe that more and more providers are leaning into it which is going to be the best for our patients,” concluded Blackburn.

Tracee Blackburn, PA-C: Hi, everyone, my name is Tracee Blackburn, and I am a physician associate out of Chicago, Illinois. I'm currently at Medical Dermatology Associates in Chicago. I am the co-chair of integrative medicine for Diversity in Dermatology.

Dermatology Times: What advice did you share with attendees during your co-chaired session, "Flash Pass to Integrative Medicine?"

Blackburn: So, we had the "flash pass" into integrative medicine. And what that is, is letting people know, "Hey, this is new or new-ish to some people, but it's a lot of information. So just like when you go to Six Flags, you want to get to the front of the line as soon as you can. But we just want to let you know that we're going to start here, and then we're going to continue to flourish." So basically, what we started off with was gut health. We know that 80% of our immunity is in our gut. And so, if there's a lot of inflammation that is internal or systemic, it can definitely show up in the hair, skin, and nails. I spoke about a lot of things in regard to if we need to repair the gut; we call it gut rehab. There are probiotics, which is such a hot topic, but when you go to the store, it's like skin care, which probiotic do you use? Do you need a probiotic? Is there a probiotic specific to the condition that you have been diagnosed with? So, we dived into that.

Dr. Johnson, who is an OBGYN out of Chicago as well and practices functional medicine, she was really great. She told us that there are 4 types of PCOS, which is polycystic ovarian syndrome. Who knew? But it's all about getting to know your patients, knowing them, not just for what they're presenting with, but asking questions that can pretty much show them the root cause of why they're here. And so, a lot of patients want to know, "Okay, I understand you have medications that can treat what I have or make it better. But how did I get here? Why do I have it? What can we do to make it better so that I'm not following a 15-step protocol?" Then Brittany just brought it home and tried to put it all together in regard to how do we do this in a regular or what I call modern dermatology visit? Hormones and gut health are really big right now in dermatology because it affects so many of us.

Blackburn: I have been a leader in Diversity in Dermatology since 2020. And so, this is our third conference, which has been truly amazing. It is not just about diversifying in regard to race, but we're talking about race, gender, topics, and diversifying your life in regard to your passions. We spoke about finance and we learned about the C suite when it gets up to the higher echelons in executive boards and things like that. We learned about hormones and we learned about how to be more sensitive to cultural beliefs and religious beliefs. So, not only was it diversified, it was definitely integrated because you're taking the patient as a whole, but not only did it speak to patients, it spoke to us as providers, and how we can improve our work-life balance as well.

I feel that Diversity in Dermatology is definitely cutting-edge information, new literature that is coming out just because we're pulling. We know that there's psoriasis and atopic dermatitis and hair loss, but we want to know the different aspects and how to treat people based on what they are, how they are presenting, bringing that into integrative medicine. Integrative medicine is treating patients on an individualized platform. So that means that it's you and me in the room, how do you want to be treated? How can I guide you in the right direction? I always say that there are multiple ways that we can come at this. What road do you want to go down, first? Integrative medicine is all-inclusive medicine. So, it's not just holistic or alternative. It includes alternative and holistic medicine. So, whether we are giving a prescription, whether we are talking about breathing exercises or meditation, whether we're going over what's in your ingredient list, it's all-inclusive. So, I just wanted to make sure that we continue this journey. I love what Diversity in Dermatology has done to encompass this integrative sector and I believe that more and more providers are leaning into it which is going to be the best for our patients.