Remembering 9-11: A Dermatology Perspective

"The article we wrote is also a form of remembrance.  It is a reminder that 9/11 is an ongoing ordeal for many survivors and responders and that for them the tragedy is not over."

New research takes a close look at dermatologic injuries and chronic skin conditions that have affected survivors and responders during the nearly two decades since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

These chronic illnesses include sarcoidosis, autoimmune disease, ill-defined skin lesions and irritation, non-melanoma skin cancer, and melanoma, the study authors report in Clinics in Dermatology.

"There are many ways we remember the tragedy of 9/11, through monuments, through annual observances, through books and films," says Pembroke Pines, FL-based dermatologist Leonard J. Hoenig, MD, Section Editor, Reflections on Dermatology:  Past, Present and Future, Clinics in Dermatology.  "The article we wrote is also a form of remembrance.  It is a reminder that 9/11 is an ongoing ordeal for many survivors and responders and that for them the tragedy is not over," he tells DermWire.

"Today we live in difficult times:  a devastating pandemic, racial conflict and great political divisiveness. Perhaps, by recalling the heroism of the 9/11 responders and the way Americans came together at that time to mourn the victims and help those in need, we can be inspired today to solve our problems together, in the same spirit.  If we can do this, then we would truly honor the memory those who perished."

Pembroke Pines, FL-based dermatologist Leonard J. Hoenig, MD, Section Editor, Reflections on Dermatology:  Past, Present and Future of Clinics in Dermatology