Facebook Live: Vaccinations/Light Treatment - Larisa Geskin, MD

January 2018 - Dr. Larisa Geskin shares important information related to flu and shingles vaccinations, an overview of light therapy treatments including PUVA and UVB, as well as the "FLASH" clinical trial. Dr. Geskin is the Director of the Comprehensive Skin Care Center at Columbia University. (Please note: Due to technical difficulties, brief issues with the recording's audio occur.) Q&A 00:01:58 Should I get the flu shot? I am immunocompromised, what do I do? Is that a good thing? 00:03:53 Do other members of the household need to be vaccinated? 00:05:37 What about the shingles vaccine? There is a new option available that is not a live vaccine, what does that mean? 00:11:30 My mycosis fungoides broke out after my shingles vaccine. Can I receive the new one? 00:13:46 If you had shingles within the last few years, do you still need the shingles vaccine? 00:15:12 What is phototherapy, what are the kinds, and why is it used for this disease? 00:19:13 If I am diagnosed and light therapy is recommended, how long does it take to work? 00:20:55 If through [light] treatments it is found that it is working, will you might be able to taper off and see what happens? 00:24:19 What are the risks of skin cancer [when] UVB [light therapy] is used for long periods of time for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL)? 00:26:25 My mycosis fungoides are not currently active. Would additional light therapy treatments help to keep it at bay? Or is it only useful when it is active? 00:28:10 Is phototherapy more effective than VALCHLOR® (mechlorethamine)? 00:29:52 I have lupus as well as mycosis fungoides and I am doing UVA1 once a week. Should I be doing it more than once a week? 00:30:47 Is shingles contagious? 00:32:21 Is it OK to take the flu vaccine? 00:33:01 My son is 22 and I realize at a low-risk for shingles, but should he get the [shingles vaccine]? 00:35:23 Once diagnosed [with cancer], what am I in risk for? Am I at risk for other infections, complications, or other cancers? 00:36:56 Can narrowband UBV be effective if the lymphocytes are around the hair follicles as well as the upper layers of the skin? 00:38:06 [Can] VALCHLOR® (mechlorethamine) cause contact dermatitis? 00:40:45 I just finished electon beam therapy (EBT), how long does the clearing typically last after finishing that treatment, and what is the success rate of EBT? 00:42:18 Can any of the medicines that are approved and seem to be so effective for psoriasis lately, can any of those be modified to be effective for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) lesions? 00:44:08 I have lesions on [my] brain. Does cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) cause that? 00:44:59 Can you share [information] about the FLASH (Fluorescent Light Activated Synthetic Hypericin) trial? 00:47:36 How can patients find out if they qualify for the FLASH clinical trial, or where the trial sites are? 00:48:56 No topical treatments have been helping me so I only use Aquaphor and take Methotrexate. Is that enough? It is still spreading. 00:50:15 My son, who is 46 years old, tans when his skin is broken out badly. He uses olive oil on his skin and takes zero medications. He refuses to go back to the doctor who diagnosed him. I think he is in denial. Any suggestions? 00:52:26 How does large cell transformation effective cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL)?