03/21/2022

Friends of Franz Podcast S1 E13: The Nurse Practitioner Role in Dermatology with Vanna Padilla

In the mid-1960s, a shortage of physicians across the United States posed a great predicament to patient safety rooted in the decrease in primary healthcare access. In response to this detrimental period in medicine, pediatrician Dr. Henry Silver created the first formal graduate nursing program that would be the role now known as the nurse practitioner (NP). With the goal of scope expansion of the nursing practice to bridge the gaps in access to care posed by the physician shortage nationwide, NPs have become a vital part of the care team model with the clinical abilities to diagnose, treat, and prescribe pharmacologic modalities in almost every specialty. However, many questions still arise regarding this extended nursing role due to the varying state-by-state regulations and its nonexistence in several countries worldwide. It is of great joy to have my dear friend, Vanna Padilla, an NP herself, to share what her role stands for and also our common love...skincare.

Receiving her bachelor's degree in Nursing, Vanna was initially a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) registered nurse. She then furthered her education by receiving her master's degree in family practice nursing and becoming a board-certified family nurse practitioner. Despite her love for babies, Vanna now stands as a dermatology nurse practitioner, the CEO of Your Skincare Expert, and the Host of the Mom Guilt Podcast.

From her experiences as a bedside registered nurse to her expanded role as a nurse practitioner, we tackle the heart of her practice: all things dermatology and skincare. Delving into the cosmetic, medical, and surgical aspects of her work, we talk about the psychosocial effects of skin conditions, the essence of vanity in cosmetics, and the ever-changing world of skin regimen and its products and ingredients. Does sunscreen truly fight off UV radiation? What is bakuchiol, and when would one use it in place of a topical retinoid? Is topical chlorophyll recommended? Can you mix AHAs and BHAs with Vitamin A derivatives? How can one maximize the stability of their Vitamin C serum? Your Skincare Expert answers it all. Prepare for a glass skin conversation!