'skin' posts

Most of us experience acne at some point in our lives. It is most common in adolescents and young adults, but various forms can affect people well into adulthood. Knowing what you can treat with over the counter products and when to see a physician is the first step to improving acne.

The most common form of acne is comedonal acne and is characterized by whiteheads and blackheads. The next most common is inflammatory acne where deeper, pinker bumps appear on the skin. Milder cases of both comedonal and inflammatory acne can often times respond to over the counter (OTC) treatment with salicylic acid cleansers and topical benzoyl peroxide products. If you try OTC treatment for 6-8 weeks and see good benefit, you can avoid a trip to the doctor and keep using the OTC products.

More severe comedonal or inflammatory acne will commonly not respond to OTC treatment or get limited benefit. If a 6-8 week treatment trial with OTC products doesn’t control your acne, it’s time to see a doctor. There are...

"It's eczema season" is an often repeated phrase for me lately.

This time of year, I always find myself seeing more patients with eczema. The common presenting complaint is a persistent rash that itches so much that it disturbs sleep. The dry, itchy patches of skin are commonly seen on the back, sides of the torso, arms and legs, but can happen almost anywhere. People with a history of allergies, asthma, or childhood eczema are even more likely to develop eczema in the fall or winter.

There are a number of contributing factors to the increased incidence of eczema in the winter:

Furnaces run more, drying out the air inside homes and buildings. We wear more clothing, increasing the friction on our skin. Hot water feels better, so we tend to spend more time in the shower or bath.

That last one sounds counter-intuitive, but ...

Your fingernails and toenails are a window into your overall health. Many health conditions, such as heart and lung disease, are very visible in the nails. Bands or lines in multiple fingernails, as well as changes in color, can also indicate illness. Nails can even tell you how long you’ve been ill since fingernails need six months to grow, and toenails a whole year.

When was the last time you looked at your nails?

Did you know:

• Nail pitting: Small depressions on the surface of the nail; is common in people with psoriasis
• Clubbing: Enlarged fingertips with nails curving around the fingertips may indicate lung, liver, heart or inflammatory bowel disease, or AIDS
• Spooning: Scoop-shaped nails that curve up may be a sign of anemia
• Banding...

Summer is almost here, so this is a good time to talk about sunscreens.

We all get excited when the sun comes out in our area, but it is always important to remember that everyone should avoid direct sun exposure when it is the harshest -between 10am and 4pm during the summer months,. Everyone should wear sunscreen, hats and covered clothing when exposed to the sun. Cloudy days do not offer too much protection as the UV rays can penetrate through the clouds and affect the skin the same way. Children and adolescents in particular should avoid tanning beds.

What you should know about different types of sunscreen:

Is the mirror showing a few more wrinkles on your face or a little more sagging than it used to? A combination of physiological changes is responsible for these signs of aging. The elastin and collagen that give our skin its strength and resiliency break down making it more difficult to replenish damaged skin cells with new ones; our skin cell turnover rate slows, causing skin to look dull; gravity contributes to the thinning of our skin; and our glands produce less oil bringing about dryness and accelerating the aging process.

Skin Care By the Numbers

With so many products and services available, how can we know which remedies will actually help slow the effects of aging on our skin? About 50 percent of the way our skin ages is determined by genetics; the other 50 percent we can do something about.

In your 20s:
Leading a healthy lifestyle in your 20s can decrease the effects of aging on your skin. Use a good sunscreen and eat a well-balanced diet that includes antioxidant-rich foods like colorful vegetables and fruits. Also, stay hydrated by limiting alcohol and caffeine and drinking plenty of water; get 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night; exercise; and reduce stress.

In your 30s:
In your 30s, continue a healthy lifestyle and consider using an alphahydroxy acid moisturizer. Changes in hormones and metabolism at this age cause skin to start losing hydration. Use a night cream to hydrate skin during sleep. In your mid to late 30s, consider seeing a skin care professional. Having a chemical peel or laser therapy twice a year will remove dead skin and reveal younger skin. Also, begin using an eye cream if you’re showing wrinkles around the eyes.

40s and beyond:

Why is sunscreen important? Sunscreen  is essential in keeping our skin healthy. Here are some tips about your skin and sunscreen.

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Who needs to use sunscreen?

With this cooler and cloudier than usual weather we have been having, many of us wonder, is sunscreen even necessary on these cloudy days. Well, I am here to tell you that everyone should be using sunscreen every day regardless of the clouds.

More than 3.5 million skin cancers are diagnosed annually and there are numerous studies that associate sunburns with increased risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

What are UVA and UVB rays?

The sun emits 2 types of harmful rays: ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B rays. UVA rays penetrate window glass and penetrate deeper into our skin. UVA rays can also alter our immune system’s ability to monitor the development of skin cancer. UVA rays also cause premature aging of the skin. UVB rays cannot penetrate window glass and is the primary cause of sunburn. Sunburns are directly associated with skin cancers.

Even on cloudy days, 80% of the ultraviolet rays can pass through the clouds. So, sunscreen is still needed on these cloudy days.

What type of sunscreen should one use and what ingredients should one look for?

Despite skin being the largest human organ, many people don’t take the necessary steps to properly take care of it.

As the body ages, the skin’s elastin and collagen break down, making it more difficult for old skin cells to be replaced with new ones. The body’s oil production also slows as the years go by. These combined effects cause skin to appear duller, dryer and more wrinkled.

While around 50 percent of our skin condition depends on genetics, the other 50 percent relies on how well we treat our skin. Follow these tips to practice basic skin care in your younger years: