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Common Skin Problem
Innumerable
internal and external factors may lead to some of the common
skin problems, gaining an insight into them will help you to
manage as well as protect skin in a better way . Acne and
non-cancerous growth such as, moles and warts are some of the
most common skin problems.
Skin problems affect each and everyone of us so knowing how to
counter these irritations is both important and smart. The
types of care can range from something as common as sunscreen
and creams to something more complex like a
professional microdermabrasion machine. Either way knowing
more about what causes the irritation and then how to ease the
pain and frustration can make a significant difference in a
person's life.
Our Skin has its
own protective mechanism against sunlight. When it is exposed to
the rays of the sun, the pigment in the skin increases in order
to protect the inner layer of the skin.
The skin tends to
tan due to repeated exposure to the sun especially for long
durations. In fair skins, there is an accumulation of pigment in
the lower layers, which gets gradually destroyed, as it is
transferred to the upper layers. Due to continued exposure, the
fair skin acquires freckles, which are accumulation of pigments
in areas that have little or no pigment.
Freckles are tiny
black spots spread all over the face. They tend to appear more
on the areas-like the nose, cheek bones and forehead.
CARE:
(A) Avoid
excessive exposure to sun.
(B) Use a
Sunscreen whenever you move out in the sun with
SPF
of 15 or higher.
(C) Consult a
Dermatologist
Although they do
not need to be treated, but as some women find them unattractive
they might choose to have them lightened by bleaching or removed
by freezing (cryotherapy) or laser therapy (treatment using high
energy beams of light).
In rare cases,
they may be early changes that could lead to most serious form
of
skin cancer, malignant melanoma.
These are caused
by the accumulation of hardened sebum or oil in the pores of the
skin. They tend to appear in form of tiny, pearly, white raised
spots. It occurs when a plug of sebum blocks a hair follicle
deeper in the skin.
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Healthy
Skin
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Whitehead
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CARE:
(A) Regular deep
pore
cleansing helps to discourages whiteheads: A mixture of
beauty grains and skin tonic rubbed on the affected areas, will
discourage the formation and also help to dislodge them after a
period of time.
(B) They should
never be removed forcibly. Forcible extraction will only damage
the skin tissue and cause infection.
(C) Consult a
doctors. He or she might prescribe a medicated, cream or gel
effective for preventing whiteheads.
(D) Aim at
consuming adequate amount of fruits and vegetables in your daily
diet.
(E) Drink plenty
of water and fresh fruit juices. A glass of warm water with the
juice of lemon, helps to cleanse the body of toxic residues and
help the elimination of wastes.
A blackhead
results when dead skin cells and sebum block a hair follicle
near the surface of the skin. The mixture of pigment (the
protein that gives skin its color) from the dead skin cells and
sebum makes a blackhead dark; it is not dirt that can be washed
away.
The oily skin
tends to attract more grime and dirt from the environment and
these pollutants also collect in the pore with the hardened oil.
Blackhead causes the pores to be further enlarged and women with
oily skin end up with a skin texture that is course and rough.
They are the cause
of acne. When a pore is fully blocked, the oil glands can get
infected resulting in a pimple.
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Healthy
Skin
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Blackhead
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CARE
(A) Wash the face
with a medicated soap and lukewarm water to reduce the oiliness
of the skin surface, so as to eliminate chances of infection.
(B) Rinsing with
plain water as often as possible will keep the skin free of
environmental pollutants.
(C) Washing must
be followed by a more thorough
cleansing to dislodge hardened
sebum and keep the pores clean.
(D) Do not use
oil-based moisturizers especially on the blemished area.
(E) Blackheads
should be treated only by a doctor to avoid infection or
scaring. He or she will squeeze out the plug of sebum and dead
skin cells from the blocked hair follicle using instruments that
will not harm your skin.
The over activity
of the sebaceous glands usually results in skin with enlarged
pores. Excessive oil secretion by the glands causes the pores to
get clogged. The pores are thus stretched to accommodate the
hardened sebum and lose their natural resilience. This excessive
secretion of oil, might thicken the pores and mar the porcelain
quality of skin, leaving the skin coarse.
CARE
(A) Use a
medicated cleanser to reduce the surface oil. Deep pore
cleansing with specialized cleanser also helps.
(B) The skin
should be toned daily-
toning removes greasiness remaining from
the skin, closes pores, refines the skin and provides it a
smooth clean texture. Skin tonics are generally composed of
infusions of herbs, flowers, vinegar, rose-water and
witch-hazel.
A skin tonic with
a rose base is excellent. Keep some in a bowl in the
refrigerator. Soak cotton wool pads and pat the skin briskly
with it after a cleansing routine.
Warts are small
firm flesh colored lumps that can appear anywhere on the skin,
but most often they occur on the hands and feet.
They are caused by
a virus that infects the skin cells, making them grow rapidly.
As they are contagious, you should avoid touching warts on
someone else's skin.
If you have warts,
keep them from coming in contact with someone else's skin.
Warts may go away
on their own within about 2 yrs, or you may be able to dissolve
with an over the counter mediation.
Consult you doctor
regarding dissolving or removal of wart. If the wart fails to
dissolve through strong medication, he or she might remove it by
cutting, freezing or burning it or by laser surgery (treatment
using high-energy beams of light to destroy tissues).
Skin tags are
small, protruding flaps of skin that usually appear on the neck,
armpits, upper trunk or in folds of skin, such as those
under the breast.
Skin tags are
small and may be of the same color as your skin or dark like a
mole. They are common and usually appear after the age of 20
yrs, They are harmless, but might be irritated by friction.
Consult your
doctor if you feel a need to remove or cutting of skin tags or
burning it. People rarely have a scar after either of the
treatments.
DARK UNDER-EYE CIRCLE
These are
generally caused by lack of sleep, fatigue, stress, dietary
deficiency or disease. Proper sleep is vital bright, shining
eyes. Eight hours of sleep is a must. Avoid extra strain on the
eyes by reading only in good light and by making sure that you
can see properly before undertaking work like sewing or writing.
The skin around the eye is very
delicate. A medical support will help you in
adopting a daily care routine. Before going to be, clean the
skin around the eyes with a moist cotton wool. Whichever product
you decide to use must be very light in texture.
Almond
helps to remove dark
circles, and is an excellent "skin food". Remove the
cream applied around the eye after 10 min. No cream should be
left on the skin around the eyes for long periods.
Avoid the area around the eye,
when applying face masks. Below are two simple home recipes to
combat dark under eye circles:-
(A) Grate half
cucumber, strain it and refrigerate. Dab a mixture of lemon
juice, lanolin cream and cucumber juice around the eye for 10
minutes and then wipe off.
(B) Apply crushed
mint around the eye. This will take away the darkness around the
eye.
The bumpy,
puckered and dimpled irregularities of fat collection which
occurs over many women's buttocks, hips and thighs are called
cellulite. These areas are often the first to attract fat and
the last to lose it.
A mesh of collagen
fibers hold the fat under the skin. The bumps, dimples and
accompanying shadows of cellulite are simply the fat pushing out
of the holes in the mesh.
In order to reduce
cellulite,
-
The amount of
fat must be reduced .
-
The supporting
muscles must be toned up.
-
The
surroundings and intertwining protein mesh work needs to be
altered.
Although cellulite
is difficult to get rid off completely, a proper
diet will
reduce the fat,
exercise will tone the underlying muscles and
vigorous massaging will drown the protein mesh work and the fat
stores, helping to improve the appearance of this condition.
Unfortunately
there is no long term solution to cellulite. From a medical
standpoint, topical Aminophylline cream has been helpful for
some people. The preparation is applied to the affected area
twice a day to reduce cellulite in some people. Aminophylline
cream is available only through medical prescription so do not
go out searching in the local chemist shops.
The regular use of
this cream in combination with the following suggestions should
help to improve the look of the thighs and buttocks of women
affected with cellulite:
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Maintaining
lower fat stores, with a well balanced low fat diet.
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Avoid foods
that encourage deep fluid retention, such as too much salt
in the diet, and too many diet drinks.
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Regular
hormonal balance, check-ups.
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Tone the
muscles with daily buttocks, thigh and hip exercises, so
that the fat cushion is sitting on a firm base. Exercise
like vigorous
walking,
swimming and
cycling are particularly
helpful.
-
Vigorous
massaging the areas of cellulite for 10 min each day to
break down the fibrous mesh and the larger fat globules.
Applying hot water bottle or heating pads to the area prior
to vigorous manipulating the area by aggressive fudo chops
will help, but care must be taken not to overheat and burn
the skin. The hot massage must be followed with an icepack.
If this fails to
work and you are desperate, a combination of surgical
liposuction to remove the fat from the bulges and fat transfer to
place the fat in the dimples may even out the irregularities and
permanently remove some of the fat stores.
STRETCH MARKS
Known medically as
Striae, are the visible evidence that the skin's building blocks
(collagen and elastin) could not keep up with its need for
growth.
Stretch marks are
formed when the skin stretches at a rate that cannot be
sustained by its elasticity. They may appear after rapid weight
gain ,spurts of growth and pregnancy. The development of breasts
in adolescent girls and bulking up of muscles in weight lifters
can also cause stretch marks. Infact, anything that increases
the body's cortisone levels, as in case of puberty, obesity or
weight gain, the infection of cortisone medications or even the
application of potent cortisone creams will increase the chances
of developing stretch marks.
They initially
appear as red or purple lines of varying length or widths.
Sometimes they are wrinkled and shiny. Gradually they fade to a
shade lighter than the surrounding skin.
Women are more
prone to stretch marks appearing on the breasts, lower abdomen,
the buttocks and thighs.
Many techniques
currently being used to reduce or eliminate stretch marks, are
not yet refined and require further research and exploration.
TREATMENT
1. The use
of tretinoin has proven to be the most effective treatment to
date. Tretinoin in form of Retisol-A, Retin-A, Stieva-A,
Rejuva-A,
Renova or Vitamin A acid applied to stretch mark in high doses
can cause a realignment of the collagen in the skin.
To be effective,
tretinoin must be applied in high doses, no less than 0.1% per
day for a period of 12 weeks. The area becomes, very irritated
dry and itchy. This reaction is important to the
success of the treatment and must not be interfered by using
moisturizing creams, or mild cortisone creams to ease
discomfort.
Stretch marks that
have developed recently are more receptive to treatment with
tretinoin than stretch marks which have been around for a while.
2. The next
best treatment is to resurface the stretch marks with the
carbon
dioxide laser. This causes a reorganization of the
collagen architecture in the skin. Overly aggressive treatment
can also result in scaring and irregular pigmentation.
3. In some cases
the vascular removal laser may help to improve the look of
stretch marks.
4. Another option
is the use of injectable collagen. Zyplast collagen can be
injected and molded into the depressed and thinned area of the
stretch marks. The results are variable and not permanent and
the amount of collagen that will be required to fill large areas
of stretch marks would be very costly.
5. Linear surgical
excision may help to select instances where a fine white scar
would be preferable to unsightly stretch marks.
6. Opaque
cosmetics, such as cover mark and derma blend may be used to
camouflage visible stretch marks if they are particularly
troublesome.
All these
treatment options need to be discussed by you with a
dermatologist before choosing any of the treatment options.
Dated 27 July 2011
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