Hidradenitis Suppurativa

One of the most harmful aspects of smoking is the potential to develop a skin problem. This can happen either because of the smoke itself or because of the chemicals that are inhaled. In the latter case, you inhale over 4,000 toxic chemicals, which are carried by your bloodstream directly to the subcutaneous layer of your skin. Here, the chemicals constrict the veins just under the skin, reducing blood flow. Lacking in blood flow, the skin becomes unhealthy and loses its glow. This leads to what medical practitioners call a “smoker’s face.”

Smoking also causes the skin to become thin. One study showed that in twins, those who smoked had 25 percent thinner skin than those who did not.

Smoking tobacco also leads to passive smoking. No other addictive substance impacts innocent bystanders like tobacco cigarettes. If you sit beside a person smoking a cigarette, the smoke that you inhale can be as bad as smoking a cigarette yourself. This is unique because most other drugs do not cause this kind of social ill.

Another issue is that simple exposure to tobacco smoke can cause allergies and other skin problems. Tobacco and the nicotine contained in it are very potent. However, if you inhale the nicotine using electric cigarettes, there is no chance of causing skin irritation in other people, simply because the nicotine never has a chance to touch anyone’s skin.

If you are a conscientious smoker, this is the best way to continue smoking without harming others. An electric cigarette can be more expensive than a single tobacco cigarette, but if you are a habitual smoker, the costs actually turn out to be much less over time. The social cost is also less as there is no secondhand smoke. These are some of the reasons that more people are choosing to smoke an electric cigarette rather than a traditional one.

Before Michael Jackson used this skin disease to explain his changing skin color many persons had never heard of vitiligo. It affects people of all skin color, but is most obvious in darker skinned individuals. Statistically, between one to two percent of the US population is affected. The condition generally develops between 20 and 40, but can occur at any age.

What is Vitiligo?

It is an autoimmune disease which results when the cells (melanocytes) responsible for skin color die or begin to malfunction. The most affected areas are the extremities such as fingers, around the eyes, nostrils, mouth and genital area. It also causes premature graying.

The two types of vitiligo are non-segmental and segmental. Persons with non-segmental vitiligo have patches widely distributed over their bodies. With the latter type, the patches do not spread as readily, if ever. The condition can be inherited, but most children of parents with vitiligo do not get the disease.

Can the Condition be Treated?

There is no cure for vitiligo, but some treatment options exist. Affected persons can slow down or improve the impact on skin’s pigmentation by:

• Using makeup to camouflage the affected area.
• Avoiding tanning or too much sun exposure especially for sufferers with fair skin.
• Topical creams which re-pigment the skin have been tested and shown to have some positive impact.
• Surgery and laser treatment are sometimes used to help treat the condition. This is rare, however, and is primarily experimental. Surgical intervention usually involves skin grafting. Tattooing is also used when the de-pigmentation is not too severe.
• Complete de-pigmentation. When the discoloration affects most of the skin, what remains of the original skin color can be removed. This process can take as little as six months to well over two years to be completed.
• Use of sunscreen, especially on lighter areas is recommended.

The treatment option depends on how much of the body is affected.

Many persons have lived and continue to live successful and happy lives with vitiligo. In fact, there are quite a few celebrities who have the condition, including The Cosby Show’s Tempestt Bledsoe and actor/comedian Joe Rogan.

As any first year medical student will tell you the human skin is actually the largest organ on the body. This means that your skin is a living, breathing and always malleable organism that needs special attention. Your skin is actually your front line defense against the elements and infections. Where will you pick up most of your germs? From your hands. Keep them clean and you’ll stay healthy. What keeps you warm at night? Covering your skin. The heat that is given off from your body reflects back from under a blanket and keeps you cozy. What’s the best way to treat your skin? Moisture. Even though it is the largest organ on your body, it’s probably the easiest one to take care.
We’ve often been told about the harmful effects of direct UV sunlight. The truth is that sunlight provides our bodies with a much needed dose of Vitamin D. Twenty minutes a day of sun exposure will do the trick. When the nights turn dark for six months in Alaska, folks spend quality minutes under a UV light just to charge up their skin cells. Going out in the sun for longer periods should require you to lather up with some sunscreen. Even when you think you’re just going from your car to your office you can still be bombarded with direct sunlight. What about the drive home and hanging your arm out the car window?
At the end of a long day, your skin is thirsty for moisture. This doesn’t mean standing under a shower every night (although that wouldn’t hurt). But consider adding some soothing moisturizing lotion to your nightly rituals. Applying lotion to your hands, feet and face can provide you with the necessary nutrients to keep your skin healthy. If you spend all day indoors your skin can become dried out thanks to heat or AC. That’s why you need to give your skin a treat every now and then. Don’t worry; it will thank you by staying healthy for years to come!

Did you know something as simple as auto insurance can improve your health? The reason it does is more mental than physical. Financial stress is something that occurs at one point or another in almost every person’s life. Whether it’s a job loss, an unexpected emergency, or some other situation, you may find yourself with less money than you expected. When this happens, the stress can begin to affect your mental health and your physical health.

When you feel stress, your body reacts by releasing adrenaline. You’ve probably heard of the flight or fight syndrome. When a stimulus occurs, your body reacts by releasing adrenaline to give you the rush you need to either fight or flee. Stress often acts as a stimulus, only you can’t run away from the problem. When your finances continue to put strain on your body, your health begins to decline.

There are several things you can do to help improve the situation. Anxiety may add to your stress levels, and you may need to talk to your doctor about the kinds of medications on the market that can help you control panic. Another option is to look at your budget and see where you can cut expenses. Sometimes, it’s a matter of making smarter decisions. For example, buying insurance may provide you with peace of mind, further reducing your stress. Even though you’re spending money to get a policy, you’re making a smart financial decision, and that can give you a positive mental boost. The effects of buying something useful will last much longer than blowing your money on toys or coffee. When you make a purchase you know isn’t the best decision, it can be fun for a while, but later on you may feel guilt of the purchase. Spending your money on something useful doesn’t lead to this type of guilt.

Skin rashes are common and will occur for a number of reasons. They can be caused by a reaction to certain types of material, or can be a response to a food allergy. Sometimes even skin creams or cosmetics can cause these flare ups. For the most part they are just irritating and some will eventually go away on their own. There are occasions, however, when a skin rash is a sign of something more serious.

Dangerous Skin Rashes

It is never wise to simply ignore any rash no matter how harmless it may seem. Seek the advice of a doctor once a rash appears, especially if you can pinpoint no reason for its appearance. Rashes, whether they show up on one part of the body or not should be reason for concern. Signs that could point to a serious health condition include:

• A rash that is accompanied by blisters and are accompanied by itching or not.
• Itching, burning or pain in the irritated area could be a sign of the disease called Tungiasis. This is caused by fleas.
• Thickening of the skin which could be a sign of Pediculosis caused by body lice.
• Any rash that causes the skin to become scaly in appearance.
• Burning or stabbing pain in the affected area which could be a sign of shingles.
• Any rash that affects the mucus membranes, particularly the mouth and nose area. This could point to toxic shock syndrome as well as other dangerous conditions.

Lesions and rashes that produce secretions should be checked by a doctor as soon as possible. If the cause of the rash is something common such as an encounter with poison ivy, there is no real reason to worry. Do not attempt to treat a skin rash that displays any of the above mentioned symptoms on your own.

Health food is a good idea, but there’s one problem with a lot of it – it costs so much that people who would like to buy it can’t really afford to. While wealthier people can purchase it, most people who are living paycheck to paycheck don’t even have the opportunity to give healthy eating a try for a few days and see how it makes them feel. If they could do that, they might find that they feel much better and continuing to eat healthy would be worth sacrificing something else. If you’re in that situation, you have options.

You could consider emergency cash loans or other means of borrowing a little bit of money for a short period of time. Use that money to buy healthy things – especially when they’re on sale. That would give you the opportunity to eat well for a few days or a few weeks and see if you had more energy, slept better, and just felt better overall. If it made you feel a lot better, you might want to consider finding ways to cut some of your other costs so that you could continue to eat healthy and stay feeling good.

Be careful when buying health food, too, because some of it isn’t as healthy as it claims to be. Read labels and do some research before you go shopping. That way you’ll be sure to get the best food items for you, instead of getting only what you’ve been told is healthy by the stores and companies that are trying to sell it. A little research is a good idea, and it really doesn’t take that long. Once you understand the terms a little bit better, it’s much easier to get what you need and make sure that you really are eating healthy.

It is sometimes believed that too much information can be a dangerous thing. Since we now live in the information age this has never been truer. Information is readily available, in fact, we now have it right in our hands thanks to the advent of smartphones. It is important however to sort through the mountain of data we have access to get to the correct information.

One of the main areas of concern with the availability of information on the Internet is that of self diagnosis. The concept is certainly nothing new, but many doctors have expressed concern at the kinds of medical advice now available online. This is not to say that useful health information cannot be found on the Internet. It is however, unwise to use this in an attempt at self diagnosis, especially when faced with a potentially serious condition.

The Role of Alternative Medicine

With the increasing interest in alternative methods of treatment, self diagnosis has become an even more worrisome issue. While alternative medicine does admittedly have its merits, it is still largely unregulated. It is therefore difficult to determine the credentials of practitioners. Some herbal products have been proven to be effective in treating some conditions. Ads for some herbal remedies list symptoms associated with the illnesses they claim to treat.

It is important to remember that many illnesses share symptoms. It is easy mistake one illness for another; even the professionals sometimes make mistakes in diagnosing an illness. Many persons like the idea of being in control of their own medical diagnosis.

While this is understandable, unless it is minor complaints, a second option is good. The potential risks of a wrong diagnosis suggest that it is best to get a medical professional’s input before starting any kind of treatment. Get the information, but then talk to a doctor to ensure that your diagnosis is correct.

When you first meet a new person you might be attracted to their eyes. Others folks zero in on the lips while others focus on the hair (or lack thereof!). But there is one part of everyone’s body that is probably the most important in attracting another person. That’s your skin. It really is the first part of your body that anyone is going to see and it’s probably the most neglected. Here then are some easy to remember suggestions for taking care of your skin.

WASH YOUR HANDS. If only we had a nickel for every time our mothers told us to wash our hands! The reality is that on some level your hands are like an active Petri dish growing all sorts of microorganisms. Washing away these germs can help keep away colds and flues and prevent skin infections. A small drop of hand sanitizer can go a long way for healthy skin.

CLEAN YOUR SCRATCHES. Speaking of infections, whenever you get a cut or scrap it is vital for skin health to clean that wound. Even minor cuts can become easily infected. The result could mean a residual scar. You don’t want to mar your skin when a quick dose of soap and water can save the day. And don’t hesitate to add some antibacterial ointment.

LET YOUR SOAP LINGER. Here’s an interesting tip that not many people realize. When you lather up with soap in the shower, don’t stand under the water right away. Let the soap linger on your skin for a half a minute. This will allow the soap to dig in and really do its job of cleaning your skin.

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER. This tip is right up there with washing your hands but if there is one thing your skin needs to maintain a healthy glow it is moisture. And the best source for moisture is to keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Keep in mind that the moment you become even the littlest bit thirsty, you’ve already become dehydrated. Drink up!

Psoriasis is a condition that does not seriously affect the quality of life, but can nonetheless be distressing for sufferers. Some people have more severe types of the condition that can lead to other problems. While it is a lifelong skin condition there are treatment options available that provide some relief. Armed with the right information, you will be better able to deal with this condition.

What is Psoriasis?

This skin affliction is caused by the rapid growth of skin cells. This abnormal growth is a response to a malfunction of the immune system. Simply put, excess skin is produced in the affected areas. It usually presents as scaly patches that can occur anywhere on the body although the elbow and knee areas tend to be most affected. Some sufferers have psoriasis over their entire body.

Not much is known about what cases this excess growth of skin resulting in psoriasis. Experts believe there may be a genetic link but this has yet to be fully explored. What is certain, however, is that people with the condition will experience recurrent flare-ups and much appreciated dormant periods. It is also known that certain external factors can cause outbreaks. These include:

• Stress, especially that caused by high pressure jobs
• Alcohol consumption
• Certain types of medication (this is called drug induced psoriasis)
• Smokers may also experience frequent flare-ups

Symptoms and Related Conditions

Typically what are seen as symptoms of psoriasis can also be regarded as the effects of the disease. The thick scaly patches are quite distinctive and easily identifiable. Some tend to be red in appearance while others have a white or silvery look. Severe cases of the condition can result in joint problems. When the joint is affected, the resulting condition is referred to as psoriatic arthritis.

Treatment

Some patients show an improvement with exposure to mild sunlight. There are also creams which effectively help with controlling psoriasis. The downside is that stopping their use sometimes results in another flare-up. Psoriasis, while an unsightly skin condition, is not contagious and definitely not life threatening.