health to skin

There are many new or refined treatment options available today for skin conditions. Consultation with a dermatologist is recommended to determine which option is best for your condition as well as for recommendations about how to keep your skin healthy. Here are a few treatment options for common skin conditions.

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Acne:

Treatment can include topical or oral antibiotics and special creams to remove plugs at the opening of the oil glands. Birth control pills can sometimes improve acne. When washing, you should use a mild soap and avoid scrubbing. Topical benzoyl peroxide can help reduce bacteria, and retinoic acid can help unblock pores. Acne washes and non-prescription preparations may also be helpful. When not treated, moderate and severe acne can cause significant scarring. Cosmetic treatment for scarring includes chemical peels, dermabrasion and laser resurfacing. For deep, crater-like scars where laser resurfacing is ineffective, there is soft tissue augmentation. This is a procedure in which the patient's fat (from another part of the body) is used to correct the deep contour, or soft tissue fillers like collagen, hyaluronic acid or fascia lata may be used. Accutane, a prescription medication, can provide long-term remission of acne in some people.
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Rosacea:

Treatment includes avoiding dietary, environmental and emotional triggers known to cause flare-ups, as well as practicing "sun safety" whenever possible -- cover up with sunscreen, wear light-colored, tightly woven protective clothing and avoid the sun. This condition also can be managed with topical or oral antibiotics. Metronidazole, another prescription medication, in cream, lotion or gel form is often used to treat the condition. Topical sodium sulfacetamide with or without sulfur preparations may be prescribed for rosacea treatment. If rosacea isn't responding to these treatments, or if cystic lesions form, tetracycline or other oral antibiotics usually controls it. You can reduce the redness of rosacea with make-up foundation that has a green tint or by undergoing laser or electrosurgery treatment. These destroy the dilated blood vessels which reduces the redness.
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Eczema:

Treatment includes oral antihistamines for relief of the severe itching, as well as topical steroids to relieve the inflammation and itchiness. Recently, Protopic (Tacrolimus ointment) and pimecrolimus were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the first two medications of a new (within the last 40 years) class of drugs called topical immunomodulators (or TIMS) to treat eczema. TIMS are steroid-free and are appropriate and effective for patients seeking an option to avoid the side effects associated with steroids. Moisturizers are an essential part of eczema therapy but should be chosen carefully because they can inflame sensitive skin. Petroleum jelly is an excellent bland lubricant for this condition. Newer therapies available include Protopic (tacrolimus) ointment and Elidel (pimecrolimus) cream. These topical treatments affect skin's immune system.
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Dandruff:

Medicated shampoos containing coal tar (Ionil T, T/gel, Pentrax), salicylic acid (X-Seb, Scalpicin), selenium (Selsun Blue), zinc (Head & Shoulders, ZNP), Nizoral AD or sulfur (Meted or Sebulex) can help this condition. For best results, buy two or three brands/types and alternate them. Prescription shampoos and topical steroid medications may be necessary in difficult-to-treat cases.
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Hives:

Antihistamines and (sometimes) oral steroids usually are prescribed to treat hives. Leukotriene inhibitors (oral medications) that are used to treat asthma can also be used to help treat difficult cases of hives.
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Psoriasis:

There is no cure for this condition, but treatments can reduce skin inflammation. Topical steroid medications are frequently prescribed, but the condition often returns quickly once treatment ends. UVB light therapy, sunlight, oral and topical vitamin A derivatives, coal tar, anthralin and topical vitamin D derivatives often help. Tacrolimus (oral medication) and new injectable medications used for treating arthritis, such as Enbrel (etanercept) or Remicade (infliximab), seem to be very effective for some individuals with psoriasis. For more severe forms of psoriasis, methotrexate, an immunosuppressant drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions, is sometimes prescribed. This medication, which can be taken by pill or injection, slows cell production by suppressing the immune system. Patients taking methotrexate must be closely monitored to avoid possible liver damage and/or decreased cell counts. Pregnant women or those who are planning to become pregnant should not use methotrexate.
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Stretch marks:

There is no cure for stretch marks, although topical retinoic acid and laser treatments may lighten them. Treatment may not be worth the cost since it won't completely eliminate stretch marks. Topical camouflaging makeup provides a quick cover up for stretch marks.


Skin Cancer Treatments

There are three primary kinds of treatments your health care professional may use to treat your actinic keratoses (precancerous lesions) or your skin cancer:

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surgery, which removes the cancer, or destroys these abnormal cells
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chemotherapy, which uses drugs to kill these abnormal cells
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radiation therapy, which uses x-rays to kill cancer cells

Most often, your health care professional will choose surgery. Common types of skin cancer surgery techniques include:

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Cryosurgery freezes the tumor, which kills it.
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Electrodessication and curettage involves your health care professional coring out the skin cancer with a special tool and using an electric current to burn the tumor and destroy any additional tumor cells.
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Simple excision cuts the cancer from the skin in a football shape, along with a border of some of the healthy tissue around it.
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Mohs micrographic surgery removes the cancer and is a tissue-sparing technique. The specialized surgeon removes the cancer and maps it out, then examines the skin under a microscope, only taking additional pieces if any cancer remains. This method allows a complex repair to be done that day and know that the cancer is gone and that a second procedure will be required. This type of procedure is used for recurrent skin cancers or on delicate areas of the face such as the nose.
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Laser surgery uses a highly focused beam of light to destroy the cancer cells.

Removal of large tumors creates large defects, so sometimes skin is taken from another part of your body and grafted over the area where the cancer was removed.

Chemotherapy can be a topical cream or lotion placed on the skin to kill cancer cells, an orally ingested drug, or a drug that is injected directly into the tumor, or a vein or muscle.

Radiation therapy shrinks tumors with x-rays aimed at the affected area from outside the body.

A more recent and less common technique called photodynamic therapy uses a certain type of light and a special (light-sensitive) chemical to kill cancer cells.


When it comes to your skin, there is an extremely important fact that you must keep in mind: Your skin is the largest organ of your body. As an obvious result, skin health and maintenance is crucial. Your skin does everything from protecting you from the elements to assisting you with breathing. Your skin keeps your body hydrated and regulates your body’s temperature. In the end, this really is only the beginning of all of the various vital functions that your skin provides to you every moment of your life.

Despite the extreme importance of a person’s skin, the reality is that many men and women simply do not pay a great deal of attention to issues pertaining to the health of their skin. Indeed, chances are that you may in fact be a person who really does not pay enough attention to his or her skin. With that in mind, there are some prime tips and pointers that you must always keep in mind when it comes to the health and protection of your skin – today and into the future.

Protection against harmful rays from the sun is one of the most important steps that you need to take when it comes to protecting your skin and when it comes to maintaining the health of your skin. With this in mind it is vitally important that you make certain you utilize solid protection when you go out into the sun.

In regard to sunscreen you need to purchase products that contain UVA-1, UVA-2 and UVB protection. There are still sunscreen products on the market today that provide only partial protection.

Your diet also has a direct impact on the health of your skin. The most important aspect of your diet in relation to the health of your skin is to make certain that you eat a proper amount of food items that contain the proteins and nutrients necessary for cellular maintenance, repair and regeneration. With this in mind, your skin cells actually rely on a sufficient amount of carbohydrates.

Water is also important to the Health of your skin. While you certainly have heard it before, it actually is true that you should drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of fresh and pure water each and every day. There are many health benefits to be derived from drinking water daily, including maintaining healthy skin.

Finally, when it comes to the health of your skin today and into the future you should avoid smoking all together. In addition, you should drink alcohol only in moderation. Both smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can negatively impact the health of your skin in significant ways