Acne treatment. What to do about them?
Acne should be treated correctly to avoid scars. First of all consult a dermatologist. Only the dermatologist can determine the cause of your acne break out. If you are older than 25 years old, he is likely to ask you to undergo a full examination, since acne at this age may be a consequence of some disease.
The treatment of acne should be prescribed by your dermatologist as well and may vary depending on your sex, age, duration of the break-out, clinicopathologic examination (identifying type, localization and abundance of the elements) and the results of complete examination (helps to detect concomitant diseases). The treatment course should be determined individually for each patient and may include hormonal treatment, immune system improvement or topical treatment only, etc. Self-treatment is ineffective and even dangerous, since it may worsen acne break-out and cause complications including scars.
The acne treatment approach depends on the type of acne break-out, but the common principles are the following:
* inhibition of sebaceous gland function;
* elimination of dead skin cells blocking the canals of sebaceous glands;
* elimination of bacteria causing skin inflammation.
Acne therapy consists of special skin care and medicines. The medicines for treating acne may come in a form of ointments, creams, masks, tablets for peroral administration and even injections(in severe cases). However, today most dermatologists recommend their patients to use medicines for topical use, i.e. lotions, creams, ointments, etc.
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is one of the most common and at the same time mysterious diseases. Nobody can tell for sure what the exact causes of psoriasis are. It is only known that it is a systemic disease of noninfectious etiology. The first symptoms of psoriasis are skin exfoliation and itching. Further on, round pink plaques with scales develop on the skin; when scratched droplets of blood appear on them. With time psoriasis may affect significant areas of skin and nails. But the most dangerous form of the diseases is psoriatic arthritis which damages vessels.
Earlier psoriasis had been treated with small doses of arsenic. Presently it is treated with immunosuppressive agents, creams with vitamin A and D and other ointments. If the disease has reached a more serious phase, blood purification and ultraviolet therapy are usually prescribed. But do not think that you can treat yourself by simply attending a solarium, though UV therapy is almost same thing. Ultraviolet in large doses may worsen the course of the disease.
Most researchers have come to the conclusion that the causes of the psoriasis have neurological nature. They advise psoriatic patients to cope with internal problems, fears, sense of guilt and offence, etc. Psychotherapy sessions indeed may give positive effects in the treatment of psoriasis.
Hemangioma treatment
Surgical treatment is used when the vascular tumor is localized too deep and it could be removed wholly without much cosmetic damage or when other methods of treatment are supposed to be ineffective.
Radiotherapy is used in complicated cases when Hemangioma is localized in areas where other methods of treatment are impossible to use (e.g. eye socket region). Radiotherapy is intended for treating simple Hemangioma, when it affects large areas of skin.
Radiotherapy is carried out by separate fractions with intervals varying from 2-4 weeks to 2-6 months. Tiny Hemangioma localized in regions inaccessible for other methods of treatment are treated with electrocoagulation. Bleeding Hemangioma are treated with electrocoagulation too.
Electrocoagulation is not used for treating deeply located and spreading types of Hemangioma.
Sclerosing is used for treating small but deeply localized vascular tumors, especially cavernous and mixed Hemangioma on the face and tip of the nose. For sclerosing a 70% alcohol is used.
The disadvantages of sclerosing therapy include painfulness and prolonged course of the treatment.
The advantage of injection therapy against other conservative methods consists in its simplicity.
One of the new methods of treatments of spreading Hemangioma in children is hormonal therapy with prednisolone. Hormonal therapy is a rather efficient method of treatment, however its high effectiveness (98%) does not provide desired cosmetic effect. This method stops the vascular tumor growth and is used as a supplemental treatment.
Cryogenic therapy (treatment with low-temperature impact) is used for simple Hemangioma of any localization. It does not require anesthesia and is carried out in the outpatient setting.
Hemangioma
Hemangioma is a benign vascular tumor very common in children.
In spite of its benign nature, Hemangioma may develop into malignant tumor.Even tiny vascular tumors in infants may reach huge sizes. Though there is a possibility of self-recovery, generally the course of this disease is unpredictable.
Simple Hemangioma is red or purple in color, well-defined and located on the surface of the skin. It grows predominantly from under its sides and affects the skin and several millimeters of subcutaneous fat. The surface of Hemangioma is usually smooth, though sometimes it could be uneven or bulging. When pressed, Hemangioma turns pale but later restores its color.
Cavernous hemangioma is located under skin in a form of a circumscribed nod. It looks like a tumor covered with bluish or unaltered skin at the top. When pressed, Hemangioma recedes and turns pale (resulting from blood outflow).
Mixed Hemangioma represents combination of surface (simple) and subcutaneous (cavernous) Hemangioma.
Mixed Hemangioma consists of tumor cells originating from vessels and other tissues. The appearance, color and consistency of Hemangioma depend on the tissues the tumor consists of.
How to treat fungus
Patients who have fungal infections should use a new towel every time they wipe the affected areas on their body. All cloths which have been in contact with the affected areas should be washed in hot water, preferably with chlorine bleacher. If you have nothing of that kind at home, just boil your laundry in clean water for 10 minutes. If this could not be done due to some reasons, press the dried cloths with hot iron. Women`s elastic pantyhose or stockings, which cannot be bleached or boiled, should be washed in hot water with soap.
Your feet should always stay dry (except when you are taking a shower or bath). After taking a shower, bath or washing your feet, carefully wipe them dry paying special attention to the skin area between toes.
Change your stocks, tights or stockings and air your shoes every day.
Wear cotton made socks, since synthetic materials increase perspiration thereby creating favorable conditions for fungal growth. Though, this advice is unfeasible for most young women who pay a lot of attention to their appearance. We recommend them to change their pantyhose or stockings as frequently as possible (at least once a day) and wash them carefully; also wipe the internal part of your shoes with alcohol-soaked cotton pad.
Foot skin fungal infections could be complicated with toe-nail fungal affection. To protect your toe nails, keep them clean. Do not use metal pedicure files, since it may damage the nail plate thereby creating even more favorable conditions for dwelling of the microscopic parasites.
Sometimes feet fungal infection is accompanied by rash in the inguinal region (genital zone). Remember, that skin rashes in all areas of your body should be treated simultaneously. To avoid getting infection from your feet to the genital zone, put on clean socks before putting on underwear.
How to prevent fungal infections in human
Rules of hygiene
Elementary hygiene observation is a necessary circumstance for prevention of fungus infections and their successful treatment.
As it was already mentioned, fungi prefer to dwell in wet and warm places. That is why the treacherous microorganism often lies in wait for us in places where we come to improve our health: saunas, gyms and swimming pools. How to avoid fungal contamination? First of all take rubber slippers with you when visiting any of the listed establishments. Secondly, never let other people use your towel or try your shoes or socks. Keep in mind, that shoes and towels become source of fungal diseases more often than anything else.
So, how to recognize nail fungus?
The first sign that you have fungus infection are yellowish or grayish spots on your nails. They could be round or in a form of stripes. At the expense of the growth of the horny upper layer the nails becomes thick, fluffy, and fragile and crumble easily. In a while, the spots on the nail merge into each other.
The fungal infection on hands looks like this: the process of affection starts from the middle of the nail fold, then moves to the sides and finally spreads on the nail plate. The nail folds become edematic, red and painful, and when pressed, drop of pus may appear from under them. The part of nail plate adjacent to the nail fold grows dim and crumbles.
However, nails could be affected by diseases other than fungus infections as well. In such a case a different treatment is needed. Only your doctor can set a right diagnose to you after examining your nail and skin scrapping under microscope.
Nail fungus
Nails are usually affected with fungus after some other areas of tissues or skin are affected. That is why if a person has a skin fungus infection, contamination of nails should be soon expected.
In patients with epidermophytosis the fungus infection will manifest on toe-nails, with rubromycosis-on both foot and hand nails, with chronic trichophytosis or favus-predominantly on hand nails. Only microsporia causes nail contamination very rarely.
Do other skin diseases promote fungal contamination?
Not always. The risk of contamination increases only when the first disease leads to formation of cracks and erosions in the skin, i.e. entry of infection, or delays the process of desquamation of horny scales.
Some cases have been known when patients with severe hand dermatosis revealed some signs of fungus, however, the fungal infection failed to develop in them. It happened, because these people washed their hands frequently and the scales of epidermis on which dwelt the fungi were just washed away with water.
In psoriatic patients the scales of the horny layer come off more intensely than usual, and the pathogenic fungi are removed with them.
How to avoid fungal contamination
Human pathogenic fungi usually dwell in the thickened layer of horny (keratinized) epithelial tissues; that is why it makes sense to get rid of all possible “refuges” for fungi. Regularly remove all callosities from your feet with pedicure file or pumice stone.
Wash your feet every day. After that, smear them with a body cream containing antiseptic and antiallergic agents. The cream would form an oily film on your skin, which would be impenetrable by fungi.
Never put on someone else`s shoes, nobody would tell you that he is suffer from toe-nail fungus. However, if you have tried someone`s shoes, wash your feet and wipe them and your shoes with a piece of cotton wetted with alcohol as soon as you are home.