Acne
The Basics: Acne is a skin disease medically referred to as Acne Vulgaris and affects the oil glands of the hair follicles. The disease is common at puberty when the oil glands come to life but any individual can suffer from this disease. The disease does not have dangerous effects but it leaves scars on the skin of the affected.
Symptoms: The disease commonly appears on the shoulders and face but it may also occur on legs, arms, buttocks and trunk. The disease may appear in the form of blackheads, cysts, skin crusts, bumps, papules, pustules, whiteheads, skin scarring and redness around the affected skin. Treatment can be done in two forms of either self-care or doctor attention. Self-care is for mild infections while doctor attention is needed in more complicated affections.
Acne Scars
The Basics: Acne scars can be embarrassing and whether you are a man or a woman, you want to feel good in your skin. No matter your age, acne can hit you and if you pick at the blemishes, even slightly, it can ultimately cause scarring and damage to your skin.
Prevention Overview: When you’re having an acne breakout, it’s extremely important not to scratch or bother your blemish. Cleanse your skin by opening up the pores with a hot cloth. The cloth should be hot enough so that you can actually see steam coming from it and using a white, un-dyed cloth is best. Once you’ve applied the cloth to your skin, use a mild wash with salicylic acid to cleanse your skin, focusing on the blemished areas. Wash and rinse your face by splashing it with moderately cold water to close your pores and keep dirt and oil from resurfacing.
Eczema
The Basics: Eczema is a condition that makes the skin swell and turn red, believed to result from a genetic defect. This condition causes an irritation on the skin that makes the child scratch it nonstop leading to bleeding as a result of intense scrapping of the affected skin. As much as the cause of this condition is unknown, there are a few factors like allergies, soaps, change of lifestyle as well as food attributed to rooting the condition. The condition commonly affects infants as well as young children and has no cure; however, there are a number of things that can be done to ease the pain.
What to do: Whenever these symptoms appear on a child’s skin, it’s important to take them to a hospital for a biopsy test. The test will properly determine what it is then the right recommendation will be given. Besides this, proper care of the skin is advised. Instead of scratching when it is itchy, an appropriate ointment should be used to reduce the irritation. For a child, it is good to ensure that their finger nails are kept short always to prevent them from scratching when the itch develops. Another way is to avoid exposing the child to temperature changes as well as strong chemicals and soaps that would worsen their conditions.
Finger and Toenail Fungus
The Basics: Nail Fungus (also known as “Onychomycosis”, ”Dermatophytic Onychomycosis,” and “Tinea Unguium”[1]) is a visible fungal infection of the fingernails or toenails.[2] This disease occurs in about 10% of the adult population. This condition may affect toenails or fingernails, but toenail infections are particularly common. It occurs in about 10% of the adult population.[3] It is the most common of all nail ailments.[5]
Symptoms: Fungal nail infections commonly lead to a thickening and discoloration of the nail, often yellow, green, black and cloudy white. Over time the nail will often become brittle, overgrown, and may break off and lift from the finger or toe. Skin around the nail can become infected, inflamed and/or scaly[4].
Plantar Warts
The Basics: Plantar warts are a type of viral infection that is going to happen on a person’s skin. They can usually be found on the bottom or the sole of a person’s foot. Most of the time, a person is going to notice some friction or pressure in the area where the plantar wart is. This virus that causes the plantar warts is known as the human papillomavirus. This is because the plantar warts are only going to infect the top layer of the skin. Basically, a plantar wart is just a growth that is thick like a callus that becomes tender.
Symptoms: There are several different symptoms that you are going to need to look out for. The first symptom is going to be any type of foot pain. The second symptom is any type of leg or back pain. The third symptom is any lesions on your foot that might look like a wart. The fourth symptom is a smooth surface that is a gray yellowish or brown in color. The fifth symptom is at the heel or ball of your boot, there is a lot of pressure. The sixth symptom is several warts that have grouped together to form a big wart.
Psoriasis
The Basics: Psoriasis symptoms can include white scaly spots or thick red sore skin. The name is derived from the Greek word psora which means rash or to itch. It has been stipulated that psoriasis is a skin disease and as a result the layers of the skin are formed differently than normal due to the fast growth of skin cells, which can happen within days rather than weeks. The excess skin cells aren’t peeled quickly enough by the body so the skin tends to scale up. As a result white scales, lesions and also plaques are formed.
Symptoms: The affected skin has a thickening of the epidermis, the top layer of the skin called hyper keratinization. Inflammation is caused by T-cells which react towards the presence of the skin where the disease is located. The skin will divide, replicate and grow very quickly, sometimes five times quicker than the normal rate.
Rosacea
The Basics: Rosacea is a skin condition characterized by redness of the skin on the face, especially the areas of the cheeks, forehead and nose. It may also affect the neck, scalp, ears and chest in some people. The condition is such that it may be mistaken for blushing, sunburn, acne or just plain rosy cheeks. Other symptoms may also accompany the redness, such as dilated facial blood vessels, pustules, red-domed skin bumps and semi-permanent redness. As the condition advances, the redness may be accompanied by stinging or burning sensations. Rosacea is fairly common, affecting 1 out of 20 Americans, although the figure might be higher because the condition is often misdiagnosed.
Symptoms: The period known as pre-rosacea is characterized by long episodes of flushing that could last from 1 to 5 minutes. Skin may feel unpleasant and warm during these episodes. Skin may also feel hyper-sensitive especially to the touch. Over time, the flushing episodes become longer and the affected area may expand to the neck and chest. Spots and pus-filled bumps may also develop on the affected area.
Scars
The Basics: The skin is a very sensitive part of the body. It is like some piece of cloth that protects the inner organs. Any damage to the skin due to an injury, disease, accident or burn leads to the formation of a scar. Scars are usually composed of fibrous tissue and are formed as a natural way of healing and replacing any part of the skin that has been damaged. Not all scars look the same; a scar may be itchy, sunken colored, flat or even bumpy. The final appearance of a scar will depend on the complexion of an individual, age of a person, their nutrition diet, type of injury that may have occurred and location of the scar on the body.
Treatments: There are various methods of treating a scar depending on the type of scar. Some common treatment methods include:Steroid Injections.Surgical removal and treatment.Prescription gels and creams.
Skin Tags
The Basics: Skins tags are harmless and will cause no major health risk. The tags are fleshy/brown colored growths. As the name implies they look like tags and hang down from the skin. Many people would consider skin tags to be unsightly.
Who Gets Skin Tags: Everyone can develop tags but they more frequently occur in middle age and elderly people. There is no apparent reason why some people are susceptible to the formation of tags.It has been suggested tags grow where the skin chaffs against skin or clothing. Hence the tags occurring under the arm pits or under the breasts. Tags are also more common in overweight people who have an excess of folding skin which may rub and chaff.
Stretch Marks
The Basics: The term “stretch marks” refers to a skin condition commonly associated with pregnancy, but it can also occur at other times and can affect all genders. They appear as red or purple marks on the skin while it is being stretched, and will often heal as white or silvery smaller marks. Stretch marks are most commonly found on the abdomen, thighs, breasts and/or buttocks. They are the result of the elastic tissue matrix in the skin, made up of collagen and elastin, being damaged due to prolonged stretching (such as in rapid weight gain or pregnancy). Stretch marks can also sometimes be the result of taking certain drugs, such as steroids. Consulting a physician or pharmacist with questions about medications is recommended.
Symptoms: Stretch marks normally appear during times of rapid growth or from hormonal changes. It is common for a woman to develop them on her breasts and buttocks as she goes through puberty, or for a man to develop them on his arms and thighs as he goes through puberty. During pregnancy a woman experiences both hormonal changes and rapid growth in parts of her body.
Wrinkles
The Basics: The skin plays a very important role of protecting the inner parts of the body. At times, the skin may develop some wrinkles due to direct sunlight illumination. Wrinkles are the crumples or crinkles, which form on the human skin due to old age among other things. These crinkles can be found mostly in old people although young people can also have them due to various things. Wrinkles are not attractive especially on a young person hence if a person has this condition when they are still young, they would definitely want to treat it.
Causal Factors: Factors that may lead to the formation of wrinkles: Smoking. Age. Exposure to Sunlight. Facial Expressions. Light Skin. Genetic Factors.