Archive for the Skin Care Category

What Causes Psoriasis?

Posted on April 24, 2012 with No Comments

There are different theories about what causes of psoriasis. None have been empirically or otherwise proven to be the cause of this burdensome disease. Some evidence suggests that it is polygenically hereditary or at least familial as some patients appear within the same families. The most frequently mentioned HLA types with psoriasis are HLA-B13, HLA-B17 and HLA-Cw6.  A relatively small percentage of people are affected with it, but for those who are, life can be miserable without relief. Psoriasis has no gender preference, attacking men and women at the same rate.

Pathogenesis Of Psoriasis

Psoriasis

Common Skin Psoriasis

A determination has been made that psoriasis may be the result of a complement-mediated process in the stratum corneum, which is the outermost layer of the epidermis. When there is damage to this layer by some type of injury, antibodies may form as a natural process of the body’s reaction to some damage.

These antigens may then interact with self-antibodies and activate the complement cascade. This will then result in the activation of neutrophils which then release an enzyme that activates more antigens, starting a cycle of repair and calling for more neutrophils. This process causes the thickening and eventual sloughing off of the old skin while the new skin underneath is still in the formation process. Another theory focuses more on hypersensitivity of cytokine stimulation and receptor expression. Much research still needs to be done to come up with a definitive cause which would probably be very helpful in finding a cure.

Who Is Afflicted With This Disease?

As mentioned, men and women alike can have psoriasis. There are certain ages of onset. The early onset is usually around eight years old in children. In adults, the peak age is about twenty-two years old. Older adults are not spared either. Late onset can be around fifty-five. In the U.S. alone, there are between three to five million people with psoriasis. Indians of North- and South American extraction seem to be spared or have an incident of psoriasis so low that it is statistically insignificant. Low incidents have been reported among Japanese, Eskimos and West Africans as well.

Treatment For Psoriasis

Immunosuppressive drugs can send psoriasis into remission. Obviously, the type of treatment prescribed for a patient will depend on the patient’s age. If the patient is a child, he or she will not be subjected to the same chemical therapy as an adult. Other factors to be considered before making a treatment plan are the type of psoriasis that is to be treated. If plaques are only in specific areas like the palms and the soles, this will be handled differently than when the entire body is involved. Also, the kind of treatment a patient had received before must be considered.  Several products are available over the counter that have been proven to be effective. Scytera is a tar foam is a popular treatment for psoriasis.  Tar has a long history of improving symptoms of psoriasis while reducing reoccurrence.

Other medical conditions present in the patients play a major role in how psoriasis can be treated. The treatment for the mildest kind of psoriasis, when only a few spots on the body are affected, can be implemented by the family doctor. For the rest of the patients with psoriasis, a dermatologist should be seen. Therapy can include; Ultraviolet Light treatment, PUVA or psoralen and ultra violet A radiation treatment, or the use of an immunosuppressant like cyclosporine as well as cancer therapy drugs like methotrexate.

What Causes Age Spots?

Posted on February 14, 2012 with No Comments

What causes age spots? The cause of spotting, discoloration and dark spots can be explained by the assaults on skin from the natural elements, like the cumulative effect of sun exposure. The sun causes the increase in melanocytes in the skin, therefore darkening the skin tone. In general, this darkening is temporary and when removed from sun exposure, these melanocytes disappear and the suntan begins to fade. As people age, repair systems in the body do not perform at their optimum any longer. Some brown spots are left behind on sun exposed areas. The sun is not alone in getting the blame for age spots. The same damage you get from the sun, you can also get from tanning beds or tanning lamps.

Age Spots on Hands

Age Spots on Hands

Why Do People Get Age Spots?

This focuses more on the aging process itself. The older the body gets, the more work it had to do over the lifetime of the person to keep him healthy. This means that when potentially harmful material enters the body, lysosomes ingest the offending substances. This phagocytosis produces left-over “garbage” of brown pigmented, lipid-laden granules called lipofuscin. In itself, lipofuscin does no harm. It is only evidence of increased free radical formation in the body and decreased enzymatic action to neutralize the free radicals.  With less neutralization of free radicals, there is less repair of sun damage and the affected skin has parts where melanocytes are permanently anchored.

Who Gets Age Spots?

Generally people over the age of forty are the ones to get these age spots, or liver spots as they used to be called. This was a misnomer, since the spots have no connection at all to the liver. The proper name for this condition is solar lentigo.  Solar lentigines are mostly found on those body parts that are exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays. This makes sense, since the exposed areas are where the melanocytes are and where repair is necessary.

Are Age Spots Harmful?

The age spots themselves are not harmful at all. They are just a side effect of aging and can be treated with bleaching or whitening skin care products, with procedures and treatments or can be left alone and accepted.  Actually, the agent of what causes age spots, the sun, is the harmful influence. The only problem in the presence of age spots is a cosmetic one. Ladies especially, like to have unblemished, even skin tones. Solar lentigines give a spotted look no one wants. These spots can be on the face, arms and hands. Sometimes they are present on legs as well. The back of the hands, arms and the face is where the most efforts to have them removed are concentrated.

Is There A Treatment For Age Spots?     

Age Spots on the Face

Age Spots on the Face

In order to lighten age spots to make them faint enough to be hardly noticeable, age spot creams to bleach the affected area are available with a prescription. This is a time consuming process. It takes months to get the desired results. While under this treatment, skin must be protected with sun block since bleaching creams make the skin even more vulnerable to UV rays. Dermabrasions and chemical peels focus on removing the upper layer of the epidermis. This process includes removing the entire layer of skin along with the pigmented portions. It is a procedure that leaves the skin red and tender until a new skin layer grows. More expensive treatment possibilities are laser treatment and cryotherapy.

Spider Veins Nose Causes and Treatments

Posted on September 21, 2011 with No Comments

Spider veins are small dilated blood vessels, their scientific name is telangiectasias. These are the spider veins commonly found on or around the face, but can also appear on the neck area. They can occur naturally or because of some event like rosacea, or a traumatic experience. You will notice the veins they appear as tiny red lines around the nose or face region. There are many causes for spider vein nose telangiectasias.

Along with the rosacea there can sometimes be tiny bumps that look like pimples, these bumps are related directly to the rosacea and are not zits. They can appear after sun, spicy food or adult beverage exposure, usually within just a few hours. The sun plays a huge role in spider veins occurring on the nose and face.

The sun is good for skin in small doses but can be lethal in large quantities, it can cause harm in just a few hours. Sun damage can cause nose veins, loose skin, blemishes and lead to cancer. Major trauma can also cause spider veins such as any king of hard blunt force trauma. Nose veins are not a serious medical conditioner but they are noticeable and embarrassing, good thing they can be easily treated.

They can be treated in many different ways such as by lasering, injections and creams. All of these ways are effective and have there good and bad qualities, so do research before making your final choice. Lasers clot the leaky area and stop the extra blood flow, but on the nose it is dangerous because the skin is thin in that area.

If used incorrectly it will feel like you have a major sun burn on your nose which is no fun. Another form of treatment is salt water injections. These injections use salt water to flush out the problem area and stop the blood flow, one down side in that injections on your nose are very painful and traumatic.

The easiest way to treat the veins is by using a spider vein cream. The cream should contain vitamin k and phytotinine. These active ingredients will help clot the blood flow, strengthen your vein wall and help your body absorb the excess blood. The creams do take longer to work but are much cheaper and pain free.

Getting rid of the nose veins will help you look and feel better instantly. Once they are gone avoid sun on your nose if possible to keep them from coming back.

Stretch Marks on Arms From Working Out

Posted on September 14, 2011 with No Comments

One of the negative side effects of working out are stretch marks on your arms and chest. These marks occur when your muscles are expanding but your skin cannot keep up it’s elastic properties. This happen to most men that work out more than two times a week. Stretch marks on arms or on your chest are embarrassing but are totally treatable.

It’s one thing to burn fat and get trim, but it is another to have dark purple marks to deal with after you get in shape. The stretch marks usually occur around the chest and shoulder area. The stretch marks are caused when the collagen bonds in your skin cannot not be replicated fast enough to keep up with your bodies growth.

The marks are actually microscopic rips in the fabric of your skin, the rips allow the skin more skin to stretch ie stretch mark. It is not easy to prevent them because you are getting them through muscle gain. Vitamin B, E and C will help keep the skin healthy so will drinking plenty of water.

Chances are you will get stretch marks if you work out often so here is how you can help get rid of them once and for all. Make sure you eat a low fat diet with plenty of color. Your plate should have at least 6 different colors on it. Plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Meat is fine to eat, but for better results be sure to trim off all the extra fat.

Try to gain weight in intervals instead of beefing up all at once. This will allow your skin to slowly stretch and reduce the chance of stretch marks. Hydration is the key when it comes to stretch marks so find a stretch mark cream to apply on the stretch marks multiple times a day to help them go away.

The cream should contain Hyaluronic Acid and Alpha Lipoic Acid. These ingredients are what helps get rid of the broken collagen bond and allow your body to produce new ones which in time will fade the stretch marks completely. If you do have some stubborn ones always remember you can cover them up until they heal.

Anti Aging Skin Products for Men

Posted on September 8, 2011 with No Comments

No matter how you shake it men need and use anti aging skin care products too. With technology advancing at such a rapid rate it is no wonder that these products are so popular. Men and women age alike but there are small difference in each gender that need treated specifically, that is where anti aging skin products come into play.

Both genders suffer from crows feet, skin blemishes and loose skin, which can be treated with the right regiment of products. Women buy the majority of skin care products but men are quickly gaining on them. For men it is not the flashy packing or catch line that gets their attention it is one simple thing, if the product works.

When men find a product that just simply works, they will use it no questions asked. It is that simple and straight forward. Men use what works hands down it has to be functional. Men do care about the way the look they just don’t make quite as big a deal as some women do.

Time is hard on the collagen bonds in the skin causing sagging and wrinkles. Both genders lose their elasticity at the same pace but men show it in different areas of their body. Because there are so many good products out there men can easily find something to help them age slower and keep their firmed appearance.

Now their are companies devoting their entire product line to mens care products. These products are made specifically for men to help reduce signs of aging, they even can help with premature aging as well. Men want products that work but don’t smell like a flower garden.

Something that does its job but doesn’t leave their skin oily. Once the levels of collagen balance out in a guy his skin will start to look younger and feel better. His complexion will clear up as well. So men look no further you are surrounded by great products that will help you look and feel better.

A smart man will know that certain products can help him more than others. Daily use products can shave years off your appearance just by hydrating and evening out skin tone. With products that range from shaving creams to anti aging serums find a product that looks and makes you feel younger, you won’t regret it.