Articles on Skin Problems

The skin is the largest organ in the body, providing a barrier between the body's internal environment and the external environment. Allergies, irritants, genetic makeup, certain diseases and immune system problems can irritate, clog or inflame your skin, and can cause symptoms such as redness, swelling, burning and itching.

Common skin problems include rosacea, urticaria or hives, spider veins and varicose veins, stretch marks, cellulite, impetigo, keratosis and ingrown hair. One of the most serious skin problems is skin cancer. Even those individuals who have not suffered from skin problems in their younger years will eventually begin to suffer skin aging symptoms such as fine lines, wrinkles, sagging facial skin, age or liver spots and possibly skin cancer.

08/09/2011 - Articles

SPF: Practical considerations for sun protection

Skin cancer due to sun exposure is a continuous, cumulative process, with approximately 53% of Read more

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05/20/2010 - Articles

More education needed on sun tanning

Sun tanning, whether by natural exposure to sunlight or by visiting a tanning salon, is a major risk factor in developing skin cancer. Yet a new survey for the American Academy of Dermatology reveals that sun tanning is still viewed positively – even though people are also concerned about skin cancer. Read more

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03/22/2010 - Articles

Etanercept benefits in psoriasis

Etanercept is a biological drug which targets an inflammatory molecule called tumor necrosis factor (TNF). As such, it’s intended to damp down inflammation in diseases where this is a factor. Etanercept has shown benefit in rheumatoid arthritis and is the first biological agent to benefit people with psoriatic arthritis, a form of arthritis found in about 30% of those who have the skin condition psoriasis. Psoriatic arthritis causes joint destruction, pain and impaired quality of life. Other anti-TNF drugs such as infliximab have been shown to benefit both skin and joint inflammation in psoriasis, including psoriatic arthritis. So what is the role of etanercept? Till now it has believed that etanercept is not as effective for skin symptoms and a higher dose may also be needed in psoriatic arthritis because these patients tend to have a high body mass index. Read more

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02/08/2010 - Articles

Skin aging risk factors uncovered

Skin aging is a complex process. Besides the ‘typical’ sign of skin aging, which is fine wrinkles, there is also photodamage which comes from exposure to the sun. Photodamage leads to coarse wrinkles, spots of pigment and also loss of pigment, and dilated blood vessels on the face. Skin aging is, to a certain extent, genetically determined but there are also environmental factors involved. To try to determine some of the latter, researchers at Case Western School of Medicine, Cleveland, studied 65 pairs of twins, both identical and non-identical. Read more

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12/22/2009 - Articles

Shingles, when you're older

Introduction Shingles is a painful skin condition that people associate in their minds with chickenpox. It is, in fact, caused by a re-emergence of the virus that causes chickenpox (varicella), many years after the original childhood illness. Read more

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12/22/2009 - Articles

Ugly Toenail - Is it Onychomycosis?

A relatively easy in-office test is able to help the family doctor or podiatrist confirm if a fungus is causing the signs and symptoms of the nail disease known as onychomycosis. Read more

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08/28/2009 - Articles

Early melanoma is usually detected by the doctor, not patient

Melanoma is the most deadly of the skin cancers and the earlier it is detected the better.  People may be aware of the need to check suspicious moles for early signs of melanoma.  But a new study suggests that it is the dermatologist, not the patient, who is better at picking up the first signs of melanoma. This raises the issue of introducing whole body screening for melanoma. Read more

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07/27/2009 - Articles

What Is Dermatitis?

Dermatitis Read more

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06/16/2009 - Articles

Hormone may be able to rejuvenate the skin

Summary Production of collagen in skin slows as people age, whether or not they have been exposed to sunlight. A clinical trial shows that applying estradiol, a female hormone, to the skin of older men and women can increase collagen production.  Read more

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06/10/2009 - Articles

Melanoma cases hit record high in UK

Statisticians from the leading charity Cancer Research UK report a worrying rise in cases of malignant melanoma in Britain. The latest data show that there were over 10,400 cases of this dangerous disease in 2006 – a record high. Read more

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