Skin Health Solutions

There may be more to caring for the skin you're in than many people realize. Here, from a noted dermatologist, is an answer to a common skin care question.Q. I'm never surprised when my four-year-old son comes in from playing outside with cuts or scrapes. But recently, a cut on his forearm has become red, swollen and a little "blistery." I've washed the area with soap and water and applied a warm, wet washcloth to relieve the pain but it's still scabby and swollen. Should I take him to see the doctor?-Worried MomA. Dear Worried:You probably should. Red, swollen, blistery skin may be a sign of a skin infection, which can occur when bacteria come in contact with an open cut or scrape.If you suspect your child has a skin infection, cleaning the area with soap and water is a good first step, but it's also very important to call your doctor. Early treatment can prevent the infection from becoming more serious. If the doctor determines that your child has a bacterial skin infection, the physician may prescribe an antibiotic. There are many available, including some that taste good and have convenient dosing options.Symptoms usually begin to go away within a few days after your child starts taking the medicine. It is important, however, to finish the entire course of the antibiotic as prescribed, even if your child is feeling better. If the child does not take all of the antibiotic, it might not cure the infection. Be sure to communicate with your doctor if symptoms do not improve, if they worsen or if new symptoms appear.8226; Dirk Elston, M.D., is an Associate in the Department of Dermatology at the Geisinger Medical Center in Pennsylvania. For more information on children's skin infections, see your doctor.An inflamed cut should be seen by a doctor who can prescribe an antibiotic if necessary, health experts say.

Skin Care Ingredients to Watch Out For

Skin care products are made of different substances. Some may be wholly organic while others make use of preservatives and chemicals. Vitamins, minerals, oils, and a whole lot of other skin care ingredients find their way inside your jars of moisturizers, bars of soaps, and tubes of creams. While these skin care ingredients are generally approved by the concerned federal agencies, they can affect your skin differently especially if it's sensitive. The following are some skin care ingredients you must watch out for in buying your beauty products:

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

A common component of cleansers and shampoos, sodium lauryl sulfate is a detergent that can cause probable damage to the skin with prolonged exposure. Since cleansers and shampoos only have short-term contact with the skin, the risk of exposure is minimal. However, prolonged or repeated exposure to this substance can cause dryness and irritation.

Synthetic Colors

How a product looks certainly adds to its marketability. Often, a product's appeal lies on its appearance, particularly its color. Mixing chemicals and other skin care ingredients does not guarantee an attractive hue so synthetic colorants are often added to enhance or change a product's color. However, since they serve no real purpose in taking care of your skin, they are best avoided. Although studies are still inconclusive, preliminary testings often indicate the connection between synthetic colors and some diseases like cancer.

Mineral Oils

Often used as product base, mineral oils are comedogenic, meaning, they can cause whiteheads, blackheads, and minimal breakouts. Mineral oils are also found to interfere with the skin's natural ability to perspire which can cause blocked pores.

Synthetic Fragrances

Like synthetic colorants, the use of synthetic fragrances are often just for market appeal. While there are no clear evidence linking these synthetic fragrances to diseases and skin damage, they can mask spoilage in your beauty products. Foul smell is often one of the indicators of expired skin care products but with synthetic fragrances, products may still smell good long after they have expired.

Imidazolidinyl Urea

A common cause of dermatitis, imidazolidinyl urea is a preservative found in some skin care products to prevent bacterial growth. Prolonged exposure or use of a product with this substance can make you prone to developing skin irritations and contact dermatitis. In addition, a variety of this substance is known to release formaldehyde, a popular toxic chemical used in embalming.

Great skin care products do not rely on how good they smell and look or how long they last. Their value lies in their components and how these can benefit your skin. To be on the safe side, you can opt to go for organic or natural skin care products. Most skin experts also recommend products that contain vitamins A, C, and E to prevent aging, correct discoloration, and increase antioxidants. It is also advisable to learn more about a product and its components prior to purchasing or using it. The Internet, as well as dermatologists, is a great source of information regarding skin care products.

Acne Treatments: The Cheap Option Or The Potent Stuff?

If you scour the shelves of a pharmacy or drug store, you'll most likely find numerous brands of over-the-counter treatment for acne more than you can count with your fingers. among other skin infections,There are likely to be ingredients common to said treatments for skin infections, though none are exactly the same. If the problem is something that your typical medication can handle, it is probably best you consult a skin care professional.

In most cases, these readily available measures achieve the simple goal of alleviating your acne problem without causing any discomfort. Of course, given individual reactions to the chemicals in the skin treatments, that may not always be the case. Prescription medication, which is typically more potent, may also cause the same unwanted side-effects as those that come from over-the-counter products.

Various factors influence the effectiveness of an over-the-counter or prescription acne treatment product. You might be inclined to wonder which of the two would be the best acne medication, with minimal possible side effects. Well, the answer to this is that all medications can potentially cause side effects. Every person's skin will react differently to different drugs or medications.

Let's take a look at this whole thing objectively, shall we? Or at least, with as much objectivity a single person can have. Hopefully, if we do that we can find the best acne medication, or at least something close to it. In theory, there may be no such thing as a “best” medication, as individual skin chemistry can easily get in the way.

First off, over-the-counter medication for your average range of skin infections, let alone acne, is nowhere near as potent as your typical prescription treatment. This may stem from either the differences in the basic chemical composition or how concentrated the key ingredients of the treatments are. A prescription acne treatment may clear up the problem faster, but the potency of the chemicals can cause side effects more readily than the over-the-counter variants. That means that your life can get back to normal a lot faster, seeing as how you've got one less thing to worry about.

However, despite being “less effective” (and that's something that's just this side of being arguable), over-the-counter stuff is significantly cheaper. Unless you've somehow gotten a case of monumentally bad acne, you should go and try an over-the-counter treatment first. They may not be as potent, but they very often can do the job on their own. If they're not helping, you shouldn't hesitate to seek professional help. Medical insurance may or many not entirely cover your costs, as this sort of thing is something that varies depending on the details of your coverage.

The lower potency of the drugs can also be a boon rather than a bane, for some people. You see, every once in a while, the combination of skin, acne, and other factors is going to produce a person with very sensitive skin. The kind of skin that turns red and swells to the size of a grapefruit at the slightest touch of benzoyl peroxide, or something similar. However, lower chemical potency means that you're also less likely to run into a nasty side effect.

There's also the matter of convenience to be considered here. An over-the-counter product is obviously easier to get your hands on. Go to a drug store, find medication for acne that you like or think would work, and pay for it at the counter. Simple, clean, and there's not a whole lot of time involved. In contrast, if you need to get one that's prescription-required, that involves the time to set up the appointment, the consultation, and all that other good stuff.

There's also the matter of an individual's skin. Your skin is unique and how it might react to something is different from how someone else's skin might react. Your skin may be tougher than most, or it can be easier to scar than most. Medications are set to a specific formula when they're made.

Finally, you may want to keep in mind not to mix and match your treatments. Drug interaction is a leading cause of side effects, aside from poor interaction with the patient's skin. Skin infections like acne can be made worse if you mix two treatments together, such as benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. The warning about drug interaction holds true even when you mix together over-the-counter medication and prescription ones, even if the two have ingredients in common.

Ageing Skin Care - What Is Chemical Peeling?

As the name implies Chemical peeling peels the skin with chemicals. It is also called dermapeeling or chemexfoliation. By peeling off the skin layer, it allows new skin to form, which is new and fresh, and without some wrinkles. Chemical peeling is used to remove photo aged skin damages.

How chemical peeling is done for skin care- in chemical peeling, chemical solutions are applied on the skin. The choice and strength of chemical depends upon the results desired. For mild peeling, mild chemicals are used and so on. Sometimes, light peel is repeated over time to get desired effect. With mild peel, superficial wrinkles and sun damage is removed. For more damaged skin such as skin having age spots, freckles and acetinic keratoses, a medium peel is used.

Skin care and strength of chemicals- depending upon the skin damage, and the results desired, the dermatologist decides about the kind of peeling to be performed.

Skin care and peeling chemicals- common peeling chemicals include alpha hydroxy acids, trichloroacetic acid, carbolic acid and other chemicals.

Skin care and side effects of chemical peeling- the chemicals peel the old skin and that is like sunburn. What the doctor is doing is to remove the old skin to a certain depth. That naturally causes redness and scaling of the skin. as new skin forms, the redness and scaling disappear. With medium or deep chemical peeling, the skin may develop blisters and swelling along with redness and peeling that may last for up to two weeks.

Skin care and discomfort with chemical peeling- some discomfort is the result as the skin peels. Your doctor will prescribe some lotions to reduce the discomfort. Exposure to sun must be avoided for some time and protection must be taken from sun till the new skin forms and all the side effects disappear. With chemical peeling, surface skin damage is removed. Please consult your doctor for further details.

This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advise and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from information obtained from this article.