skin diseases
How your skin works...
It’s a good thing that your skin does its work on the periphery of your body, because having a four-kilogram organ in your torso would leave far less room other essential items such as your heart and liver. But spreading it in a thin layer around your body means that y...read more
Hygiene products and your acne
Acne is one of the most common skin conditions and is prevalent among both teens and adults. There are many products available to treat acne, some of which are common to personal hygiene. The most common of these is soap. While many soaps, especially thos...read more
Infection of your hair follicles?
Folliculitis is the infection of hair follicles. This can occur anywhere on the skin or scalp. Usually there is some itch, sometimes a little soreness. Folliculitis looks like acne pimples or non-healing, crusty sores. An acute eruption or one present for on...read more
Is light therapy an effective acne treatment ?
Light therapy is a great blessing to those that have extreme cases of acne, as they are very successful in treating the condition without costly medications. The improvement of the treatment of chronic acne can change a person's life for the better. Self-est...read more
Is rosacea the same as acne?
Rosacea is a common skin problem often called “adult acne.” Faired skinned and menopausal women are more likely to have rosacea. Rosacea also seems to run in families. It causes redness in the center parts of the face and pimples. Blood vessels u...read more
Isotretinoin: medication for the treatment of acne
Isotretinoin has revolusionised the treatment of acne since it became available in South Africa in 1984, according to the National Dermatology Working Group led by Dr Dave Presbury. It is the only treatment that affects all four aetiological factors implicat...read more
Keeping acne on the minimum intensity
Remarkably, there are quite a number of misconceptions about skin care and acne care that may seem logical, yet very untrue and may at times cause devastating damages to the individual believing in it.Take for example the belief that an afflicted person must regularly wash h...read more
Keloids
What are keloids? A keloid is the term given to the prominent, irregular scar tissue, which sometimes forms after a person has suffered a small cut or a scratch in the skin. Usually, a “bump” appears at the site of the injury. The bump becomes l...read more
Keratosis pilaris, a common skin condition
Keratosis pilaris is a skin condition commonly seen on the upper arms, buttocks and thighs. The skin cells that normally flake off as a fine dust from the skin form plugs in the hair follicles. These appear as small pimples that have a dry ''sandpaper'' feeling. They are usu...read more
Know your skin
What is it ? Skin acts as a physical barrier to the limit loss of water and essential compounds out of the body. It also acts as a barrier against infection. It is made up of many thin layers of cells, and is also rich in proteins and fats. The thickness o...read more
Laser treatment to help cure acne
When you're learning about something new, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information available. This informative article should help you focus on the central points.There are many different acne treatments, designed to treat different types of ...read more
Let's take a look at psoriasis
Psoriasis is an autoimmune problem, a dysfunction of the body's metabolism, similar to that which occurs in arthritis (psoriasis is often associated with arthritis) so it seems a cure for psoriasis is as probable as rubbing snake oil onto a swollen j...read more
Lichen planus, it can last for years!
Lichen planus is a relatively common skin disease that comes in episodes lasting months to years. The onset may be gradual or quick, but its cause, like many skin diseases, is unknown. It appears to be a reaction in response to more than one provoking factor...read more
Liposuction, an overview
Tumescent liposuction is the technique permitting the greatest safety, the most rapid recovery, the least pain, and the best aesthetic results for liposuction. It is also the only technique that, in the hands of an expert surgeon, permits liposuction totally by local anesthe...read more
Lyme disease: watch out for ticks!
Lyme disease is spread by the bite of the tiny tick, usually no bigger than a pinhead. Because it is so tiny and its bite is generally painless, the tick is hard to detect. Feeding ticks must usually be attached for 24 to 48 hours before transmitting the disease. Unfortunate...read more
Mastocytosi, most common in children
Mastocytosis is the term for a group of disorders caused by too many "mast cells". It is most common in children, but the more important forms are seen in both children and adults. Mast cell are found throughout the body, but are especially plentiful in the skin an...read more
Measles, a worldwide disease
Measles, also known as rubeola, is a worldwide disease that occurs primarily in children. Measles is usually a self-limiting disease manifesting with a prodrome period and a characteristic rash. The peak incidence of measles usually occurs in March or April and is a disease ...read more
Melanoma, a well known malignant tumor
Melanoma is tumor of the skin that is cancerous (malignant). It grows from the melanocytes, the cells that color and tan the skin. Melanoma is also called cutaneous melanoma or malignant melanoma. The incidence of melanoma is increasing worldwide at a rate of about 5% per ye...read more
Melasma, also known as the mask of pregnancy
Melasma is also known as chloasma or the mask of pregnancy. It is not a harmful disease, but can severely affect a person?s cosmetic appearance. In this acquired condition, the skin on the face and neck slowly develops brown patches. Melasma...read more
Middle-aged and acne-ridden?
For many women, acne disappears along with the other scourges of adolescence. “But for 12 percent of women, adulthood is when their skin problems start, or get worse” says Dr Isak Marais, a Cape Town dermatologist. What causes acne in older women? “Most...read more
Minocycline, a great acne therapy!
Minocycline pills are antibiotics sold as Minocin, Dynacin, Vectrin and generic minocycline. This antibiotic has been in use since the 1970's and is a great acne therapy. It kills the acne bacteria more effectively than many other acne pills and has a separate "anti-inf...read more
Moles, they can appear anywhere on the skin!
The medical term for a mole is a nevus (mole is Latin for "spot."). Nevi are the plural of nevus. Congenital nevi are moles present at birth; acquired nevi develop anytime later. Nevi are made up of a particular type of cell, and the name is used to distinguish the...read more
More on skin cancer
There are three types of skin cancer, according to the type of tumors that develop on the skin. The most common and less dangerous types feature basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Approximately nine in ten skin can...read more
Myths about acne
Fatty foods and chocolates affect acne Although it is always important for general health to follow a balanced diet, there is no proof that eating fatty foods and chocolates will cause or worsen acne. In fact, there is a poor relationship between acne and diet in general. ...read more
Nickel, not always that beautiful...
Nickel is a silvery-white metal that can be found in nature. It is usually mixed with other metals to produce alloys. For example, nickel-iron, which is used to manufacture stainless steel, is the most common nickel alloy. Other nickel alloys are used to mak...read more
