Tag: allergic reaction

Step by Step Acne Skin Care

Acne prone skin is something that you have to carefully treat as the slightest mistake can cause an irritation or an allergic reaction that can exacerbate the condition rather than cure it.

Contrary to popular myth, acne is not caused by just dirt and grime on the skin. One can be the most hygienic but you can still develop acne. Perhaps one of the reasons why acne is so hard to combat is the fact that it is caused by a lot of factors that all contribute to its development.

Acne actually starts off with unwanted oils on the skin that tend to clog the pores. These excess oils are produced by the bodys hormones. This is one of the reasons why there are people whose skin are not pimple-prone. The oil on the skin is the initial factor that contributes in the development of acne. Another factor is the shape of the pore, which restricts the flow of oil in the skin. When the pores are abnormally shaped, it tends to encase the oil all the more inside, leading to build up and eventually to acne eruptions.

Dead skin cells that line up the pores and the dirt in the skin also interact with the oil causing clogging, which exacerbates the condition. Another factor is the presence of the bacteria propionibacterium acnes, which actually thrives in an oily environment.

Although it was mentioned that acne is not necessarily caused by unhygienic ways, this is not a reason to clean the face. A clean face will of course lessen the risk of further eruptions. For most people, a gentle water soluble cleanser is recommended especially for people who have ultra sensitive skin that can be irritated by the smallest of things.

Another advantage of a water soluble cleanser is the fact that no trace will be kept after washing. Some soaps tend to remain on the face and will only clog the pores, thereby leading to skin eruptions.

The next step to taking care of the skin is to remove the excess oils. This can be achieved by using facial masks at night and rice papers during the day. One must be careful though as some chemicals and products may irritate the skin. Before you use anything on your skin, it is best that you consult your dermatologist.

Another step towards acne free skin is exfoliation. This is done to remove the dead skin cells in the pore lining as these contribute in the clogging. Another function that exfoliation provides is skin renewal, wherein the old skin will be replaced by a new one. Products that contain 1% to 2% beta hydroxy acid (BHA) or 8% alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) are often recommended by dermatologists.

As a rule of thumb, BHA is actually more effective than AHA especially in penetrating through the pores. However, there are some people who are either allergic to BHA or have too sensitive skins for the chemical, so AHA is the next in line that doctors recommend.

Disinfecting the skin and killing off the bacteria in the pores is another crucial step in acne skin care. Although there are a lot of products in the market, most if not all contain the ingredient Benzoyl Peroxide, which is proven to be the most effective in fighting the bacteria.

Hair Loss Caused By Lichen Planus

There are several factors that can result in hair loss. One common disease is a disorder known as lichen planus. This particular disease is not in itself a direct cause but it is an important trigger and often causes complications with the scalp and can lead to this problem.

Lichen planus is more of a skin disorder that also affects other areas of the body. Thus, it can not only affect the skin and body, but also the scalp. When the scalp is affected, hair loss is experienced. Licen phanus is usually considered to be an allergic reaction and is often associated with a poor immune system. Some believe that lichen planus is triggered from excessive stress. Stress weakens the bodys immune system and render it susceptible to infection and other health symptoms such as hair loss. The chances of getting another lichen planus attack rise with the first affliction, even with treatment and prevention measures.

Lichen planus is most identifiable by the changes in the skin that occur. There will be itching in certain areas of the skin, as well as skin lesions that will appear in a variety of places. The skin lesions will have a variety of attributes related to their shape, size and color, all which will help you in identifying the disorder. There may also be nail abnormalities, such as ridges in the nails that begin to appear. The skin lesions will then begin to move into the mouth area and cause your mouth to feel dry. From here, lichen planus will begin to show on the scalp area and hair will be lost from the irritation from the scalp area.

Once you notice these symptoms, do not wait too long to treat the lichen planus. In most cases, the symptoms are not severe enough and will simply go away over time. However, there is also the possibility of the symptoms become full blown and it will be more difficult to treat at that point in time.

For treatment, you can take prescribed medications. Antihistamines are useful in helping to treat lichen planus. Vitamin A in the form of ointments and creams are also considered to be effective. It can be expected that this disorder will disappear after a few months or after a longer amount of time. Also, ensure a healthy diet and lifestyle to boost your immune system.

If you notice both the above mentioned symptoms and also experience hair loss at the same time, then it is possible that you can be having lichen planus. To be absolutely sure, it is best to seek a professional diagnosis. Lichen planus can cause much discomfort to you as it affects your physical appearance. Understanding what the symptoms of lichen planus are and knowing what to do will help you repair your skin and treat yourself from hair loss.

Diagnosing Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is a known disease of the small intestine. With celiac disease, the intestine experiences an immunological or allergic reaction. The small intestine does not absorb the nutrients of the food digested. This leads to nutritional, vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Diagnosing celiac disease early is very important to prevent any critical illness.

Celiac disease is common in European countries, particularly in Ireland, Italy, Sweden and Austria. In Finland, the prevalence may be as high as one in every 100 persons. While in North America, its prevalence is one in every 3000 people. Worldwide, its occurrence would be one in every 250 people.

Its exact cause is unknown but it is often inherited. If someone in the immediate family has it, chances are 5 percent to 15 percent that the member of the family may have it as well. It can occur at any age, although problems dont appear until gluten is introduced into the diet.

There are also times, for unclear reasons, that the disease appear or was experienced after some form of trauma. It can happen or emerge after an infection, a physical injury, the stress of pregnancy, severe stress or surgery.

There are no typical signs and symptoms of celiac disease and there are even patients that have no symptoms. They only show the symptoms after inducing or introducing gluten into their diet. There are cases that celiac disease is misdiagnosed or undiagnosed. The symptoms are often confused with other conditions, like irritable bowel syndrome, gastric ulcers, or nervous conditions.

Blood tests are conducted such as anti-tissue translutaminase and anti-endomysial antibodies. Blood tests are used to find the elevated antibody levels. These elevated levels are a sign of celiac disease, since the persons immune system recognizes gluten as a foreign substance and increases the number of antibodies to fight it.

After confirming or getting elevated antibody levels in the blood tests, the doctor or attending physician perform intestinal tissue checks. This is to microscopically examine a small portion of intestinal tissue to check for damage to the villi.

A thin, flexible tube is inserted through the mouth, esophagus and stomach and into the small intestine to take a small tissue sample. The tiny, hairlike projections from the small intestine that absorb vitamins, minerals and other nutrients will provide the necessary information if the villi is damaged.

Also, patients with celiac disease show other clues. Patients may have the presence of a blistering, itchy skin rash known as dermatitis herpetiformis. An estimated 10 percent of patients with celiac disease also have this skin disorder. Dermatitis herpetiformis is a skin disease that can be found on the extremities, buttocks, neck, trunk, and scalp.

After undergoing medical examinations, a trial of a gluten-free diet can confirm the diagnosis. But before undergoing the gluten-free diet, medical evaluation is required. Undergoing the diet may have an impact on the results of the blood test and biopsies. They may appear normal and without any complications even if the patient is positive with celiac disease.

Dennis Lee, M.D, the author of the article Celiac Disease(Gluten Enteropathy) states that it is necessary to firmly establish the diagnosis of celiac disease before commencing to gluten free diet for three main reasons:

(1) to identify the gluten-free diet should be followed which is a life-long and tedious commitment;

(2) to avoid patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) to unnecessarily commit to life-long gluten restriction; and

(3) a gluten free diet can lower the blood antibody levels and allow the small intestine to lose the typical appearance of celiac disease, complicating subsequent efforts at making a firm diagnosis of celiac disease.

Eczema Treatment for Newbies

Have you been recently diagnosed with eczema? Are you having trouble dealing with it? Here are a few tips on eczema treatment and what they can do for you.

When diagnosed with eczema, your doctor will also most likely tell you what kind of eczema you have. He will also most likely tell you how bad your case of eczema is and prescribe you with medications and how to go about treating your condition. To do this you usually have to provide your doctor with your medical history to make sure hes not prescribing you with anything that can cause an allergic reaction.

Basically you treat eczema to control itchiness, avoid inflammation of the affected area of your skin, to clear infections, to decrease those scaly lesions and try to prevent or at least reduce new lesions. All of these things arent cured with just one type of treatment. It usually requires a combination of one or two treatments to relieve you from your eczema woes.

Treating your eczema isnt something that happens overnight. It usually takes a certain period to reduce the severity of your condition. It has also been proven more effective to keep a number of treatments working to complement each other to help ease irritation. This works for all cases of eczema. This usually entails changing your habits and routines that may be causing allergic reactions.

You either have to do really simple things like changing the things you keep around you, the types of soaps or lotions you use to even maybe changing your job or your whole environment. You have to be really careful about finding out what triggers flare-ups. If you can successfully identify it you will be able to increase the efficacy of your treatment and even lessen the side effects you may feel when youre on medication.

The kind of medication you might need will depend on a lot of things. These of course include what case of eczema you have, your medical history (which also includes the different kinds of treatments youve already had) and of course your preferences. Most often topical medications like lotions and creams are what are prescribed. However, for those with a much more severe case of eczema they give you options for phototherapy or systemic medication. Phototherapy is a procedure where light therapy is used while systemic therapy is a medication that circulates throughout your body.

Recently treatments for eczema have largely improved and there are a lot more choices to choose from. There are a number of very popular and effective treatments for all kinds of eczema and most cases can be controlled.

However, it has to be said again that eczema is a condition that will take a certain amount of time to relieve. Eczema treatment can be a pain in the pocket but if your symptoms do not go away you should consult your doctor to make sure you are using the right treatment. You also have to remember that relaxation is a key player when treating eczema. Avoid stress because this triggers your flare-ups.

Always take note of the things that may trigger your eczema problems. The best way to control these instances in a safe and fairly easy manner is to be on a healthy diet. It is also best to stay in a clean, relaxing and safe environment that wont cause you any stress that may worsen your condition.