Tag: Burns

How Laser Hair Removal Works on Different Skin Types and

How Laser Hair Removal Works on Different Skin Types and Hair Color

The effectiveness of laser hair removal is dependent upon several factors including skin type and hair color. Lesser factors include the condition of the skin, sun exposure, and the cycle of the hair.

There are four basic skin types – Caucasian European, African descent, Eastern Asian, and Middle Eastern / Mediterranean. Each of these four skin types have several things in common, such as the thickness of the dermis and epidermis, the number of hair follicles, and the skin’s layered components. However, there are many characteristics of each skin type that are very different.

Caucasian Europeans have the most varied skin type of all the groups. This group has light skin with great variation in skin color amongst the people which is determined by heredity. The people from this group are the best candidates for laser hair removal. Generally, they will need fewer treatments and attain the best results. Overall, the effectiveness of laser hair removal on individuals from this group is dependent upon a combination of their hair and skin color.

Individuals of African descent, with dark brown skin or poor candidates for laser hair removal. This is because the laser light is absorbed into the skin pigment, causing possible burns, scars, and keloids. The dark skin causes the laser beam to b drawn away from its target area.

People in Eastern Asian descent, which includes China, Japan and Korea, generally have the least amount of facial and body hair. They are usually good candidates for laser hair removal because their hair is dark, and they have minimal skin pigmentation.

Middle Eastern and Mediterranean people tend to have the most facial and body hair. Their skin color can very from dark white to medium brown. Those people with lighter skin generally make better candidates for laser hair removal. Skin bleaching agents, such as 4% hydroquinone, are sometimes used by people in this group to lighten the skin as much as possible. This is done to make the laser treatment as effective as possible and reduce the risk of burning the skin. This ethnic group has an increased risk of hyperpigmentation.

Hair color combines with skin type to further determine the effects of laser hair removal. Black or dark brown hair is usually coarser and contains the most pigmentation. These factors make it the easiest to treat because the laser light is most easily absorbed by the dark pigmentation. Lighter brown hair usually requires more treatments than darker hair. The lighter the hair color, the more difficult laser hair removal becomes. Red and light blonde hair contain phemelianin pigment which makes light absorption very difficult. Grey or white hair does not contain any pigmentation at all, therefor, they cannot absorb light. The Fitzpatrick Skin Phototype Scale and the Lancer Ethnicity Scale are used by professional technicians to determine the effectiveness of laser hair removal based on skin type and hair color.

The best combination of skin type and hair color for laser hair removal is light skin with dark hair. These people will have the best results with the least treatments.

A Look At Arthritis: America’s Leading Cause of Disability

A Look At Arthritis: America’s Leading Cause of Disability
Larry Denton

The word arthritis literally means joint inflammation, but it is often used to refer to a group of more than 100 rheumatic diseases that cause pain, stiffness, and swelling in the joints. The most common are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and gout. Most forms of arthritis are associated with pain that can be divided into two categories: acute and chronic. Acute pain is temporary. It can last a few seconds or a few minutes but diminishes as healing occurs. Acute pain is associated with burns, cuts and fractures. Chronic pain, such as that felt by people with arthritis, ranges from mild to severe and can last days, months, years or even a lifetime. Osteoarthritis is one of the most frequent causes of physical disability among adults. More than 20 million people in the United States, alone, have the disease. By 2030, according the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 20 percent of all Americans–about 70 million people–will have passed their 65th birthday and will be at a higher risk of osteoarthritis. Arthritis limits the everyday activity of 8 million Americans, and this disability creates huge burdens for the individuals, their families, and the nation as a whole. Each year, arthritis results in 9,500 deaths and 750,000 hospitalizations. According to the National Center for Chronic Disease Control, in 1997, medical care for arthritis (in the U.S.) was $51 billion. This disease affects each person quite differently. In some people it progresses quickly and in others the symptoms are much more serious and painful. Medical practitioners do not yet know what causes arthritis, but they suspect a combination of factors including: being overweight, the aging process, family history, joint injury, and stresses on the joints from work or sporting activities.There is no single treatment that applies to everyone who suffers from arthritis. With your personal input, a medical specialist will develop a management and treatment plan designed to minimize your specific pain and improve the function of your joints. A number of treatments can provide short-term relief. They include: medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, the use of hot and cold packs, using a splint or a brace to protect painful joints, or perhaps using muscle-relaxing massages.In the long-term, pain relief may be found with: new drugs, called biological response modifiers, which reduce inflammation in the joints; corticosteroids such as Prednisone; weight reduction; dietary changes; exercise (swimming, walking and low-impact aerobic exercise); and even surgery to replace a joint that has badly deteriorated. In some instances, nutritional supplements may be helpful. The long-term goal of pain management is to help you cope with this chronic, often disabling disease. You may be caught in a cycle of pain, depression, and stress. To break this cycle, you need to be an active participant in managing your pain. The role you play in planning your treatment is very important. You and your health care providers must work together closely to develop a personalized and effective treatment program. Research has shown that patients who are well informed and participate actively in their own care, experience less pain, make fewer visits to the doctor and lead a much more enjoyable life. About the Author
Larry Denton is a retired history teacher having taught 33 years at Hobson High in Hobson, Montana. He is currently Vice President of Elfin Enterprises, Inc. a business dedicated to providing information and resources on a variety of topics. For an therapy room full of information and valuable resources to assist you in dealing with arthritis, visit http://www.ArthritisAide.com

Nocturnal Eating Syndrome – A Food Related Sleep Disorder

Nocturnal eating syndrome is a sleep disorder that is more common in women than men. It is one of two eating disorders that are related to sleep. The other is called sleep-related food disorder. Nocturnal eating syndrome and sleep-related food disorder are parasomnias

Nocturnal eating syndrome is a sleep disorder that is characterized by compulsive raids on the refrigerator at night. Usually people with this sleep disorder are very light sleepers. When they awake during the night they have an overly compulsive feeling that they will not be able to fall back to sleep unless they eat something. Once out of bed and at the refrigerator, the compulsion to eat makes them gobble down food. People with nocturnal eating syndrome are fully awake and remember eating the food the next day. This syndrome is a combination of a sleep disorder and an eating disorder. Insomnia is also a factor in nocturnal eating syndrome. Treatment for this disorder is usually received from a mental health professional that specializes in people with eating disorders. Improving sleep hygiene can also help with this disorder.

Sleep-related eating disorder also affects more women then men and is a variation of sleepwalking. During an episode of this sleep disorder, a person will eat during partial arousal form a deep sleep. Often they will eat very unhealthy or strange foods that they normally would not eat when awake. During an episode of sleep-related eating disorder, a person might eat frozen pizza, raw cookie dough, peanut butter on fish and even dog food.

Often they are very careless and sloppy and may get burns or cuts while preparing the food. It is very difficult to wake a person during an episode and they have no memory of it in the morning. There does not seem to be a correlation to hunger during a sleep-related eating disorder episode, even if the person has eaten just before bed, an episode can still occur.

Although the cause of food related sleep disorder is not known, several triggers have been identified. Medications such as lithium, a mood stabilizer, and the benzodiazepine receptor zolpidem are two of those triggers. People with mood and personality disorders or psychological problems such as bulimia are at higher risk of developing one of these food related sleep disorders. People suffering from other sleep disorders including insomnia, sleep apnea, periodic limb movement disorder or narcolepsy are also at higher risk

People with sleep-related eating disorder usually have a history of sleepwalking. Because of this, people suffering from this parasomnina are considered having more of a sleep disorder then an eating disorder. Treatment with prescription medication is often very effective. Antidepressants, dopimine agents, anticonvulsants and opiates are often prescribed. Once sleepwalking is stopped so are the trips to the refrigerator.

Sleep eaters often are overweight because of the high caloric intake at night. The weight gain can lead to other sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea. Seeking treatment, either from a medical or mental health professional is essential for good health in the treatment of sleep eating disorders.