health news

Blisters are sore, swollen areas on the skin where fluid has collected beneath an outer layer of skin. Blisters are caused by friction, often from poorly fitted shoes or socks that rub against the skin.

Here are suggestions on caring for a blister, courtesy of the University of Michigan Health System:

Steps should be taken to avoid further irritating the problem area.
Large blisters can be carefully drained with a sterilized needle, then covered with antibiotic ointment and a bandage.
For extra protection, purchase a moleskin at a drugstore. Cut a hole that's larger than the blister in the moleskin, creating a moleskin "donut." Then apply the moleskin so that the hole is over the blister.
See your doctor about any blisters that don't heal in a reasonable amount of time, or look like they may be infected.

Sourse - HealthDay News

| Tags: Skin and Beauty |

Labels: Skin and Beauty

Rosacea is a condition in which the skin, most commonly on the face, breaks out in a red, bumpy rash.

Rosacea most often affects people after age 30, and is characterized by a pattern of flare-ups and remissions, says the National Rosacea Society.

Typical symptoms include persistent flushed face, red skin, bumps or pimples, and visible blood vessels. Eventually, the skin becomes ruddier. Fair-skinned people are especially prone to the condition, the society says.

The cause of rosacea is unknown, and there is no cure. Skin care with mild and gentle cleansers, as well as the use of cosmetics, can help minimize redness and other symptoms.

Sourse - HealthDay News

| Tags: Skin and Beauty |

Labels: Skin and Beauty

Cosmetic surgery approaches can lead to better aesthetic outcomes for patients having thyroid surgery, researchers report.The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland located in the neck.Dr. David Terris, chair of the department of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the Medical College of Georgia, in Augusta, studied 248 patients who underwent thyroid surgery. He noted that many patients are concerned about their appearance after the surgery.

"It matters to them how big the scar is, if it's even, if it's hidden in a skin crease, if the edges are nicely aligned," Terris said in a prepared statement.
He found "that while keeping the management of the underlying thyroid problems as the first priority, we can still achieve a maximal cosmetic result."
One simple tip is to have patients sit or stand while incision sites are marked, so that the incision sites better blend into the natural lines of the body.
"You want the incision to be in a location that corresponds to a cosmetically favorable area when you are upright at a dinner party, not stretched out on an operating room table," Terris said.
Other cosmetic surgery techniques that can help improve aesthetic outcomes among thyroid surgery patients include:
- Trimming traumatized edges at the incision sites
- Using surgical glues instead of sutures
- Minimizing trauma to surrounding skin
- Minimizing use of drains to manage post-surgery oozing.
- Terris' team published its findings in the July issue of The Laryngoscope.

More information
The American Academy of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery has more about the thyroid and thyroid surgery.

| Tags: Cancer, Skin and Beauty |

Labels: Cancer, Skin and Beauty, Skin Cancer

By detaching, rerouting and reattaching a muscle used for chewing, surgeons were able to restore the ability to smile to seven patients with facial paralysis.

The procedure, called temporalis tendon transfer, is combined with intense physical therapy before and after surgery and could help similarly stricken patients right away.

"It's really a very doable procedure, and we're realizing how it can be done more simply," said study lead author Dr. Patrick Byrne, director of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery in the department of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. "It's very applicable on a wide scale," he added.

According to the study, which appears in the July/August issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, correcting facial paralysis is one of the biggest challenges facing reconstructive surgeons.

"People who smile are happier, and people who can't smile are depressed. It really affects the brain," Byrne said. "There's no question we've seen this in these patients. They are happier and more upbeat after having this procedure."

More information
There's more on this topic at The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

| Tags: Personality, Relationships, Skin and Beauty |

Labels: Personality, Relationships, Skin and Beauty

Liver spots are light brown patches of skin that commonly appear in people aged 40 and older. But they have nothing to do with the liver or liver function, the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) says.

Instead, these areas of increased pigmentation may be a normal result of aging, or exposure to the sun or ultraviolet light.

Liver spots are most often found on the backs of the hands, the forearms, shoulders, forehead, and elsewhere that is exposed to the sun, the NLM says.

Although they may be cosmetically unappealing, liver spots are harmless. Bleaching creams or lotions may help reduce their appearance, and freezing or laser treatments may destroy them, the NLM says.

Sourse - HealthDay News

| Tags: Public Health and Safety, Skin and Beauty |

Labels: Public Health, Skin and Beauty

The first skin patch to treat the dementia that can plague Alzheimer's patients gained federal approval, a drug company said Monday.
The drug in the patch, called Exelon or rivastigmine, is the same as that now available in capsule form but provides a regular and continuous dose throughout the day, according to Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. Since the drug enters the bloodstream directly, the patch also eliminates some of the gastrointestinal side effects associated with the drug when swallowed.

The drug is meant to treat the symptoms of mild to moderate dementia in patients with Alzheimer's disease. It also won Food and Drug Administration approval to treat patients with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease dementia, Novartis said.

Rivastigmine isn't a cure. It inhibits the breakdown of a chemical in the brain called acetylcholine, thought important for both learning and memory.

| Tags: Public Health and Safety, Skin and Beauty |

Labels: Public Health, Skin and Beauty

Some doctors now think that the internal fat surrounding vital organs like the heart, liver or pancreas — invisible to the naked eye — could be as dangerous as the more obvious external fat that bulges underneath the skin
According to the data, people who maintain their weight through diet rather than exercise are likely to have major deposits of internal fat, even if they are otherwise slim. “The whole concept of being fat needs to be redefined,” said Bell, whose research is funded by Britain’s Medical Research Council.

Without a clear warning signal — like a rounder middle — doctors worry that thin people may be lulled into falsely assuming that because they’re not overweight, they’re healthy.

Even people with normal Body Mass Index scores — a standard obesity measure that divides your weight by the square of your height — can have surprising levels of fat deposits inside

Still, most experts believe that being of normal weight is an indicator of good health, and that BMI is a reliable measurement.

| Tags: Addiction, Heart Health, Skin and Beauty, Weight Loss |

Labels: Addiction, Heart Health, Skin and Beauty, Weight Loss

As we all know, acne is a skin infection producing blackheads, whiteheads, spots or cysts that normally appear on the face, neck, back, chest and upper arms. If the acne is severe it can leave permanent scarring.
Acne hits at the worse time of a young person's life. Just when they are suddenly aware of the opposite sex and they are struggling to become independent individuals, their confidence is shattered by an eruption of pimples.
| Tags: Sexual Health, Skin and Beauty |

Labels: Sexual Health, Skin and Beauty

Scabies is a skin disease caused by a mite. It can be very contagious via skin-to-skin contact, or by sharing bedding or towels with an infected person.

The itchy rash that characterizes scabies is an allergic reaction to the mite.

Here are other common symptoms, courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine:
Itchiness, especially at night.
Very thin, pencil-mark like lines.
Abrasions, caused by scratching and digging at the rash.
Small blisters.

| Tags: Skin and Beauty |

Labels: Skin and Beauty

A missionary in Eastern Europe recently reported an extremely rare (condylomatosis) skin condition. This disease is called Lewandowsky-Lutz dysplasia. This missionary wrote:

"I found this man, and other than his hands and feet, he looked and seemed in good health. As best as I could gather these growths began when he was 14 years old, and began in the area of his wrists. The skin on his wrists and the back of his hands resembles that of a hedgehog - hundreds of spike like growths. The problem is much more severe on his palms and fingers where the growths resemble very much that of nails infected with a fungus. The growths have that same texture, smell and feel. I cut a number of the largest growths off, most of witch did not bleed. Some of the smaller growths did bleed a small amount and he seemed much more sensitive to the cutting of the smaller growths.
It has grown slowly but steadily but has not spread to other parts of his body, just a bit below his knees on his legs. He has other skin growth (many would be skin tags) on his face, and some moles on his chest. The growths are not as bad on his feet but I was told that more than 10 years ago many we cauterized off his feet, and they did not return. I think with repeated soaking and cutting most could be removed but other parts will I think need to be burned away in some form."

He has 15 skin tags on his face, and a wart in one ear.

| Tags: Skin and Beauty |

Labels: Skin and Beauty

When summer hits, we ladies think about it. Hair removal so our legs are smooth in shorts and bathing suits. But this year, there's a new option to get rid of that hair more permanently.. and less painfully.If you need unwanted hair to vanish for a long time it hurts. Whether you laser it, wax it, or use electrolysis. But now a simple new device is taking the hurt out of hair removal. Laser surgery technician Eric Bernstein tested it on many people including workout personal trainer Gretchen Corialos who wants her whole body to be smooth. Erin Elmore an investment banker who was on season 3 of the Apprentice, and joining the test, Kate Beaver a dancer for the Philadelphia 76-ers. They all bared their arm pits, and had regular laser hair removal under one arm.. and the new improved type under the other. Eric Bernstein says, "One of the drawbacks of laser hair removal is that it hurts. And the reason it hurts is because the hair takes up the light and produces heat. The more hair, the thicker the hair, the more it hurts."This is regular laser hair removal.
Erin Elmore says, ""I think the firing may have been more painful on my heart. This is more painful on my pits. Ha ha" Now the same lasering with this new invention. The PSF device that actually sucks up the skin. Kate Beaver says, "Definitely less pain. So which one would you pick next time. I would do this one again. The one with less pain. Definitely."How does it work? Eric Bernstein says, "Our skin is only allowed to feel one sensation at a time. So we can feel pressure or we can feel pain. Given the choice, we'd all choose pressure. So what this device does is it suctions the skin so we feel a pressure sensation and we can't feel pain."Once you have laser hair treatments three times, you'll only need a touchup once or twice a year to keep the hair away. The cost for both armpits, 150 to 250-dollars.

Source: ktiv

| Tags: Skin and Beauty |

Labels: Skin and Beauty

Your mother may have told you to drink more water when you were young, but you may ignored the advice. As being a logical person, you need reasons on why spending all those time to drink water. Here you go - The Ririan Project gives 10 reasons why drinking water is good for you.

Get Healthy Skin
Flush Toxins
Reduce Your Risk Of Heart Attack
Cushion And Lube Your Joints And Muscles
Get Energized And Be Alert
Stay Regular
Reduce Your Risk Of Disease And Infection
Regulate Your Body Temperature
Burn More Fat And Build More Muscle
Get Well

| Tags: Digestive, Heart Health, Nutrition, Skin and Beauty |

Labels: Digestive, Heart Health, Nutrition, Skin and Beauty

A prototype artificial skin which can be used to heal wounds has been developed by British researchers

| tags: Skin and Beauty |

Labels: Skin and Beauty

Inventors have created a soap infused with caffeine which helps users wake up in the morning.

The soap, called Shower Shock, supplies the caffeine equivalent of two cups of coffee per wash, with the stimulant absorbed naturally through the skin, manufacturers say.

Now you can sleep more in morning because you not having to wait for your morning(coffee) at the brew.
ask the makers, thinkgeek.com.

| Tags: Diabetes, Skin and Beauty |

Labels: Diabetes, Skin and Beauty