Psoriasis Website
I seemed to have a run on psoriasis patients this week. It is not surprising; psoriasis is often worse in the winter when the air is dry and when there is less sunlight. Both warm humid air and sunlight will improve psoriasis.
If you have psoriasis, please visit the National Psoriasis Foundation site –it’s an excellent resource about psoriasis and its treatments. They will also help you find a dermatologist in your area who treats psoriasis!
See also: Severe Psoriasis Linked to Increased Risk of Death
Photo of psoriasis from University of Manchester School of Medicine website.
Skin Care Myths: Plucking Hairs Makes Them Grow Back Thicker
Before Plucking
After Plucking
You can’t catch a cold from going outside without a jacket, and hairs don’t grow back thicker after you pluck them. I swear.
In fact, repeatedly plucking hairs can scar the follicle, which over time can lead to permanent loss of that hair. It is actually a very inexpensive way to remove unwanted hairs.
Waxing, threading, and plucking hairs are essentially the same thing; the hairs usually will grow back (unless you perform this repeatedly over a long period of time).
Electrolysis and laser hair removal, in contrast, destroy the hair follicle. Most of these hairs will not grow back and repeated treatment will lead to permanent hair removal.
If you pluck your hairs:
- Start with good, clean slanted or straight tweezers. Be sure the edges are sharp, not damaged.
- Pluck in the direction that the hair grows.
- Grab and pull the hair out in one quick motion.
- Pluck only one hair at a time.
- Repeat.
- Repeat again.
You might also like:
Are You Over-Scrubbing Your Face?
What Causes Vertical Ridges in Your Nails?
Why Do Women Bruise More Easily Than Men?
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How to Moisturize Properly (and Save Money)
Should I use different moisturizers for different body parts?
Yes. You wouldn’t use shampoo to wash your hands, so don’t use the same moisturizer on your face that you use on your feet.
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For your face, which is more delicate and often less tolerant to heavy moisturizers, try Oil of Olay Regenerist Daily Regenerating Serum for women and L’Oreal Men’s Expert Hydra-Power Invigorating Moisturizer for men.
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For your hands, which take the brunt of harsh, cold weather and excessive hand washing to prevent catching the flu, use a cream that contains dimethicone (silicone). Eucerin Plus Intensive Repair Hand Creme moisturizes well and isn’t greasy, so your keyboard won’t get sticky when you blog. Have multiple tubes (for your purse, office, and home) so you won’t forget to reapply every time you wash your hands. Don’t forget to massage the cream into your nails which also get dry and brittle.
- For the body, my patients have had success with Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturizing Cream, made with colloidal oatmeal, an ingredient that helps hold in moisture.
- For dry, cracked feet, use a moisturizer that contains a mild acid, such as lactic acid which softens thick, scaly skin. My patients like AmLactin Cream.
What is the best way to moisturize?
- Shower or bathe in comfortably warm, not hot water.
- Use a mild cleanser such as Dove instead of soap. I can’t tell you how often patients’ dry skin is caused by some “natural” or “organic” soap. Unless these soaps are specifically designated as moisturizing, they are often too drying for your skin in the winter.
- Pat dry with a towel, leaving your skin damp.
- Apply cream to your damp skin, locking in moisture. Doing this everyday will significantly relieve your dry, itchy skin in just a week’s time.
What is the best way to moisturize during an economic recession?
OK. So maybe we aren’t in a recession just yet, but skin care products can be prohibitively expensive. If you are moisturizing properly, then you could easily use 5 ounces each week. That means you could use up one Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturizing Cream every two weeks!
Simple petroleum jelly (Vaseline Ointment) — it might be old-school, but it works.
Use a thin coat right after the shower. You can blot excess with your towel. Some patients like to use it only at bedtime since it can mark your clothing.
New Research Discovers Cream that Minimizes Scars
We are all scarred. Scars are a natural part of healing. They occur when there is damage to the dermis, the deeper layer of the skin. The wider and deeper the original injury, the more significant the scar will be.
Scars vary by the location of the injury and by your genetics. Some people, especially those with dark skin, are prone to develop thick, raised scars called hypertrophic scars or keloids. Keloids are more common on the upper chest, upper back, neck, and ears. Other people develop flat, white scars. In fact, even stretch marks are a type of scar.
Once a scar has developed there is little or nothing you can do to change it. Over the counter creams cannot change the appearance of a scar (no mom, not even topical vitamin E). However, your physician can sometimes surgically revise a scar or can inject it with steroid to flatten it.
A new study to be published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine has shown that the development of scars can be minimized by blocking osteopontin. Osteopontin is a protein implicated in chronic inflammatory conditions and in various types of cancer.
Research by Professor Paul Martin and colleagues at the University of Bristol shows that osteopontin (OPN) is one of the genes that triggers scarring and that applying a gel, which suppresses OPN to the wound, can accelerate healing and reduces scarring. It does this in part by increasing the regeneration of blood vessels around the wound and speeding up tissue reconstruction.
Once again, we see that chronic inflammation is the basis for disease, in this case scarring. Prescription drugs that block osteopontin are probably years away, but they might be worth the wait.
Photo of a keloid from the American Association of Family Practice Physicians. http://www.aafp.org/afp/20050801/lettersonline.html
Garlic Treaments for Skin Problems
Garlic is a member of the onion family and has been used for medicinal purposes since the times of the pharaohs of Egypt. There are a few studies linking garlic to skin care.
In one study, ajoene, a component of garlic, produced a clinical response in patients with basal cell carcinoma skin cancer. It was shown to induce apoptosis (death) of cancer cells in 17 of 21 patients with basal cell skin cancers. This is interesting research, but unfortunately does not make garlic a viable treatment for skin cancer yet; in these patients the skin cancers became smaller, but were not cured.
Basal cell carcinoma should be treated with destructive surgery such as electrodessication and curettage (ED&C), simple surgical excision, or a Mohs procedure. In some instances it can be treated with prescription anti-cancer creams. Diagnosis and treatment of any skin cancer should be discussed with your physician.
Garlic has also been used as a short term treatment for athletes foot (tinea pedis). In one study, application of ajoene cream resulted in cure in 27 of 34 patients after 7 days of treatment with no recurrences after 3 months.
Although, if fungus ridden feet are keeping you from dating, I am not sure that a garlic cream is your best option.
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A new dermatology blog from Dr. Benabio.
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