What is Sensitive Skin?
These are many signs of skin sensitivity like slight red patches on your skin, areas of dryness or blemishes. May be even itchy skin, a tingle, tightness or a stinging sensation?
How hormones and stress impact our skin?
Just like every other part of your body, hormones will reach your skin. They are brought to your skin by the tiny blood vessels in the lower layer we described earlier.
It is vital for the skin to have these hormones as they are needed to keep it healthy. It is the job of hormones to tell every cell in your body what it should be doing. Most of the time the hormones message for you skin is the same – “just keep doing today what you were doing yesterday” – just as it is for much of the rest of your body. However, there are times when there are sudden and dramatic changes in your hormones, particularly for women and teenagers.
How our skin can react to harsh chemicals and irritants?
Your skin will react in different ways to harsh chemicals and other irritants. You feel and see this reaction in different ways; itch, sting, tightness, redness, blotches and breakouts.
What is the difference between a face sunscreen and a body sunscreen?
The skin on the face is more delicate and is exposed to the damaging effects of the elements, including the sun, more than the rest of your body. The face, neck and hands are the most vulnerable areas, and where you will first begin to see the signs of ageing. Facial sunscreens are specially formulated to protect the delicate skin on your face from the signs of sun-induced ageing.
Why do children and toddlers need a separate sunscreen?
Young skin is especially delicate and burns more easily, so needs a high SPF. However, it is recommended that children under three should not be in direct sunlight and should always be encouraged to stay in the shade. The first line of defence for a child should always be to cover up with clothing, such as t-shirts and hats, with sunscreen for additional protection.
Can what I eat cause acne breakouts?
Generally, no. The primary trigger of most cases of acne is the fluctuation of hormones. Hormones stimulate the oil glands to produce more sebum, which can block pores. Bacteria can then grow within the pores, causing them to become inflamed and break out.
That happens at times of major hormonal change, such as during the menstrual cycle, and during the teen years, no matter what you eat. So despite what your grandmother told you, eating too many potato chips won’t make you break out in pimples.
Still other studies of acne’s relationship to nutrition have shown that a diet with a high glycemic index, such as white breads, waffles, and other carbs, worsens acne.
Does acne mean I’m not keeping my face clean enough?
Not necessarily. In fact, scrubbing too hard at your face can aggravate your acne, and using alcohol-based astringents can dry out the skin. Acne is triggered by hormones, and while gentle, regular cleansing with soap and warm water can sometimes help with mild breakouts, more significant acne requires more than just good hygiene.
Will my acne ever go away?
Most often, acne will go away on its own at the end of puberty, but some people still struggle with acne in adulthood. Almost all acne can be successfully treated, however. It’s a matter of finding the right treatment for you.
Fungal Infection get athlete’s foot every summer. What can I do to prevent this from occurring?
Fungi thrive in warm, dark and moist environments, so it is best to wear shoes that are porous and “breathe.” In addition, allowing air to reach your feet by going barefoot or wearing sandals is helpful. Powders and other drying agents can be used to decrease moisture and spread of the fungus. There are many over-the-counter and prescription therapies available for the treatment of athlete’s foot. Finally, if your toenails are affected, they may be re-infecting the skin on your feet. If you suspect fungal infection of your toenails (onychomycosis), you should be seen by your doctor to discuss available treatment.
I have a new kitten and I noticed pink, flaky rings on her skin. What should I do?
It sounds like your kitten has ringworm, which is, in fact, a fungal infection of the skin. This is contagious to humans. you should be evaluated by their doctors and appropriately treated. This may require topical or oral therapy.
What is eczema?
The word eczema simply means dermatitis, which is an inflammation of the skin. There are different types of dermatitis or eczema. The most common type of eczema in children is atopic eczema. The terms “atopic eczema” and “atopic dermatitis” mean the same thing. The child with eczema has sensitive skin, which is irritated very easily. Their sensitive skin often is itchy (the medical term is pruritus), and the eczematous rash results from the scratching or rubbing of the extremely itchy skin from which these children suffer. While it is apparent from observing a child with atopic eczema that the rash is very itchy, it may be more accurate to say that atopic dermatitis is “the itch that rashes.”
Why does my child have eczema?
Atopic eczema is believed to be a genetic disorder resulting in sensitive skin. It tends to be associated with the predisposition to become allergic to foods and substances in the air such as pollens, molds, animal danders, and dust mites. Some children with eczema develop severe allergic reactions to foods and many develop asthma and hay fever symptoms as they get older. Often there is someone else in the family with eczema, asthma or hayfever (allergic rhinitis), but this is not always the case. There are many external factors which may influence eczema on a day to day basis; some are irritants and some may be from allergy.
Will my child “grow out” of eczema?
The tendency for sensitive skin may remain even into teenage years or beyond. However, in most cases your child’s eczema will gradually improve as they get older. The age at which eczema ceases to be a problem varies. Many are better by the age of 3 years, and most will have only occasional trouble by the time they are teenagers. It is estimated that about 2/3 of children “outgrow” their eczema, although they may always have a tendency for dry skin. Only a few continue to have troublesome eczema in adult life.
Is eczema due to an allergy?
No, atopic eczema is not caused by any specific allergy. But atopic eczema may be worsened in some children from allergy to foods.
Will allergy tests help my child’s eczema?
Allergy tests identify the type of antibody that can cause allergic reactions. Children with atopic eczema are prone to make allergic antibody to many things that they eat, contact, and inhale. Some, but certainly not all of the allergic antibodies developed in a child may cause clinical problems. Allergy tests provide information that may or may not help the child’s eczema, depending on what is found from the tests, a careful medical history, and in some cases observations during exposure to a suspected food to which a positive allergy test is found. Allergy tests can also provide information about the risk of severe anaphylactic reactions (generalized hives with or without difficulty breathing), allergic rhinitis (runny or stuffy nose, sneezing), allergic conjunctivitis (itchy red eyes), or asthma.
What is vitiligo?
Vitiligo is a relatively common skin disorder, in which white spots or patches appear on the skin. These spots are caused by destruction or weakening of the pigment cells in those areas, resulting in the pigment being destroyed or no longer produced. Many doctors and researchers believe that vitiligo is an autoimmune-related disorder. Although researchers are not exactly sure what causes the autoimmune response, more is being learned every year. In vitiligo, only the color of the skin is affected. The texture and other skin qualities remain normal.
What does vitiligo look like?
Vitiligo appears as uneven white patches on the skin, that may vary from lighter tan to complete absence of pigment. Many people develop vitiligo bilaterally, in other words, if it appears on one elbow, it often appears on the other elbow. Researchers do not completely understand why this is. Others develop what is known as segmental vitiligo, where the patches develop in only one area or on only one side of the body.
What are the symptoms of vitiligo?
People who develop vitiligo usually first notice white patches or spots (depigmentation) on their skin. The skin remains of normal texture, though some people experience itching in areas where depigmentation is occurring. The white patches are more obvious in sun-exposed areas, including the hands, feet, arms, legs face, and lips. Other common areas for white patches to appear are the armpits and groin and around the mouth, eyes, nostrils, navel, and genitals. Vitiligo generally appears in one of three patterns. In one pattern (focal pattern), the depigmentation is limited to one or only a few areas. Some people develop depigmented patches on only one side of their bodies (segmental vitiligo). For most people who have vitiligo, depigmentation occurs on different parts of the body, in a bilateral pattern (generalized vitiligo). In addition to white patches on the skin, some people with vitiligo may experience white hair growing in on the scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, and beard.
I have vitiligo patches on my underarms, my feet and my genitals. Is this common?
For reasons we don’t really understand yet, there are certain parts of the body, which are commonly affected in those who have vitiligo. The face, underarms, hands, wrists, fingers, feet, elbows, knees and genitals are among these areas. There are many theories about why such sensitive areas of the body seem to be commonly affected – the presence of many nerve endings, the bony nature, sweat glands, etc.
How does vitiligo develop?
The course and severity of pigment loss differ with each person. In many cases, vitiligo begins in a small area. Over time, other spots may appear, while existing spots may grow larger. Some people notice that their vitiligo may stay the same for years or even decades, and then suddenly new areas of depigmentation may occur. Occasionally, vitiligo patches will repigment spontaneously, all by themselves, with no treatment whatsoever. Many people with vitiligo do notice this happening at some point in their lives.
Is depigmentation ever accompanied by itching?
Some, though not all patients, do experience itching of the skin prior to or while depigmentation is occurring.
Will the vitiligo patches spread over time? Will they get larger?
In many, but certainly not all cases, vitiligo does progress slowly over time, but there is really no way to tell whether your vitiligo will progress or not. It is a slow progressing condition however, and many patients report that they may go many years without new patches developing, and then may discover new patches appearing years later. Some people even report spots that spontaneously repigment, with no treatment at all. Use of new technologies however, may be able to arrest new spots in their development.
What is segmental vitiligo?
Some people develop vitiligo only in one or a few limited areas of their body. This is called segmental vitiligo. People with vitiligo can have a combination of segmental and generalized vitiligo.
What is generalized vitiligo?
Most people find that their vitiligo develops in a generalized way, most often with bilateral characteristics, meaning that if a vitiligo patch appears on one elbow, it often appears on the other elbow about the same time.
Is vitiligo at all contagious?
Vitiligo is NOT contagious. It is a genetic disease, caused by inheritance of multiple causal genes simultaneously, possibly in different combinations in different people, plus exposure to environmental risk factors that remain mostly unknown.
What are the causes of nail fungus, or Onychomycosis?
Fungi, including yeasts and molds, are typically the causes of nail infections, and most are caused by a group of fungi called dermatophytes. The most common fungi that cause nail infection disease in animals and humans are Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and Candida albicans. These fungi can live in the layer of dead skin around your nails, in the space under your nail, and in the nail itself.
Fungal nail infection often results from damage to the nail plate or the surrounding area. A skin infection or athlete’s foot invades the nail, causing the infection. Up to 30 percent of patients with fungal nail infections also have fungal skin infection. Hot, sweaty feet in fully enclosed shoes provide the ideal warm, damp environment for fungi to thrive.
Factors that increase the risk of nail infections are:
- nail damage (e.g.: activities that cause trauma to the nail)
- medical conditions such as diabetes, psoriasis, or a weakened immune system
- smoking
- general poor health
- using shared washing facilities without slippers
Medical conditions like diabetes and poor circulation can create the potential for worsening conditions such as secondary bacterial infections. The fungus can thrive when the foot is contained in a warm, damp shoe for a long time. Poor foot hygiene, walking on contaminated floors and the use of badly sterilized nail cutting and filing equipment are other ways the feet can be exposed to the fungus.
Why is laser the treatment of choice for hair removal?
Lasers remove hair for good, giving you a long-lasting, even permanent result. In only a few treatments (most laser companies recommend six to eight to get clearance) we can clear your skin of the unwanted hair that has bothered you for so long.
Traditional hair removal methods, such as waxing, shaving, depilatory creams, plucking/tweezing, sugaring, and stringing provide only temporary results — some for fewer than 24 hours. Within hours or possibly days, you are back at it again, hunched over a magnifying mirror to tweeze out facial hair, running a razor over tender skin, or enduring painful waxing. To make it worse, these methods can often stimulate hair growth!
Laser has another advantage, in that you NEVER AGAIN have to let the hair grow out a few days before your treatments in order to get it to work, as you do with the other methods. Once you start working with LaserLight, you begin your life of being hair free where you want to be!
How does laser remove hair?
Hair removal lasers emit a light at a specific wavelength that is known to be absorbed by the pigment (color) in the hair follicle — without damaging the surrounding skin. The light is converted to heat energy, which in turns disables the hair follicle so that it will not produce another hair.
What areas of the body can be treated with laser hair removal?
Laser Light’s hair removal lasers can safely treat any body part except for the small area inside the bony ridge of the eye socket.
How long does a laser hair removal treatment take?
A number of factors determine the length of time for a treatment. At Laser Light, we plan for adequate time to go as slowly or as fast as is comfortable and appropriate for each client. The size and “topography” of the area treated factors into the time required, as does the amount of preparation. As a general rule, legs and backs take an hour to an hour and a half, while an upper lip or the tops of ears may require eight to 10 minutes. The front of the neck or underarms can take as little as 20 minutes.
Why does it take a number of laser hair removal treatments to clear an area of excess , unwanted hair?
Hair grows in repeating cycles, and only in the actively growing phase does the hair contain enough pigment to absorb sufficient energy to disable the hair follicle. When hair is in the dormant phase, it has little or no pigment, and it cannot absorb the laser light. When you come in to LaserLight for your treatment, we disable all of the hair follicles with actively growing hair in the treatment area. A few weeks later, some of your dormant hairs will have moved into the actively growing stage, and you will come in for a treatment to disable those. As this cycle gets repeated, you experience increasing reduction of hair.
How many laser hair removal treatments will I need?
Most laser companies tell us to tell you that it will take six to eight treatments to achieve clearance of an area. We have some clients who are happy after four treatments, and a tiny minority who have needed more than eight — but far fewer than you would need to achieve clearance using electrolysis, the only other “permanent” hair removal method. The remaining hair removal methods would not even give you clearance!
What is the cost of laser hair removal?
The cost of laser hair removal varies depending on the size, complexity and other factors of the area treated. Our prices for a single area range from as little as $50 to as much as $600. LaserLight provides generous cost-effective packages and “combo” pricing to help you to get to your goal of being hair-free where you want to be as soon as possible. You will find our pricing fair and well worth the investment. As a cost-saving opportunity, LaserLight provides a $50 referral treatment creditfor every person you refer who becomes a paying client.
What causes hair growth?
Heredity and ethnic background constitute the primary causes of hair growth. Superfluous or excessive hair growth in women often results from normal biological changes that they undergo throughout life, such as puberty, pregnancy, menopause and old age. Any one of these changes may cause an increase in hair growth in areas that never had hair before, or cause a small to moderate problem area to worsen. Other causes of hair growth can be associated with certain medications, stress and obesity.
More serious causes can be an abnormality in the endocrine system, such as irregular menstrual cycles; ovarian disorders, such as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS); and thyroid abnormalities. If you suspect any of these conditions — or if during your skin evaluation we suspect any of them – we will always recommend that you seek a medical evaluation.
Why do temporary hair removal methods such as waxing and tweezing stimulate hair growth?
Waxing, tweezing and depilatory creams are among the top offenders for stimulating hair growth. When a hair root is pulled at or tugged on to remove it, a blood supply rushes to the area nourishing the hair follicle. When this process is done regularly the result is growth of very coarse, deep rooted hairs. Most clients are surprised to learn that years of waxing and/or tweezing have played a role in making the hair growth worse.
Is laser hair removal uncomfortable, or even painful?
You may experience a small but manageable sensation that we describe as a “pinch” or a “zap” when we pulse the laser. Most of our former waxing, stringing and electrolysis clients report that the discomfort is far less than those methods of hair removal. Stress, fatigue, caffeine, your menstrual cycle and pain tolerance may also influence the level of comfort — or discomfort — that you feel.