Skin Disorders

Aging As you age, your skin becomes thinner Your skin loses some of its subcutaneous fat This causes the skin to be less plump and less smooth

Causes of Skin Aging Main cause is sunlight Another causes is smoking The wrinkling increases with the amount of cigarettes and number of years a person has smoked.

How To Prevent Aging Very few treatments have been FDA approved Best ways to prevent aging: Do not tan Avoid the sun between 10 am and 4 pm Wear protective clothing Use sunscreen Do not smoke

Werner’s syndrome Inherited premature aging disease Results in the appearance of old age by 30 to 40 years old Usually grow normally until puberty Short stature, wrinkled skin, baldness, cataracts, muscular atrophy and a tendency to get diabetes Cells have a shorter life span than normal Affects 1 in 200,000 people in US

Athlete’s Foot Fungal infection called dermatophytes Most people get it at some point in their lives Spreads very easily in public places Communal showers, locker rooms, fitness centers are breeding grounds for the fungus

Why Athlete’s Foot? Usually affects spaces in between toes Can also spread to soles of feet, sides of feet, toenails

Symptoms of Athlete’s Foot Itching, stinging, burning Itchy blisters Cracking and peeling skin Excessive dryness of the skin Nails that are thick, crumbly, ragged, discolored or pulling away from the nail bed Not all carriers show symptoms

Causes of Athlete’s Foot Dermatophytes are fungi that sprout tendrils and affect the epidermis When the skin detects the fungi, it causes the basal cell layer to overproduce new skin cells This causes the skin to become thick and scaly

Dermatophytes These fungal organisms thrive in damp environments This can be caused by wearing tight shoes that pinch your toes together to create a warm and moist environment Obviously, damp shoes or socks will make that environment even better for the fungi

Treatment Usually responds to over-the-counter medication Athlete foot creams and sprays More serious cases may require prescription medication Treatments are usually anti-fungal medications

HIVES Hives are red, raised, itchy welts on the skin Tend to occur in bunches Usually harmless and don’t leave permanent marks More serious cases will usually go away with antihistamine medication

Types of Hives Acute: lasts from less than a day up to six weeks Chronic: lasts longer than six weeks, and can last for years!

Causes Triggered when certain cells, called mast cells, release histamine in to the skin and bloodstream causing inflammation in the skin. This sometimes is an allergic reaction to medications or food. Common medication allergies: antibiotics, aspirin, ibuprofen, Common food allergies: shellfish, fish, nuts, eggs, and milk Other allergens: pollen, animal dander, latex, insect stings Environmental factors: heat, cold, sunlight, stress, exercise may also cause hives.

Shingles Viral infection that causes a painful rash. Actually caused by a herpes virus called varicella-zoster. Pain can be excruciating, but it is not life-threatening.

Varicella-Zoster Virus This is the same virus that causes chicken pox After you’ve had chicken pox, the virus does not actually go away It lies dormant in your nerves This is actually a form of the herpes virus After years, the virus can potentially be activated again as shingles. The virus will reactivate and travel up the nerve pathway to the skin.

Signs and Symptoms Pain, burning, tingling, or numbness in a certain part of the body Red rash Fluid-filled blisters that break open and then crust over Fever, chills, nausea, abdominal pain, headache

How to Diagnose Shingles Shingles almost always occurs on just one side of the body Usually follows the path of the nerves where the inactive virus had been lying dormant Virus will reactivate in patients with a weakened immune system, such as the elderly, people with AIDS, or people who have been very stressed.

Treatment High doses of an antiviral drugs keep the virus from replicating itself This reduces the duration and severity of symptoms Anti-Inflammatory drugs are then used to reduce the inflammation Finally, topical and oral pain relievers are given to the patient

Warts Type of infection caused by a virus in the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) family There are actually more than 100 types of HPV viruses They can grow anywhere – seriously, even on the inside of your mouth

How You Can Get Warts It is transferred from person to person through contact with the wart of an infected person Genital warts can be passed very easily during sexual intercourse Sometimes even condoms can’t protect you from getting genital warts

Types of Warts Common Warts: usually grow on fingers, around nails, and on backs of hands -These are often called "seed" warts because the blood vessels to the wart produce black dots that look like seeds Plantar (foot) warts: grow on the bottom of the foot -usually more painful and more flat because of the pressure from walking on them Flat Warts: smaller and smoother than other warts -usually grow in clusters of 20-100 at a time

Removal of Warts Salicylic Acid: over the counter medications like Compound W often contain this strong acid that you apply directly to the wart each day It works best if the skin is damp Every time you wipe off the acid, make sure you file the dead skin off the wart Liquid Nitrogen: this is the “freezing off” of warts Usually has to be applied by a doctor 2-4 times before the wart goes away completely You can also get them burned, cut off, or removed by a laser, but these methods usually cause scars There is NO CURE for genital warts

Ringworm Skin infection caused by a fungus Can affect skin on the body, scalp, and groin More common in kids

Causes of Ringworm Despite the name, it is caused by a fungus, not a worm Also caused by dermatophytes Ways fungus spreads: person to person with direct contact contact with contaminated items Combs, unwashed clothing, shower and pool surfaces pets carrying the fungus Especially cats!

Symptoms of Ringworm Itchy, red, raised, scaly patches that may blister and ooze Patches often have sharply-defined edges Patches usually redder around the outside with normal skin tone in the center Can cause bald spots in scalp Glows under a black light

Treatment of Ringworm Keep skin clean and dry Apply anti-fungal creams, powders, and sprays Wash sheets and clothes every day that you have ringworm