Treating acne scars

There are lots of ways to heal your scars and keep new ones from forming.

It is important to prevent acne scars before they begin. If your scar is red or swollen, use a cortisone cream to calm your skin. The cortisone is absorbed by skin cells and reduces inflammation. Skin creams with cortisone can be bought over the counter.

If your acne scars don't fade away on their own, it may be time to consider booking an appointment with our dermatologist.

Fraxel® Laser Treatment is a revolutionary and effective treatment for wrinkles, uneven color and tone, texture irregularities from sun damage and aging, crepiness, and loose skin.

No downtime is involved and gradual improvement is noted in texture and color. Collagen is both increased and remodeled due to the treatment. Fraxel laser is the treatment of choice for facial acne scars. This is primarily due to its ability through nano beam technology (like camera pixels) to safely penetrate deeper than the older ablative lasers and, therefore, affect the bottom of deep scars. In one to three sessions, laser skin resurfacing using fractionated laser technology can even out the skin surface and increase the formation of new collagen. The new collagen can help fill in acne scars. If your thinking of Fraxel you can book a free consolation at our Beverly Hills office.

 

Filler injections can help fill in the indentations left behind from deep acne scars, says Ron Moy, MD, a former president of the American Academy of Dermatology. But the downside to fillers is that they need to be repeated every 4 to 6 months, as the product reabsorbs into the skin over time.

The main key to seeing acne scars fade is patience. A few weeks after you break out and scar, new blood vessels move into the injured area to give nourishment to the skin, which is why most early scars look pink. Months later, collagen starts to form, filling in the injured section of skin. Because cystic acne destroys skin and fat, it can take up to a year for the scars to fade.

Have eczema? Avoid this list of foods

The old saying “you are what you eat” is typically used to teach children healthy dietary choices,

but as time and medical technology advance, we have learned just how accurate that saying really is.

What you put into your body is what it uses for fuel, so it makes sense that if you’re eating something your body doesn’t like, you’ll see symptoms of it. This is true even for conditions once thought to be unrelated to diet–like eczema.  An inflammatory condition of the skin, no one knows the exact cause of eczema

Actually an umbrella term, “eczema” can be used to refer to many different types of skin conditions that are thought to be linked to allergic reactions within the body, some of those caused by diet.
Studies of children and young people with atopic eczema found that one-third to nearly two-thirds also had a food allergy.

As a general rule, the following foods can cause eczema to worsen:

• Milk
• Eggs
• Peanuts
• Tree nuts
• Wheat
• Fish
• Shellfish
• Soy

Food allergies can vary from person to person. People who wish to identify eczema trigger foods in their diet should consider the following options:
Elimination diets: cutting a suspected food trigger out for 10 to 14 days. Watch to see if it makes a difference.
Food challenges: After you’ve taken food out of your diet, add a small amount back in to see if it causes symptoms.
Skin testing: Performed in a doctor’s office, this test uses food extracts to test for sensitivity. If the area tested swells up, it’s a sign of an allergic reaction. This test can be unreliable, however, especially in people with sensitive skin.
Blood tests: RAST — radio allegro sorbent test — can check for special cells in the blood that are signs of specific food allergies.
Managing eczema can be a challenge. Research suggests hormones and stress can impact eczema, and likewise, foods that affect hormones and stress can be problematic. Don’t try to solve you eczema issues alone; make sure you involve your doctor to ensure you find relief as soon as possible.

Find full article at  http://voxxi.com/2014/11/01/foods-can-cause-eczema/

Evolution of swimsuit shows increase in melanoma.

A new study in the American Journal of Public Health finds correlation between the changes in swim attire and the rise of skin cancer. The study examines 100 years of factors like clothing styles, travel patterns and perception of tan skin. All of these have led to an increase in sun exposure an ultimately an increase in melanoma over the years.

            The study divided the 20^th century in four eras: turn of the century, early century, mid and late century. They studied showed how exposed the skin was during that time period. They found that around the turn of the century porcelain skin was accepted because of racial stereotypes associated with dark skin and the lower-class people working on the fields had tan skin from the sun exposure.

            The study is interesting when looking at the later half of the 20^th Century. As time went by the traditional look of fair, pale skin was not what everyone wanted. Also the fashion was to expose more skin. Fashion no longer required high collars and long skirts. Instead women and men were exposed more to the sun through fashion. From 1940s to the 1960s the incidents in melanoma went up 300% in men and more surprisingly 400% in women. Researchers determined that do to the change in swimsuit attire there was more exposed skin while out in the sun. Women and men were more covered during the turn of the 20^th century rather than the late 20^th century when bikinis and swim trunks were introduced.   Even in most resent years melanoma jumped from 22.8 per 100,000 in 2000 to 28.9 per 100,000 in 2009.

 

Find the complete report at  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2784410/How-skin-cancer-leapt-bikinis-hit-beaches-Between-1930s-1960s-cancer-rate-went-400.html

Tips for protecting children during school hours.

            Most parents do not realize that during a typical day children are receiving a significant amount of sun exposure throughout the day. The Skin Cancer Foundation offers the following recommendations for keeping children sun-safe during the school year. 

 UV rays are most intense from 10 AM to 4 PM, and this is when students are usually outside for recess, physical education class and after-school programs. Check with the school to see if there are adequate places for students to seek shade during outdoor activities.

Whenever possible send kids to school in densely woven and bright- or dark-colored fabrics, which offer the best defense. The more skin you cover, the better.

Parents should apply a sunscreen with an SPF 15 or higher to their children’s skin every morning, at least 30 minutes before they go outside.

For more information and the complete article visit SkinCancer Foundation

Tattoos: How to care for tattooed skin

Eye Shadows/ Dark Circles

99% are due to the skin below the eye not having enough support, therein producing a valley or depression.This yields a shadow. NO CREAM HELPS THIS- unless it has a makeup concealer in it to hide the defect.It has NOTHING to do with color or vessels. Over 50 % of people have this condition. Test this tonight by moving the nearby skin to " fill in" the valley and see the improvement immediately! . Surgery is not an answer: Restylane filler is. It is essentially painless due to a prior application of a strong topical anesthetic cream; bruising is generally absent or minimal. It is also the most cost effective procedure in cosmetic medicine, since in this area of the face it typically lasts 18-36 months ( unlike moveable areas around the mouth ). Look for our You-Tube video in Oct, 2014 under " Dark Eye Shadows "

Understanding Teen Acne

Are over-the-counter acne products not cutting it? According to the American Academy of Dermatology, virtually anyone’s acne, no matter how severe, can be treated.

Exactly what causes acne? Acne develops when cells and natural oils block tiny hair follicles in the skin. Bacteria work their way into the plugged up follicles and start multiplying. When the body’s immune cells move in to attack the bacteria, the results of the battle are the classic symptoms of acne -- swelling, redness, and pimples. Acne medications help by interrupting this process in different ways. Some over-the-counter and prescription acne creams help by unplugging the follicles. Others, such as antibiotics, kill the bacteria that move into the follicles.

For mild to severe acne, a doctor might recommend prescription treatments that are "topical," which means they go on your skin. Topical treatments for teenage acne come in different forms, including creams, lotions, gels and pads. Some teen girls have acne that’s linked to hormones called androgens. To treat this sort of acne, a doctor might recommend birth control pills or spironolactone.

For best results take the acne treatment as prescribed. It's important to stick to the doctor’s acne treatment. Stop using other acne treatments. If a doctor has prescribed an acne treatment, don't also use other treatments or home remedies. They’re unlikely to help and they could even make the acne worse.

Stick with it. Acne treatment won’t work immediately. It can take six to eight weeks before you see some benefit. It may take as long as six months to clear the skin altogether.
Do your part. Follow the doctor’s skin care advice, particularly when it comes to cleansing and using moisturizer.
Work with a doctor. If treatment isn’t working, don't give up. It may take some time to hit on the right approach. Schedule an appointment with a doctor to discuss other options. Remember: With the right treatment, almost every case of acne can be cured.

http://www.momlogic.com/2008/09/acne_kills_teen_selfesteem.php