In the intricate tapestry of human health, our skin, the largest organ of our body plays a significant role, acting as both a shield and reflector of our overall health. However, the maintenance of healthy skin all the way is not easy at all as our skin faces most common skin problems in our day to day life. This article aims to comprehend the 10 most common skin problems and solutions, offering in-depth insights into their causes, symptoms and effective treatment options.
10 Most Common Skin Problems and Solutions:
As you age your body’s largest organ, the skin can throw up some unpleasant surprises faces most common skin problems. And no, they don’t all boil down to aesthetics – a few can be downright nasty. Find out which ones shouldn’t be ignored for your continued well being.
If you are like most people, you probably think lines and wrinkles are your skin’s biggest threat. Ageing, however, affects the skin in ways you can’t always see in the mirror. The normal aging process – combined with a lifetime of sun exposure – lead to skin that becomes thin, lax and easier to tear, weakening its ability to protect you from injury, infection heat and cold, and diseases.
The natural aging process has the following effects on skin:
- A slowing of cell turnover – when new skin cells replace old – resulting in a progressive loss of skin cells, making skin more fragile and susceptible to injury and infection.
- Reduced blood flow to the skin, which leads to increased bruising and slower healing.
- Loss of subcutaneous fat, which makes up the bottom layer of skin that serves as insulation, making it harder to conserve heat and absorb shocks.
- A decrease in the number of sweat glands, which compromises the body’s cooling system
Repeated exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun accelerates certain changes to the skin and causes additional damage. The more damage, the more vulnerable skin becomes to disorders, sometimes serious enough affect your quality of life.
Here we look at 10 most common skin problems and solutions associated with aging:
1. Very Dry Skin:
It is called xerosis in medicalese. anyone can get dry skin, but older adults are more susceptible. They are also more likely to take medications that can dry skin. Preventing and soothing dry skin is important because xerosis is an underlying cause of other skin disorders, such as eczema or an infection.
Without extra care to retain proper moisture balance, dry skin can become rough, scaly, flaky and itchy and appear gray or achen in people with dark skin tones. Very dry skin sets up a maddening cycle. dry skin is itchy, and scratching tears it. Continued itching and scratching can cause a condition called Lichenification – hardened, thickened, leathery patches.
Treatment:
Dry skin cracks easily, may bleed or weep and heals slowly, allowing germs to enter through breaks and cracks, causing infection. In this case, simply remoisturizing is unlikely to correct it. You may need a prescription cream or ointment to tame the itch and treatment to heal an infection or other condition.
Strategies to Fight Dry Skin:
Try these following tips to help you feel more comfortable in the problem of dry skin:
- Shower or bathe daily but keep in short. Water helps hydrate the skin, but after five to ten minutes, it works against you. Use warm water instead of hot, which removes natural skin oils. After gently drying your skin, apply emollient (moisturizer) within three minutes to seal in the water.
- Use a mild cleanser. Whether you choose soap, body wash or gel, choose one that contains a moisturizer and is free of deodorants, fragrances and alcohol.
- Moisturize daily and consistently. Ointments and creams are more effective and less irritating to dry, sensitive skin than are lotions. Choose products that contain lactic acid, urea, hyaluronic acid, dimethicone, glycerine, lanolin, mineral oil and petroleum jelly. Avoid those with alpha-hydroxy acid.
- Avoid rough materials. Steer clear of wool and other fabrics that may irritate dry skin. Try smooth cotton fabrics instead.
- Protect your hands. the hand’s skin takes the most abuse. Wear gloves when outdoors in cold weather and when your hands are immersed in water. Don’t skip on hand washing, but do moisturize after washing and sanitizing.
- Use sunscreen daily. Choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher. Apply every day, even in winter, to any exposed skin. Don’t forget a lip balm with sunscreen too.
2. Itchy Skin:
Itchy skin is one of the most common skin complications of older adults. The itching itself may be related to very dry skin, a drug side effect or a symptom of another problem, such as eczema or shingles. Determining the cause of the itching is important. Itchy skin without a rash may signal an underlying condition such as iron deficiency, lymphoma or problems with thyroid, liver or kidney function. a hypoallergenic lubricating lotion may `relieve itching.
Treatment:
A lotion that contains menthol, camphor phenol may provide relief in the form of a cooling sensation. your doctor may prescribe a topical agent with corticosteroids or lidocaine. More severe cases may require short-term antihistamines.
3. Eczema:
Eczema also called dermatitis, includes a family of skin conditions that cause red, swollen and itchy skin. With asteatotic eczema type, the skin rash appears as scaly plaques with interconnected fissures, giving the appearance of cracked porcelain. The rash typically occurs on the lower legs (called eczema craquele) but may also surface on the upper arms, thighs or lower back. Eczema or atopic dermatitis, is often linked to genetic factors, immune system irregularities and environmental triggers.
Treatment:
Treatment includes moisturizing and emollients and avoiding environmental irritants that exacerbate the condition, such as very cold air or very hot bathwater. Using emollients and moisturizers can soothe eczema-prone skin, forming a protective barrier.
Topical corticosteroids are commonly prescribed to reduce inflammation and manage eczema symptoms during flareups.
4. Acne Keratoses:
Skin tags one of the most common skin problems called a seborrheic keratoses. These are usually harmless skin growths, tumors or lesions on an area of the skin where hair grows, such as the head, neck or trunk. Seborrheic keratoses can vary in appearance; are usually tan to dark brown; and have a rough, wart-like surface that can make them appear “stuck” on the skin.
Treatment:
A doctor should examine the growths to rule out cancer. Many people have them removed for cosmetic reasons, but removing them may be medically necessary if they bleed, itch, cause pain or obstruct vision.
5. Dermatitis (Reddish and Inflamed Skin):
This refers to a condition where the skin becomes red and inflamed, resembling a burn, in response to contact with an irritant or an allergen. The decreased immune response associated with aging makes allergic-related dermatitis less likely. However, you may find that you become more sensitive to irritants like fragrances. Dermatitis often stems from contact with allergens, irritants or genetic predispositions.
Dermatitis is defined as an inflammatory of the skin. The term is frequently used erroneously as a synonym for ‘dermatosis’ which means skin disease. Seemingly, there are an unlimited number of disorders which may affect the skin, so that the field in medicine concerned with the skin and its diseases, or dermatology is broad and complex.
Symptoms:
The symptoms of dermatitis are varied and include reddening, small blisters, crusting, oozing of fluids, scaliness, cracking or fissuring and other secondary changes from the normal appearance.
Causes of Dermatitis:
The causes of dermatitis are many and include burns, physical irritants, infections, plant and insect poisons, strong chemicals, nutritional deficiency, disturbances of other parts of the body and systemic diseases.
Treatment:
Treatment of dermatitis, one of the most common skin problems involves finding and avoiding the offending triggers. Common culprits include nickel, fragrances and ingredients like balsam of Peru found in some perfumes, cosmetics, lotions, toothpastes and mouthwashes. So identifying and avoiding allergens or irritants are the foundation in managing dermatitis.
Topical corticosteroids can provide relief from symptoms during flare-ups, helping in the overall control of dermatitis.
6. Large Blisters:
Large blisters appear as sometimes itchy rash of blisters that come and go in either normal or inflamed skin, often in the creases of the arms and legs. It is considered an autoimmune disorder but thought to be harmless.
Treatment:
Certain medications prescribed for water retention and to treat high blood pressure or heart failure, may trigger the condition. Treatment generally includes oral or topical corticosteroids.
Advanced cases may benefit from laser treatments that target blood vessels and reduce redness, enhancing the overall skin appearance.
7. Venous Insufficiency:
People with venous insufficiency may have redness or skin color changes in the legs or ankles, varicose veins, leg ulcers or a hardening of the skin called lipodermatosclerosis. Venous insufficiency is a chronic vascular condition that impedes blood flow in the legs. It is not a dermatological disorder, but its symptoms can make it appear so.
Treatment:
Venous insufficiency itself is typically treated with compression stockings and elevation of the affected limb. Topical steroids or antibiotics may be prescribed to treat the skin affecting symptoms.
8. Shingles:
Shingles is one of the most common skin problems. This appears as a painful, blistering skin rash triggered by a form of previously dormant varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. The rash can last for two weeks and eventually crusts over, but nerve pain can persist. Painful, blistering rashes that typically follow nerve pathways are indicative of shingles, accompanied by intense pain and sensitivity.
Treatment:
Shingles is treated with antiviral drugs that are most effective when used within three days of the rash’s appearance. Additional therapies may treat ongoing pain. But the best treatment is prevention. Ask your physician for the shingles vaccine if you are over 60.
9. Age Spots:
Age spots or Aka Actinic Keratosis, these dry, flat, scaly lesions are caused by cumulative sun damage. The rough-textured lesion feels hard and calloused and can range from the size of a pinhead to larger than a one-rupee coin. Color may be skin tone to reddish brown. Actinic Keratoses take years to develop and appear on sun-exposed areas, such as the face, scalp, neck and hands. People who develop numerous actinic keratoses tend to have repeated occurrences throughout life. Actinic keratoses or any skin lesions should never be dismissed as “just age spots”. They have the potential to become squamous cell carcinoma, a serious form of skin cancer.
Treatment:
Any new, growing or changing skin growths or moles, especially those that bleed, itch or cause pain, should be checked out by a doctor. A myriad of topical solutions, including retinoids and benzoyl peroxide can be employed to target the spots. For severe casrs, oral antibiotics or hormonal treatments may be recommended by dermatologists.
10. Lichen Sclerosus:
Lichen Sclerosus is a chronic skin disorder that causes patches of skin to become shiny, smooth and white. Overtime these patches can appear thin, crinkled and even scarred. Areas of affected skin can become very itchy, even painful. Although it is more typically seen in women, lichen sclerosus can also occur in men and children. For women, the peak age is during postmenopausal years. The cause is uncertain.
Lichen sclerosus may develop on any skin surface, but it most typically is found on skin in the genital and anal areas. In women, it tends to occur on the inner and outer folds of skin (labia) surrounding the clitoris and on the skin leading back to and encircling the anus.
Treatment:
Although there is no cure for lichen sclerosus twice daily applications of a corticosteroid ointment to the affected area is generally prescribed to control symptoms. Once symptoms are controlled, applications can be cut twice a week for long term. Along with ongoing treatment, personal hygiene that minimizes irritation of the skin – such as gentle cleansing with mild unscented soaps and using soft unscented toilet paper can help.
11. Moles:
Moles which are present a birth, or develop shortly after birth, are referred to as ‘nevi’ (singular – ‘nevus’). Another word for nevus is “birth-mark”. Brown and black moles are common forms, blue moles are much less common than the brown varieties. They are not actually blue, but seems blue when viewed through the epidermis.
Treatments of Moles:
Since most moles never cause any serious disturbance, they are best left alone, unless, of course, they are seriously disfiguring or are located in an area in which they might be subject to frequent irritation or injury.
These should be removed just before the onset of puberty. Cancerous changes in moles are practically never seen before the onset of puberty. Any mole which shows rapid increase in size, change of color, scaling, itching or bleeding requires that the entire area should be surgically removed immediately by physician or by a cosmetician, barber, or beauty shop employee.
12. Hemangioma:
Hemangiomas are reddish or purplish structures or stains of the skin which are present at birth or develop shortly thereafter. They are an unusual formation of blood vessels, predominantly composed of small capillaries at the surface of the skin. There are three major types of Hemangiomas: the ‘port-wine’ stain, the ‘strawberry’ or ‘raspberry’ mask, and the greatly elevated type called ‘hemangioma cavernosum’ which appear as rounded, red or purple, spongy masses usually found on head or neck.
Treatments of Hemangioma:
Often, the treatment of patients with such hemangioma is limited to concealment by cosmetics. It is also possible to conceal the coloration by tattooing the blemish color of the surrounding skin. The blemishes which may cover large to be treated early in life, perhaps within first year of the birth.
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