Urticaria or hives are red, raised lesions that occur anywhere on the body, usually around the trunk, hands and legs. They appear as small round rings or large patches that changes shape, may itch and be surrounded by a red flare. They can be acute or chronic, with acute almost always being an allergic reaction. It is often due to unknown causes, ranging from chronic irritation to parasitic infection to temperatures to water types.

Homeopathy treats diseases as a whole, and similarly, when treating urticaria tries to identify associated symptoms and thereby treat the cause also. After a detailed discussion about predisposition and associated symptoms, a customized remedy will be prescribed, which may include one of the following common homeopathic remedies.

Apis Mell: The hives consist of isolated patches that are painful, tender, itch at night, feel like bee stings, become purple. There is burning pain, slight fever, and warmth of the surrounding skin. It is worsened by changing weather and exercise, causing severe itching and burning. The patient may already have asthma.
Arsenic Album: The urticaria is caused by eating shellfish and causes burning and restlessness. The condition gets worse being at the seaside and by getting into sea water. Arsenic is also useful to treat urticarial symptoms during the recession of the lesions. The person also could be down emotionally with depression, despair, indifference and irritability. If the lesions are more severe, the restlessness is also severe. It is worse after midnight, from 1 to 2 a.m.
Rhus toxicodendron: Prepared from the leaves and bark of the plant poison ivy, Rhus works on multiple body systems including skin, joints, eyes, extremities, and overall vitality. In addition to urticaria, it is also used in cellulitis, arthritis, fevers, etc. It is effective if the urticaria has a burning sensation, inflamed reddened rash that is worsened by cold and improved by warmth.
Urtica urens: Made from a plant called stinging nettle, which itself has a tendency to produce urticaria, it is used when there is urticaria from bee stings or after eating shellfish. The lesions are red with severe burning and itching, recurring every year, could be associated with weather changes.
Natrum Muriaticum: The common salt sodium chloride is potentized, and its inner healing power activated. It is used for chronic urticaria, where the lesions develop after severe irritation.
Dulcamara: The lesions develop followed a general prickly sensation setting in and at night when it is cold and damp. The hives are irregular white patches surrounded by a red area that itch badly. The hives are associated with violent cough, swelling of the lymph nodes, fever, restlessness, sleeplessness, decreased appetite, nausea, vomiting, bitter taste, and intense aching in pit of stomach.

Urticaria - 6 Homeopathic Remedies For Hives Disease

Vitiligo is a medical condition, which causes the loss of skin color due to loss of pigmentation. This usually occurs in blotches and looks very unsightly. Vitiligo is very unpredictable and can affect any part of your body. In some cases it also affects the inside of the mouth, eyes, and hair. Vitiligo is more noticeable on people with darker skin tone.

Symptoms of Vitiligo:

Premature graying or whitening of the hair in your eyebrows, eyelashes, scalp, and beard. This usually occurs before the age of 35.
Skin discoloration can also occur from other parts of the body such as hands, feet, abdomen, neck and other areas.
Change or loss of the color of the retina (inner layer on the eyeball).
Discolored patches on and around the navel, rectum and genitals.
What causes vitiligo?

A medical disorder where your immune system destroys and attacks the melanin forming pigments in your skin. This is known as an autoimmune disorder and by far is the most common cause behind vitiligo. An event such as sudden or prolonged stress, sunburn, or being exposed to industrial chemicals. A history of family members or relatives having vitiligo in the past.

Ayurvedic Treatments for Vitiligo:

Mustard and Turmeric Oil: A paste made with mustard and turmeric oil can be applied on the affected area. This is also good for the skin and reduces vitiligo. Do this at least 2 times a day to reduce the patches considerably.
Duckweed: This is a type of water plant and is very rich in a mineral called lignin. It is considered a natural treatment for skin disorders and vitiligo. It will also help to restore your natural skin color.
Sun screen: If you already have vitiligo, exposure in the sun can make it worse, so applying a sunscreen with SPF 30 or above (or an appropriate level of sunscreen protection) can protect your skin from further damage.
Papaya: This fruit is great for restoring and reviving melanin (responsible for skin pigmentation). Drinking papaya juice or rubbing papaya on the affected area can reduce vitiligo to some extent.

Vitiligo - 4 Ayurvedic Preparations for Treating it 

Skin tags: causes and treatments

Skin tags, also known as acrochordons, are small brown or darker-than-skin tone growths on the surface of the skin. Tags are very common and harmless growths and tend to occur on the neck, under the breasts, armpits, eyelids and folds of the groin. They generally take place after midlife. About 25% of people report having skin tags after they cross the age of 50.

What causes skin tags to occur?

Skin tags are very common among diabetics and obese individuals. Pregnant women also develop skin tags, as a consequence of changes in the body's hormonal levels. Skin tags tend to occur when your skin rubs against clothing or skin. They are normally caused by blood vessels and collagen that gets trapped inside the thicker portions of the skin. For this reason, they are typically found in folds and creases of the skin. Sometimes, they reduce on their own if blood supply to the tissue has been disrupted due to them getting twisted.

What procedures are involved in their treatment?

Skin tags are generally removed for purely cosmetic reasons but when they do become troublesome, as in, they rub against jewelry, skin or clothing, doctors recommend their removal as the area can end up becoming irritated.

The following procedures are performed to remove these annoying growths on skin:

1. Excision - in this procedure the skin tag gets removed using a scalpel.

2. Ligation - the procedure involves the cutting off of blood supply to the skin tag.

3. Cauterization - the procedure involves the burning off the skin tag using electrolysis (process that involves decomposition of a matter by electric current)

4. Cryosurgery - in this procedure, the skin tag is frozen before removing it. An instrument containing liquid nitrogen is used to do the removal.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'consult'.
Related Tip: How does salt help in clearing skin?

Why are SKIN TAGs so annoying?

6 effective ways to get rid of warts

Warts are small, rough patches on the skin (resembling cauliflowers) that are caused due to the human papillomavirus (hpv- a dna virus that can infect humans). In this condition, only the topmost layer of your skin gets infected and acquires a rough texture. Warts are not fatal (they do not cause cancer), but they are contagious in nature and do not vanish easily. 

Read on to find the most effective ways to get rid of warts. 

1. Over-the-counter wart removers
Over-the-counter wart treatments containing salicylic acid (a type of fungicide) as an active ingredient are commonly used for effective removal of warts. These medications generally eliminate warts by removing the topmost layer of the skin, following the peel-off process.

2. Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy, also known as freezing therapy, is generally performed by a dermatologist and consists of the use of liquid nitrogen for freezing the warts. The application of the chemical results in the formation of a blister around the warts, which shed off after about a week. It takes almost 3 to 4 weeks to have completely wart-free skin. This method proves to be more effective when used with salicylic acid-based wart removers.

3. Laser treatment
Another form of wart removal is pulsed-dye laser treatment. An ablative co2 laser acts by cutting and burning the wart. In this type of treatment the affected blood vessels are burnt, leading to the death of the infected tissue, following which the wart too disappears. However, this method is not commonly used if other treatment methods tend to work as it is painful and may leave behind scars.

4. Vaccine
Sometimes your dermatologist may recommend the use of human papillomavirus (hpv) vaccine to successfully eliminate warts.

5. Bleomycin
In this type of treatment each wart is injected with a shot of bleomycin, a medicine that fights cancer. However, this treatment is not preferred generally as it may be painful and comes with side effects like nail loss if the wart is present on the finger.

6. Immune therapy
When warts refuse to vanish after the use of all common treatments, this method is put into use. This type of treatment involves the use of medications or solutions, which strengthens your immune system so that it can repel warts. In this case your warts may be injected with an antigen or a solution or cream may be applied on them. 

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6 Effective Ways to Get Rid of Warts - Cauliflower-like Skin Inflammation

Did you know that milk can cause acne?

Including cheese, milk, and ice-cream etc into your daily meals maybe the reason behind the painful acne on your face. Processed milk and other dairy products negatively affect your skin and trigger the formation of whiteheads, blackheads and pimples. 

Here s how milk causes acne and what you can do to get clearer skin.

How does milk cause acne?

1. Milk contains a growth hormone IGF-1 (responsible for the growth and strength of calves) in large amounts. This has an adverse effect on your skin, and is responsible for its inflammation, which results in acne. In fact, this hormone can even increase the size of the acne.
2. Consumption of milk and other dairy products also result in a sharp rise in the amount of insulin present in your body, which initiates more IGF-1 production by the liver, thereby increasing acne.
3. Excessive sebum (oil) is secreted by your skin due to the consumption of milk, which results in more number of clogged pores, causing an acne breakout. Additionally, an increase in sebum helps the acne bacteria to grow and breed, which further causes skin inflammation.
4. Consumption of milk can render your skin unable to get rid of dead skin cells, causing more acne due to clogged pores. This happens as milk sticks dead cells together inside your pores, interfering with their natural process of falling off.

What can you do to get acne-free skin?

The best way to get acne-free skin is by trying to limit your consumption of milk and dairy products. You can do so in two ways:

1. Discontinue Milk Intake: Stop consuming milk and its products completely for at least 30 days and observe the changes. If your skin improves after 30 days, you can add small amounts of high-quality dairy, like organic yoghurt, to your diet. If eliminating milk does not show any positive effects, try observing other triggers of acne and look for appropriate methods of removing them. 

2. Switch to Organic Milk Products Only - If you find it difficult to totally cut off milk from your diet, try reducing the amount of milk intake and totally avoid processed milk products. Switching to raw, grass-fed dairy products will also be beneficial.

What are the alternatives to milk which can be consumed without harming your skin?

You can also replace milk with the following products in your diet chart to prevent the occurrence of acne.

1. Organic almond milk without added sugar
2. Organic coconut milk containing no artificial sweeteners
3. Natural coconut cream

Warning: Do not consume soy milk as a milk substitute as it contains omega-6 fats, which cause skin inflammation and swelling of acne.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

Did you know that milk can cause acne?

Acne can be such an annoyance, you might have an important day tomorrow and that is when your skin decides to go rogue. What is acne? Overactive oil glands in your skin cause acne. It is a kind of skin disease where the skin produces excess oil, which traps bacteria and dead skin cells. This growth and proliferation of bacteria causes inflammations, leading to acne. Thankfully there are numerous acne care treatment. One of the most common methods is laser treatment.

Laser Treatment for acne
Laser treatment is a kind of dermatological treatment which uses concentrated light to treat acne.

What laser light does?
The concentrated light targets the bacteria, which combines with the excess oil on your face to cause breakouts. The light destroys the acne-causing bacteria, thus eliminating acne and also prevents future breakouts.
Laser treatment also shrinks the size of the oil glands and simultaneously targets pigmentation.

Laser light and scars?
The most common side effect of acne is acne scarring. And if acne scarring is your main concern, then laser treatment for acne will be integrated with laser skin resurfacing to treat your problem. Laser skin resurfacing directs short, pulsating light beams to remove your skin layer by layer with sharp precision. This smooths down scars, and fine lines while stimulating collagen growth.
It is recommended to use the two treatments alternatively. This way you can avoid side effects like redness and swelling. However, these treatments are safe and can give you clear, acne-free skin.

Is it recommended often?
The treatment is recommended based on the severity and frequency of your acne condition. Usually, 6 treatments are suggested, with monthly touch-ups. The touch-ups will maintain your glowing complexion, collagen production and prevent your acne from returning.

Differences you will see
The obvious differences you will see after laser therapy are clearer skin and reduced breakouts. It will also diminish sun damage, and you will have healthy and glowing skin.

Benefit
When topical creams fail, laser treatment for acne is the best option available. Laser treatment is non-invasive; and it will correct you skin problems and maintain clear skin. The best benefits of this treatment are-
i. It is long-term
ii. It will make you less dependable on creams.

Get Rid of Acne with Laser Treatment!

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