Hives, or  Urticaria  in medical parlance, is a skin condition characterized by the appearance of itchy swellings on the skin surface. Hives may break out on any part of your body and can be of different sizes. It is not a prolonged condition and generally lasts for a few hours. Urticaria or hives usually occur due to the secretion of certain chemical substances such as  histamine  from underneath the skin surface.

Some of the possible causes of hives are mentioned below:

Overexposure to sunlight
As a side effect of medicines such as aspirin, painkillers or antibiotics.
Insect bites
Any food related allergy may also trigger hives
People allergic to certain chemicals or latex can also develop hives
Sensitivity to temperature or water can cause hives
Infections such as Hepatitis or chronic diseases such as thyroid may result in the occurrence of hives.
Alcohol or caffeine intake can cause chronic urticaria
The most common symptoms of Hives include:

Skin becomes swollen
Frequent itching sensation
Skin inflammation is also common
You may feel a burning sensation
Within a short span of time, it may disappear and then again reappear on different parts of the body
Red and white patches appear all over the skin surface known as  wheals 
Hives generally go untreated as the condition subsides within a few hours. But sometimes, hives can be chronic or acute in nature. If so, it would require treatment as it can give rise to further complications. Some of the treatment methods are given below:

Corticosteroids may be prescribed by the doctor to control the formation of hives and give relief from inflammation.
Antihistamines (drugs which hinder the impacts of histamines; mainly used for curing allergies) are advised to patients with chronic urticaria. It controls the effects caused due to the discharge of histamines.
Knowing and avoiding the trigger conditions may prove to be helpful.
Applying menthol creams can give comfort due to its cooling properties.

Hives - Causes, Symptoms & Treatments

Eczema is something which can really blight the quality of the life of a person. Sometimes, even the most mundane of things can cause our skin to have a reaction, resulting in allergic eczema. However, while it is annoying and painful, there are ways to go about treating it.

It is quite important, though, to understand what exactly eczema is. Simply put, it is a condition which occurs when the skin of the person suffering from it is inflamed.

Among the various groups of people who suffer from eczema, a lot of them are actually babies. However, they thankfully are able to grow out of the issue by the time they become adults. While it is true that eczema can strike any part of a person s body, among the places it strikes most often are the face, the neck and behind the sweat spots of the body i.e. the area behind the knees and around the ankles.

What causes allergic eczema?
Eczema is a lot of the time, a condition which is genetic. That being said, there are certain things which can go a long way into making it worse, which include stress and dry climates as well as external materials which irritate the skin touching it, like soaps which are just too strong.

What are the Treatment Options?
When it comes to things, which have the potential to make the situation a lot better, there is a group of medicines which are part of the antihistamine group which can work wonders. An interesting thing when it comes to the treatment of allergic eczema is the fact that a lot of the treatment for the issue involves a management of the inflammation that occurs along with an attempt to take better control and manage the immune system of the person who has eczema.

Depending on the severity of eczema a person has, a possible course of treatment involves making use of corticosteroids, which are strictly a prescription based way to go about treating eczema. Keeping this in mind, it is of the highest importance to make sure that whenever the steroids are being taken by mouth, there is a full adherence to what the doctor has recommended or directed.

As a last ditch resort, if the condition is really bad, there is a possibility of going for Ultra Violet Therapy in order to make it better. However, if one is looking for ways to reduce the intensity of their eczema sans higher doses of medication, stress management in something that can work well. In addition to this, a humidifier can do a lot to improve the situation.

Allergic Eczema - Ways You Can Contact It!

The process of breast augmentation, popularly known as breast enlargement or implants, effectively increases the size of the breasts through insertion of silicone gel implants or saline implants. It is known to be popular among women and is frequently done and shows quite satisfying results.

Why do women opt for breast augmentation?

Some women opt for implants to enhance their figure
Others opt for implants, when they experience some sort of sagging or alteration to their breast after a pregnancy or after losing some weight and even due to old age.
Some women also choose enhancement surgery, if they feel that one breast is smaller than the other.
What does a breast augmentation procedure involve?

Breast augmentation surgery is generally performed, while the patient is under the influence of general anaesthesia. In case of enhancement with the help of implants, an incision is made in the breast tissue and a pocket is created to place the implants. Once these implants are successfully placed the incision is closed and is allowed to heal.

What sort of implants is available?
There are basically 4 types of implants that are recommended on the basis of the body type:

Saline filled breast implants: These implants contain sterile water and are either pre-filled or filled during the surgery.
Silicone filled breast implants: These implants contain soft elastic gel and come prefilled. These types of implants also require an incision which is longer in size.
Cohesive gel silicone implants: Commonly known as 'form stable'implants, they contain cohesive gel that is more firm and thicker than normal silicone implants.
Autologous fat transfer: It consists of fat that has been removed through liposuction from a part of the body, like the abdomen or thighs. The fat is then refined and injected into the breasts. However, implants done through this method is not very common and is currently under research.
Breast implants are generally supposed to last for life, but on occasions they may need replacement. Thus regular check ups are essential, so as to monitor the condition of the implants.

All About Breast Augmentation

Vitiligo or Leucoderma is a genetic disorder triggered due to mental stress and constipation. Leucoderma or vitiligo is called Shivita kushta according to Ayurveda and is caused due to defect in brajak pitta. Brajak pitta is a color forming agent in body and defect in formation of brajak pitta causes vitiligo. There are many causes, which can trigger vitiligo other than stress and genetics.

There are certain food combinations , such as taking milk and sour fruits together can trigger vitiligo. Also, using excessive salty food and meat products with milk can trigger disease. Deficiency of copper and vitamin B12 can trigger this disease. So treatment of vitiligo is done taking in account many factors.

Toxins produced in body are neutralized using herbal medicines, which helps in stopping the spread of disease. External herbal application containing Wrightia Tinctoria help in repigmentation on white skin. According to modern science steroids are used in pulse therapy where steroids are used 2 times a week.

This also prevents the disease from spreading. In some severe cases integration of allopathic and Ayurveda is key to success.

There are few important points, which vitiligo patients should always take in account, such as:
When disease is spreading sitting in sun for prolonged period can trigger the spread.
Using Brinjal and raw tomatoes and excess of vitamin C is not good.
Irregular lifestyle is a trigger the disease along with consumption of alcohol.

All About Vitiligo

Lupus is an inflammatory disease that is chronic in nature. It occurs when your tissues and organs are attacked by your body's own immunity system. The inflammation that this disease causes can affect the other parts of your body as well, like the joints, kidneys, skin, brain etc. It is often difficult to diagnose because it lacks distinct symptoms. However, one of the most identifiable symptoms of lupus is a ring-shaped rash on the face.

Lupus can be caused by a number of factors like:

Excessive exposure to sunlight
Susceptibility towards infections
Certain anti-seizure, blood pressure and antibiotic medicines
Symptoms
The symptoms are neither distinct nor regular. However, some common symptoms could be-

Fatigue and fever
Pain in the joints, stiffness and swelling
Ring-shaped facial rash
Skin lesions on exposure to the sun
Chest pain and shortness of breath
What else can lupus lead to?

Several complications may arise if lupus is left untreated. Some of them are-

Kidney damage and failure
Hallucination, seizures, strokes and several other problems associated with the brain and the central nervous system
Anemia, blood clotting, vasculitis etc.
Increased susceptibility to pneumonia
Increased risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular diseases
Treatment
Lupus is a significantly dangerous disease and medical help should be immediately sought if you think that you have symptoms associated with it. Treatment depends on the signs and symptoms of individual patients.

Lupus (Skin Rash) - How It Can Be Treated?

Burning your skin is a very traumatic experience and can leave behind scars that remind one of the traumatic incident. Scarring caused by burns may fade a little with time but are usually permanent. Apart from affecting your appearance severe burns can also affect the functioning of the body. Burns can make a person withdraw socially by making him or her afraid of how people will accept them with their scars as well as make them depressed about their appearance.

Burn repair surgery can be categorised under two headings: Acute and Reconstructive

Acute repair surgery happens immediately after the burn and deals with large burns and burns that affect critical areas. The focus here is to close the skin in case of open burns and help the skin heal.
Reconstructive burn surgery addresses the skin after the initial burn wounds have healed. The goal here is to improve the appearance of the scars and ensure no lasting loss of functioning. Reconstructive burn surgery has a high success rate.
There are many types of reconstructive surgeries for burns and the type of surgery best suited to a patient is based on the location of the scar, the extent of scarring and the patient s personal goals.

Skin grafts: This involves the removal of healthy skin tissues from one part of the body and transplanting it to the burn site. This skin graft may include only a few outer layers of skin or may involve the entire dermis. This is used in cases of severe burns where a large section of the dermis is affected.
Microsurgery: This is a procedure where the surgeon reattaches or reconstructs severed fingers, toes, ears etc by sewing together blood vessels and nerves. This is often used alongside other surgical procedures.
Free flap procedure: In this procedure, muscle, bone or skin is transferred from one part of the body to another to reconstruct the area. This type of surgery is often accompanied by microsurgery.
Tissue expansion: This involves the insertion of a balloon expander under the skin near the burn site. As the balloon is filled with saline, the skin stretches and grows. Once the skin has stretched enough, the expander is removed and the skin can then be used to repair burn scars.
This procedure has many advantages as the skin colour and texture are a near perfect match thus reducing scarring to a large extent. However, it is a very slow procedure and can take a few months.

Burn Repair Surgery - How Effective It Is?

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