While most people recover from first and second degree burns without fatal consequences, third-degree burns pose a different story altogether.

Third-degree burns occur when the damage to the skin extends beyond the dermis, and perforates deep within the tissues. This sort of injury is the most serious one. For instance, injuries sustained from a fire breakout, acid attack, etc.

Symptoms include-

Charred/black skin
Numbness
The damage to the nerves caused by third-degree burns are so extensive, that the victim may feel very little or no pain.

Complications-
There are several complications associated with third-degree burn injuries, such as the following-

Infection
Sepsis
Scarring
Low volume of blood
Very low body temperature
Joint/bone problems
How Ayurveda heals third-degree burn injuries-
Burn injuries, especially of third-degree, leaves behind ugly, unpleasant scars. Moreover, such distressing marks can be traumatic for the victim as it may bring back horrific memories of the incident. Many times the person may feel hesitant to visit a doctor or go for a therapy. This is when Ayurveda comes to your aid.

Ayurveda uses therapeutic and natural remedies- essential oils, herbs and spices- to relieve pain, and helps you get rid of those burn scars. Some of the natural ingredients used in Ayurvedic treatment include-

Use of herbal oils Lavender and Calendula helps in quick relief from burn injuries.
An ointment prepared from red sandalwood, gairika, tugaksiri, and plaksa extracts can be applied on injuries caused due to third degree burn.
Applying cucumber juice or Jatyadi oil on the affected area with cotton balls offers relief from the pain.
Prepare a paste using mustard oil and henna leaves, and apply the same on burn injuries. This will provide instant relief from irritation.
Prepare an herbal pack using, turmeric, amla, etc. that are rich in anti-inflammatory, antibacterial properties. This can heal burn scars and ease pain.
Apart from these, Ayurveda also suggests following a bland (without spices), healthy diet so that the injury does not aggravate the injury further.

Third-Degree Burn Injuries - An Ayurvedic Approach!

A little bit of sun is always good for you and you do need sunlight for your body to process vitamin D, which is necessary for bone health. At the same time, the ultraviolet rays from the sun can be detrimental for your health. While being in the sun is not a bad thing, how long you stay in the sun and how well you are protecting yourself count. Prolonged and unprotected sun exposure harms your skin and can decrease the immunity function of the skin.

Some effects of sun exposure include:

Development of cancerous and non-cancerous skin lesions
Benign tumours
Coarse and fine wrinkles
Freckles
Mottled pigmentation (Skin discoloration in certain areas)
Sallowness (The colour of the skin turns yellow)
Telangiectasia (Expansion of blood vessels under your skin)
Elastosis (Destruction of the collagen and elastic tissue)

The most harmful effect of sun exposure is definitely skin cancer. It is the uncontrolled development of anomalous skin cells is skin cancer. This accelerated development leads to formation of tumours, which are either malignant (cancerous) or benign (noncancerous). Skin cancer is mainly of 3 types: basal cell carcinoma, melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Among these, squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma are less critical; while melanoma is very serious. When melanoma is left untreated, it can affect the other organs and get difficult to treat. UV rays are the major causes of skin cancer. Sun exposure over the years leads to squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma, while severe sun damage episodes before the age of 18 cause melanoma.

Here are some tips to prevent sun damage:

Always apply sunscreen 20 minutes before you go out, even if it is cloudy. A sunscreen with SPF of 30 or more, and zinc oxide is advisable if you want optimum sun protection. Also, you should reapply sunscreen every 2 hours, especially if you are swimming or sweating.
Select cosmetic products, contact lenses and clothing that offer protection from UV rays.
Choose sunglasses that offer total protection from UV rays. Also, wear a hat with a wide brim to shade your neck and face.
Avoid direct exposure during harsh hours like between 10.00 and 3.00PM.

Prolonged Sun Exposure - How It Can Damage Your Skin?

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

Corns and calluses are areas of stumpy skin caused by friction or pressure. They usually hurt when you wear shoes or walk.
Calluses generally develop on your feet or hands, and most of the time, don t require treatment.
Corns have a hard or soft inner core. Soft corns are mostly found between the toes, while hard corns form on the top of the toes. Corns that are caused by ill-fitting shoes often reduce on wearing the right shoes.
Causes-
Repeated friction or pressure causes corns and calluses on areas of skin. The pressure leads to the death of the skin, which develops a protective, hard surface. Soft corns develop in a similar fashion. Corns and calluses are not formed due to viruses and are not harmful. They can be formed due to:
Regular usage of any object that puts strain on the hands, such as sports equipment (badminton racquet) or tools (hammer or gardening hoe), usually leads to calluses on the hands.
Pressure from wearing the wrong footwear usually leads to corns and calluses on the feet. Calluses can also form by walking barefoot.
Abnormal structures on the foot, such as hammertoe or bone spurs, can cause calluses and corns.
Repeated pressure from playing certain sports can also cause calluses on the feet.
Symptoms-
Corns and calluses on the feet are easy to spot. A callus is thick, hard and dry, and may appear yellowish or grey in colour. When touched, it will feel bumpy and more insensitive than the skin around it. A hard corn is thick and firm, while soft corns look like an exposed sore. The hard corn may have a grey centre with a light yellow ring around it.
Corns and calluses don t hurt, but it does become painful when you are wearing shoes or walking. Fitting your feet into shoes gets more difficult due to them. Touching or squeezing the corn or callus can also be painful.
Treatment-
Corns and calluses don t require treatment normally, but if they hurt, here s what you can do:
Wearing well-fitting shoes that are roomy with deep and wide toe boxes (the area covering the toe).
Protective paddings, such as moleskin, toe separator, toe sleeves, etc., can alleviate pain.
Soaking the corn or callus in hot water, and then gently wear down the dead skin by using a pumice stone.
Salicylic acid can be used to soften the corn or callus.


All about Calluses and Corns

Vitiligo is a condition in which white patches appear on the skin. It can affect any part of the body. It can affect the inside of the mouth and the hair as well. It happens when the skin cells (melanocytes) that make or produce pigment (colour) of the skin die or stop functioning. This disease is not contagious or life-threatening, it cannot be caught from another person having vitiligo. All types of skin can be affected by vitiligo but it may be more evident in people with darker skin. It develops between the ages 10 to 30 and it often appears before the age of 40.

Causes

The main cause of this disorder is still not clear, why the cells die or fail. For some reason, the colour or pigment-forming cells called melanocytes dies. However, these are the following reasons that can cause this problem:

An autoimmune disorder, where the defences of the body turn on their own cells instead of attacking the germs that destroyed the melanocytes

A trigger or stressful events such as exposure to industrial chemicals, stress, or sunburn

Family history (heredity)

A neural cause

A virus

A genetic oxidative stress imbalance

Symptoms

The one and only symptom of this condition is the appearance of white patches or flat white spots on the skin. Those white patches are irregular in shape. They may stay the same for a while but may get bigger with time on different parts of the body. It generally affects body folds such as armpits, around body openings, or around moles. It can also affect hair and eyelids. It does not cause any irritation, dryness, discomfort, or soreness in the skin.

Treatment

There is no known way to cure or prevent the condition but the appearance of the affected skin can be improved with corticosteroid creams and cosmetics. The doctor can recommend melanocyte transplant surgery which includes a new needling micro-grafting technique. The surgery includes a split-thickness skin graft that is taken from the normal area. Later, it is cut into very small pieces in diameter ranging from 0.1 mm-0.3 mm. The local anesthesia is given to the recipient area to implant the micro-grafts into the dermis by using the needling technique. This new method of treating this condition delivers satisfactory and rapid pigmentation.

Takeaway

Vitiligo is a disorder in which flat white spots or patches appear and can affect any area of the body. It happens when the melanocytes die or stop functioning. The condition can be managed by cosmetics, corticosteroid creams, therapies, and surgeries. Out of all these methods, melanocyte transplant surgery is a new and effective technique to manage this disease. However, it is always advisable to consult a doctor before opting for any of these methods. 

Vitiligo - Its Causes, Symptoms And Treatments!

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?

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