The skin is the largest organ in the body and is one of the five sense organs, helping us with  touch.  The first outer layer is called the epidermis and the underlying layer is called the dermis. The skin has a protein known as keratin, which protects it from various external toxins and infections.

In some people, due to unknown reasons, there could be pile up of this protein in the deeper layers, producing small bumps, which feel like sandpaper. Literally, the term keratosis pilaris (KP) refers to piling up of keratin pigment. It can block the hair follicle that would normally open into the skin. When there are multiple blocks in the same area, there could be a sandpaper-like rough feeling to the touch. This gives this condition other names including goosebumps, chicken skin or chicken bumps. Though it is a cosmetic issue, it is medically a benign and very common condition.

Cause

KP, as it is popularly known as, is believed to be a genetic disorder with faulty genes leading to excessive accumulation of keratin. These appear as red, small bumps that are usually seen on the hands, arms, thighs, buttocks, and rarely on the face. The surrounding skin may be inflamed if there is a buildup of skin under the pile of keratin.

The onset of KP is usually in the first decade of life, worsens during puberty, and reduces during adulthood. There are, however, instances where the onset happens during adulthood. Twins and people with atopic dermatitis are more likely to have KP.

KP is more common in people with dry skin as oily skin seems to offer some protection.

There are also studies that give it a correlation with weather, with winter seeing more of this condition than summer. This is because our skin tends to dry more in winter than in summer. There could be some people who are completely normal during the summer months but will develop these bumps during the winter, which again subsides with the season.

Signs and Symptoms

As noted above, KP is a medically benign condition. There is a cosmetic concern if it is in the visible areas like arms and hands. Also, the area could feel rough and dry, but the affected person may not experience any itching or other harm. People with atopic dermatitis and eczema are more likely to develop KP; hence these other skin conditions require proper management.

Management

Patient education is the most important. This disease does not require any treatment and is usually self-limiting. It is very rare for KP to affect the whole body. Creams containing alpha hydroxy acid, salicylic acid, lactic acid, or vitamin A may be required to remove dead skin cells and to prevent clogged follicles from the bodies of the affected people.

Keratosis Pilaris: Signs, Causes, Treatment, and Prevention

What are Warts?

Warts are infectious outgrowths that may appear on any part of the body. For example, the most common warts occur on fingers. They are caused by virus, most typically the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and several of its subtypes. They appear as dense painless rounded nodules of about 0.3- 1 cm in diameter. The mode of transmission of this virus is usually by contact. You can also contract warts by sharing objects like razors, towels or other personal items. They can be sexually transmitted if the warts are present on genitals.

Usually, they are benign outgrowths but sometimes, they may be cancerous if present on genitals.

How To Prevent Warts?

Earlier, the only way to prevent contracting warts was avoiding contact with infected people. But now-a-days, vaccines against HPV are present that are given in teen years to prevent genital warts and cancer caused by them.

How are they diagnosed?

Your doctor can easily tell if the outgrowth is a wart just by having a look at it. If it is not clear, your doctor may take a sample of your skin and look at it under the microscope to ensure that it is a wart.

Treating Warts-

CAUTERIZATION

Cauterization is a medical procedure wherein a part of the body is burnt in order to damage some tissue in order to prevent an outgrowth. Cauterization can be done by medicine, cryotherapy (using localised or general low temperatures to treat benign or malignant tissues), radio frequency cauterization or laser. The method applied depends on size and location of the outgrowth or the choice of you dermatologist as well.

It is recommended to get warts removed at its earliest to prevent spreading of the disease.

Several myths are present in the market that state cure to warts by various homemade remedies but these can do more harm than good. Treating warts must be done by practised medical personnel. Incomplete removal of warts can cause recurrence of warts due to secondary infection.

Warts - How To Get Rid Of Them?

Bedtime skin care to prevent acne

Skin repairs and rebuilds at night time while you rest, so it makes sense to follow good skin care routine before going to bed every night.

3 most effective bedtime skin care tips that rejuvenate your skin.

1. Cleanse and moisturize your skin: Your skin is exposed to kinds of pollutants, allergens, makeup during daytime. So cleanse your skin properly. Then apply vitamin E based moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated.

2. Use clean pillowcase: Many pathogens and oil may reintroduce to your skin if you use unwashed pillowcase. Thus make it a habit to use a clean pillowcase, preferably made of silk fiber, which keeps you away from the risks of pimples and other skin infections.

3. Don’t sleep with your phone: Your phone collects many bacteria and other microbes during daytime. Thus it is better to keep your phone away while sleeping to avoid any counter infections.



3 Highly Effective Bedtime Skin Regimen to Prevent Acne and Wrinkles

To look good is one of the best ways to help yourself feel good. With the help of the latest technology, we now have cosmetic solutions to our appearance related problems and these are available at numerous salon or in jars that can sit on our nightstand, ready for regular use. Yet, there are more long-term solutions with greater efficacy that one can get from a cosmetic surgeon. Facial implants are one such solution which can help us in many ways. 

Here are the various benefits of facial implants.

Augmentation: One of the main benefits of getting facial implants is that these will help in significantly augmenting your facial features, especially your cheeks. If you have a weak chin which seems slightly receding or too chubby cheeks, then this is a good cosmetic option which can help in giving better shape so that the features are well augmented with better definition and fullness. This will render a fine balance to your overall appearance and make your face that much more attractive as well.
Reconstruction: Sometimes, we lose the shape and definition of our features to age and weight as well as other factors like a stressful lifestyle where eating and sleeping patterns are less than ideal. In such a scenario, we can reconstruct the facial features, restoring the contours and bringing back the original proportions of the face. This will make the features look like they really fit in with your face which gives a good appearance in the long run.
Rejuvenate: These implants can also help in rejuvenating and adding a more fresh feel to your overall appearance. With the help of these implants, you can actually bring back the distinction between areas like the jaw and the chin, as well as the cheeks so that your face looks more well proportioned, well defined, and even younger.
Correct deficiencies: If you have any facial deficiencies in terms of the contours as well as the definition of your features and the blend of the same, then you can turn to facial implants. These implants will help in better contouring in a way that will fix these imperfections in your jaw, chin and cheeks. This will give you a more polished look.
Facial symmetry: One of the best benefits of facial implants is the fact that it renders greater symmetry to your face. After this procedure, your face will actually have features set in a proportionate line which creates a pleasing and perfect look. If you feel you cheeks are too large or your chin and jaw are literally merging in with each other, then a facial implant will help in bringing in greater symmetry for your face. These procedures are also quite quick to perform.

Facial Implants - 5 Benefits of It!

Swollen breast tissues in men or boys caused by hormonal (testosterone and estrogen) imbalances is called gynecomastia. Both breasts or one breast, can be affected by gynecomastia. At any point in life, from birth to puberty, even in adulthood, you might develop gynecomastia. Most of the times, gynecomastia is caused by hormonal imbalances, but there might be some underlying causes as well.
Gynecomastia is normally not a serious condition, but it can be difficult to deal with the pain and embarrassment.

It can be cured with surgery or medication, if it doesn't go away on its own.

Symptoms and signs of gynecomastia include:

Enlarged glands in the breast tissue
Tenderness in the breast
The causes that trigger gynecomastia include:

Hormonal changes: Testosterone and estrogen control the sexual development in men and women respectively. Estrogen is not a hormone that only women produce; men produce it too. When the production of testosterone and estrogen are thrown out of balance, gynecomastia occurs.
Medication: Certain medications such as anabolic steroids, androgens, HIV/AIDS medicines, antibiotics and chemotherapy can cause gynecomastia.
Drugs and alcohol: Substances such as alcohol, marijuana, amphetamines, heroin and methadone cause gynecomastia.
Health condition: Certain factors, such as aging, hypogonadism (hormonal disorder), hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland), tumors, kidney failure, cirrhosis, liver failure, malnutrition and starvation can lead to gynecomastia.
Herbal products: Essential oils derived from plants such as lavender or tea tree, used in lotions or shampoos, have weak estrogenic actives. They have been said to cause gynecomastia.
Gynecomastia can be cured either with medication or surgery. Surgical options for gynecomastia are, however, limited.

Treatment

There is no definitive medical treatment. The main answer for Gynecomastia is -SURGERY. It is a daycare procedure in most situations. It is done by a Surgeon, usually, a Plastic surgeon does a better job. 

Anesthesia- Either Local or General anesthesia is given to make it painless. 

Procedure-Through a small incision in the areola, the swelling is removed by both Liposuction of the Fat part and Excision (removal) for Breast gland part. As the incision is through the areola, the final scar is hardly visible. In extensive swellings, skin also needs to be removed, where in a scar around the areola border is visible. 

Recovery- usually can go back to work in 2-3 days time.

Treating Gynecomastia (Enlarged Breasts in Men) With Surgery

7 anti-beauty habits that kill your looks the most!

You might be spending a lot to add to your beauty. But there are many bad habits which affect your beauty. Here is the list of the most common terrible habits which might be damaging your skin and health.

1. Squeezing pimples: when you pop a pimple, clogged pore is burst open releasing bacteria. These bacteria come in contact with your rest of the skin and increase the acne. Moreover, habit of squeezing pimples may also leave scars and pock marks. The best way to get rid of pimples is to use medicated/ antibacterial soap and let it heal itself.

2. Licking/ chewing your lips: chewing your lips make them even drier and chapped. It makes you to lick and chew your lips more often. Excessive lip biting also results into bleeding and infection. To avoid this, get yourself a good lip balm and apply regularly to moisturize and protect your lips.

3. Nail biting: nail biting result in ugly hands, fingers and nails due to cuticle biting. It can also result in infections of nails, mouth, finger and dental problems affecting your smile too. Work upon triggers to prevent these issues by yoga, manicure etc.

4. Smoking: smoking affects your skin making it dry and rough. It decreases the blood flow to the skin and damages your collagen and elastic which result into saggy and loose skin. Quit smoking.

5. Sleeping with makeup on: make up clog your skin pores and oil glands, making it difficult to breathe and prone to acne. To avoid this, spare sometime before going to sleep to cleanse your makeup and moisturize the skin well.

6. Ignoring the sunscreen: ignoring sunscreen in summer is exposing your skin to uv rays. Uv rays cause wrinkles and dry your skin giving you the older look. To protect your skin from uv rays, use sunscreen before half n hour of going out.

7. Inadequate sleep: inadequate sleep releases the stress hormone in the body. It also ages your skin by decreasing collagen from skin. Hence try getting enough sleep.

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


7 Anti-Beauty Habits That Kill Your Looks the Most!

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