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 deep burns that affect critical areas. The focus here is to aim for saving of life of burn patient with earliest wound healing with various surgical means.
Reconstructive burn surgery addresses the deformities & scars after the initial burn wounds have healed. The goal here is to improve the appearance of the scars and ensure improvement of functioning. 
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 from one part of the body and transplanting it to the burn site. This split thickness skin graft include only a few outer layers of skin & full thickness graft involve the entire dermis. This is used in cases of deep burns where full thickness of dermis is affected. Also skin grafts are used for defects following release of burn contracture . 
Flaps: These are thick skin tissues with its own blood supply, used to cover exposed vital structures like vessels , tendons, nerves, bones, etc especially in deep electrical burns of extremities. 
Free flap procedure: In this Microvascular Surgery , muscle, bone or skin is transferred from one part of the body to another to reconstruct huge defects after contracture release or for cosmetic improvement of ugly burn scars. 
Tissue expansion: This involves the insertion of a balloon expander under the skin near the burn scars & deformities. 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 replace the burn scars & deformities.
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 Can It Help To Reduce Deformities & Scars?

Dandruff is a chronic disorder, which significantly affects the scalp region and is characterized by the appearance of minute white flakes on the scalp. Although dandruff does not cause serious problems, recurrent appearances of dandruff can be embarrassing for the concerned person.

Symptoms

If you spot numerous white flakes repeatedly on the shoulders or on the shoulder region of your shirt and experience severe itching around the scalp, particularly during weather changes, it is likely that you are suffering from dandruff.

Causes

Dandruff might develop due to a lack of proper hair care, side-effects of certain shampoos or hair care products, seborrheic dermatitis (characterized by scaly red coloured patches on one s scalp), dry or oily skin, eczema, excessive stress, hormonal changes, side effects of serious diseases such as HIV or Parkinson s disease (a disease of the nervous system that impairs human body mobility) and also cold weather conditions.

Prevention and treatment

You can control dandruff by applying any of the following treatments:

    Therapy involving peeling and subsequent strengthening of the scalp might help in the complete elimination of dandruff. The therapy is developed with the help of highly operative anti-fungal ingredients which sanitize the scalp and regulate the growth of the fungi  Malassezia  to a normal level. This helps in the elimination of the intense itchy sensations and the minute white flakes around the region of the scalp. The therapy also aims to provide adequate nourishment to the hair. This therapy helps in the flattening of the dandruff affected hair strands along with the subsequent reinforcement and protection of the hair follicles. If the dandruff is caused due to an oily scalp, this therapy might be useful in the regulation of the unnecessary and excess oil level.
    In order to treat dandruff, a therapy aimed at the purification and balancing of the scalp might be helpful. This treatment incorporates a mixture of natural oils which help in the subsequent nourishment of the scalp; the therapy helps your hair to regain its lost vigor.

Further recommendation

Along with the aforementioned therapies, you can also use certain products which might help as well:

1. Anti-dandruff lotions contain a healthy amount of effective ingredients which aim at the removal of the itchy sensation on the scalp along with the subsequent elimination of dandruff.

2. You can also use anti-dandruff shampoos on a regular basis which help to remove dandruff and strengthen the scalp.

Dandruff: Symptoms, Causes, Prevention and Treatment

Urticaria, also known as Hives and Nettle Rash. It is an allergic disorder. It is similar to the rashes that are caused due to touching a nettle plant. This allergic reaction can be caused due to a variety of reasons, thus increasing the difficulty in identifying the exact cause of the allergy. Homeopathic medication has proved to be very efficient in treating urticaria. Some of the best homeopathic remedies include:

1. Apis Mellifica: Described as one of the best solutions to urticaria, this medication is commonly prescribed with regard to treatment. The characterising symptoms of this medication is eruptions accompanied by inflammation and sting. It is similar to the sting of a bee where there is redness and swelling. Exposure to heat in any form is intolerable as the eruption are aggravated. The slightest of touch can cause burning or itching and the patient usually remains thirsty.

2. Dulcamara: This is a medication that is usually prescribed for Urticaria, caused due to cold air or wet weather or dampness. Consumption of sour food or indefinite diet can cause the eruptions. Even though the skin is often dry, there is redness and itching.

3. Natrum Mur: One of the frequently used medicines for urticaria, this medicine is prepared from common salt. It is used in cases where the eruptions are triggered by exposure to the sun, thereby resulting in intense itching. The skin has an oily or greasy feel. Most likely locations of occurrence include margins of hair or bends of joints.

4. Ledum Pal: This medication focuses on the eruptions that occur on the legs and feet. There is a possibility of the infection spreading from the lower to the upper regions at a later stage. Increase in itching can result from the warmth of bed or on scratching. Colder conditions provide a soothing sensation

5. Astacus Fluviatilis: This is an effective medication that be used to treat, both acute and chronic urticarial forms. Rashes are visible on the entire body and are at an increased sensitiveness to air. It is recommended for liver diseases and liver-related symptoms that are accompanied by urticaria.

Best Homeopathic Remedies for Urticaria

Once feared to be highly contagious and fatal, leprosy is today a disease that can be treated and even cured. Leprosy or Hansen s disease is a bacterial infection caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae and affects the peripheral nervous system and skin. Leprosy has been categorized into two types   tuberculoid and lepromatous   with the latter being more severe. Both these categories have been further subdivided into more categories. Skin lesions are the most prominent symptom of leprosy. If left untreated, leprosy can cause permanent damage to the skin, nervous system, limbs and eyes.

An early diagnosis of this disease makes treatment easier. Apart from antibiotics, homeopathic medicines are also effective when it comes to treating leprosy. Homeopathy is a holistic form of treatment that addresses not only the symptoms of the disease, but also the root cause of the infection. One of the biggest advantages of homeopathy is that it has negligible side effects. When it comes to leprosy, homeopathy can be used to reduce inflammation and pain, drain sores and promote suppuration. It can also strengthen the immune system to prevent recurrent sores and boils. Some of the homeopathic remedies that may be helpful are:

Sulphur: If the patient has a tendency to suffer from eruptions, curvature of the spine, wrinkled and flabby skin and has a voracious appetite triggered by diseased glands, sulphur is effective. The symptoms may also be aggravated by washing and the affected area may itch more on scratching. There is a tendency for the folds of the skin to be sore.

Graphites: If the patient has swollen lymph glands, mesenteric glands and prominent skin sores, this medicine is useful. It also treats moist eruptions that bleed or ooze tenacious discharge before turning into scabs on the scalp, face, joints and in the folds of the skin. The patient may experience an absence of sweat and hair fall.

Calcarea Carbonica and Silicea: The combination of these two medicines help in treating a patient who suffers from a swollen abdomen and has open fontanelles. Excessive sweating is another symptom treated by Calcarea carbonica and Silicea.

Rhus Toxicodendron: This is prescribed in cases where the patient has reddish skin that is covered with vesicles and suffers from intense itchiness.

Cantharis: It is used when the patient has large blisters on the skin accompanied by intense burning. The blisters may look like typical burn blisters.

Croton Tiglium: It is used to treat small blisters that itch terribly and form pustules that dry into yellowish scabs.

Although homeopathy is considered safe and free from side effects, it should not be used to self-medicate.  

How To Treat Leprosy With Homeopathy?

Tips to overcome Alopecia

Everyone experiences hair fall and a vast majority experiences severe hair loss. But some people may experience hair loss as a result of the immune system attacking hair follicles or the place where hair growth begins. While the damage is not permanent, it can be quite frustrating and lower your self-esteem. This condition is known as alopecia. 

Try these 2 effective ways to counter Alopecia.

1. Minimize its effects: Treatments can help hair grow, but there are several ways through which you can minimize the effects of this medical condition. For instance, always use sunscreens for your scalp, face and exposed areas. This will ensure that bald patches don’t cause sunburn. Similarly, use wigs, caps and scarves to save your scalp from Sun and keep it warm in case it’s very cold. If alopecia has affected your eyes or hair inside the nostril, it is recommended that you wear eyeglasses to protect eyes from dust and debris, especially when eyelashes or eyebrows are missing or use ointments for protecting the nose.

2. Medications for hair growth: Depending on the hair loss patterns, you can opt for treatments that involve cortisone, topical minoxidil, immunotherapy and anthralin, which can help in increasing hair growth and suppress immunity reaction to prevent the effects of this medical condition.

Remember, the treatment depends on several factors, such as age, amount of hair loss and the ability to be regular with the treatments. Make sure that you consult with your doctor before beginning any treatment.

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

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Alopecia Care - Handle this hair loss problem with ease.

Nail fungus is a very common problem. Symptoms include inflammation, swelling, yellowing, thickening or crumbling of the nail. It is usually not painful, unless the infection spreads. If left untreated, nail fungus can cause cracking, splitting and even complete loss of the nail. The good news is that nail fungus is curable and can be treated very easily. There are many specialized treatments required for bringing quickest recovery. Most people think that medications are the only solution in this regard, but this is not true as there are many therapies that are needed along with medicines so that speed of recovery can be boosted to a great extent.

Treatments for fungal nail infections
1. Antifungal medications: Nails are first tested thoroughly in order to get the confirmation about nail fungus. Both growth and reproduction of fungal cells are prevented by consuming these medications. Some of these medicines are used for topical or external application while others are taken orally. Some of the physicians suggest continuing, both types of medicines simultaneously for getting more powerful effects and quick recovery. However, there are a few probable side-effects that occur while taking these medicines and these include loss in taste, rashes, diarrhoea, itching, headache and others.

2. Using antifungal nail-paint: Nowadays, you can use antifungal nail-paints so that the deepest layer of the nail can be well treated and infected parts can be healed quickly. But you have to continue the usage for a few months, or else, you will not be able to get the desirable results.

3. Laser treatment: This treatment is one of the most powerful ones and can treat your infected nail with greater speed and accuracy. Light energy in high doses is used for treating nail infection in this case.
The above treatments are really quite helpful, and you can choose any of them as per your necessity, preference and affordability.

Things you can do at home
1. Keep your hands and feet clean and dry
2. Wear well fitting shoes made of natural materials and clean cotton socks, these will allow your feet to "breathe"
3. Clip your nails to keep them short, use a separate pair of clippers or scissors for the infected nail
4. Don't share towels and socks with other people, and ensure your towels are washed regularly
5. Don't walk around barefoot in public pools, showers, and locker rooms, special shower shoes are available to protect your feet
6. Consider replacing old footwear as it could be the source of the infection
7. Treat athlete's foot as soon as possible to avoid the infection spreading to your nails

How to Treat Fungal Nail Infections?

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