One of the most important functions of the skin is protection. During this process, it comes in contact with various substances including chemicals, pollen, dust, and other pollutants. While it does protect the overall body from all these, there is some damage that is inevitably done to the skin through these exposures. Different skin and different bodies react differently to these, and while some may have no reaction, others develop allergies. This is also defined by how strong the person s immunity is.

Hives is one of the most common skin allergy responses. While it is not easy to pinpoint what causes the allergy or the hives, the causative agent can be nailed by observing patterns and excluding out some of the causative agents. There are a set of regular household and surrounding items that could lead to urticaria, and working around these can help pin down the source.

Origin: When the body encounters a foreign body, it produces what are known as histamines. When they are produced, the plasma in the cell leaks out, producing a red and swollen appearance. Hives are red, itchy, raised patches on the skin. They are seen in about 20% of the population. Hives are usually allergic in nature, implying that they occur when there is a foreign substance that induces an allergic reaction. Hives can appear either due to coming in touch with some substance or due to eating some allergy-inducing substance.

Hives can be acute or chronic. Acute is when the hives appear in response to an allergic reaction. These usually disappear in a matter of days to a week at the maximum. In some people, they could be chronic and can last for months together.

Treatment: Given that they are allergic in nature, managing hives includes a combination of immediate treatment as well as preventive measures. While most are topically managed, others might require systemic intervention also.

Once the hives have developed, the following can help in the relief of symptoms and prevent from spreading further. The redness and swelling will take some time to disappear.

Avoid tight-fitting clothes
Use cool compresses on the hives
Avoid warm or hot shower
Stay in a cooler room
Avoid itching the hives
Use topical moisturizer to prevent dryness
Use topical steroid cream to manage the inflammation
Take a systemic antihistamine or an injection of epinephrine if required.
While these help in managing the hives which have occurred, preventing is via the following.

Avoid the source once identified
If the source is not yet known, record when the hives are occurring
Manage stress and see hives appear much less
Increase moisturizer use
Keep an antihistamine handy so you can take it immediately in case of suspected hives. 

Urticaria (Hives) - The Best Way It Can Be Treated!

Holi is one of the most enjoyable festivals in India. It is one that everyone looks forward to and is usually known as the festival of colours because we use colours and coloured water to douse our friends and family in a great display of pomp and show. Also, we tend to get doused and remain that way for many hours, mostly in the sun. As such, Holi can also take a toll on our skin by causing discolouration, rashes and insensitivity. So what should one do in order to avoid coming down with bad skin the day after Holi? Here are our secrets, which will leave you with shining skin even after you have had a great time at the festivities!

Hydration: It is very important to keep yourself well hydrated before you plunge into the festivities. Remember to drink lots of water and ensure that you have a bottle in hand so that you can easily fill up on fluids even as you enjoy yourself with all the sun rays and the colours. This will ensure that your skin does not become too dry.
Full sleeve clothing: Another good idea to keep your skin protected is to wear full-sleeved clothing so that you do not tan indiscriminately and you do not end up with too much discolouration and rashes on your skin. Wear light fabrics that will dry fast so that the water does not get absorbed by the clothing and into your skin. This will keep your skin relatively dry, even if you enjoy yourself for hours at an end. Avoid synthetics clothes and denim as they would stick to your skin. 
Organic colours: With the whole world going the organic way, why should our Indian festivals remain behind? So, you can now opt for organic colours that have been produced in a safe way with safe ingredients. These natural pigments will ensure that you do not have to scrub and endure rashes and irritation after the festival. It is a good idea to opt for such colours, which can be washed off easily and are bereft of synthetic materials that can harm the skin in the long run. This can also help in avoiding problems like eczema and other skin conditions.
Oil your hair: India is a land of rich cosmetic tradition. No matter which direction you look in, you will always find that you have a weapon of choice in terms of oils and other ingredients that are absolutely great for keeping your skin and hair in good shape. So our advice is to oil your hair well, preferably with coconut oil, olive oil, or vitamin E oil, so that the colours and the water does not get absorbed onto your scalp. This will also help in keeping your hair moisturised as the colours can make the strands very dry. Always oil the whole body before playing holi.
Lips: Apply plenty of lip balm before joining the play of colours.
Nails: Apply a thick coat of dark nail paint before Holi. 
It is important that you must apply oil behind your ears, between your finger tips and even near your fingernails. It is ideal that you don't wax or thread or do any facial treatment, at least, three-four days ahead of Holi.

Holi Special - 6 Tips to Keep Your Skin Rash Free!

Eczema is not a disease per se, but is a name given collectively to a group of medical conditions, which can cause the skin to become inflamed and irritated. Atopic dermatitis is one of the most common types of eczema.

Causes

While the exact cause of eczema is not known, the most commonly attributed reason is an increasingly sensitive immune system. The overactive immune system produces antibodies, which cause these skin reactions. It is also noted that people with allergies including hay fever and asthma are more likely to develop eczema.

Other conditions which can lead to eczema include allergic dermatitis, irritant dermatitis, stasis dermatitis, scabies, fungal infections, xerotic dermatitis, lichen planus and scalp infections.

There is also a genetic predisposition, and children whose parents have had eczema are likely to develop eczema.

Symptoms

In most people, eczema is present in the form of small blisters, which are filled with fluid and can ooze. Gradually, there could be dryness, crusting, scaling and thickening of the skin with plaque formation. The most common symptom would be itching. The different types of eczema as noted above would have diagnostic features. For instance, when testing for irritant or contact dermatitis, there would be an irritant that is causing this. Stasis dermatitis would have circulatory issues and often affects the lower legs.

In fair-skinned people, these lesions begin as red and then turn brown. There also could be lightening of the affected skin area in people with slightly darker skin.

Diagnosis

For a trained medical eye, diagnosis of eczema is not a tough task. A complete physical examination may be done to assess the extent of eczema spread. Blood tests may be done to test for allergies. In very rare cases, a biopsy may also be required.

Treatment

The goal of treatment is to reduce itching and improve moisturization. Eczema, unless associated with an infection, is not contagious.

Using copious amounts of creams and lotions help in improving hydration and moisturization, as they are allowed to soak into the skin.

Topical steroids may be required if allergy is suspected. In most cases, hydrocortisone and corticosteroid creams are very effective.

Associated infections like scalp infections and fungal infections should also be treated with suitable products.

Immunomodulator creams like Elidel are useful by suppressing the immune system and preventing flare up of the allergic reactions.

Cold compresses may be used to relieve itching.

Prevention

Since there is a strong genetic component related to eczema, prevention is helpful.

Constantly keep the skin moist and hydrated by using moisturizers, especially during winters.

Avoid clothes and metals which can cause allergy- like wool, nickel, harsh soaps, detergents, etc.

Avoid or be careful about food items which are known to cause allergies.

Eczema - Causes, Symptoms and Treatments 

What is Follicular transfer (FT) is also known as follicular unit extraction (FUE).

It is a type of hair transplant procedure which is less invasive than the other types. It is performed when the person has a good hair growth at the back or side of the head which becomes the donor s area.

How is it performed?

The procedure is performed by specially designed instruments under a high powered microscope which provides precision for best and natural results. When the part gets numb the follicles are isolated with a specialized punch device which extracts the follicular units completely with necessary glands. This method is used to separate the surrounding tissue from the follicular unit which results in minimal injury and undetectable scarring.
Then the follicles are removed without any damage to the area. If the scar is left behind it takes few days to heal proceeded by hair growth which takes about weeks.
Then the extracted hair is prepared and sorted for treatment.
Then the follicles are implanted in the scalp by making small incisions by microsurgical needles generally in a group formation of 1-4 to give a natural and recognizable look.
To create a natural hairline transacted hair are used, which will start to grow within weeks naturally. The length of your hair depends upon the follicular units grafts. Approximately 12 months later you will have re-grown hair.
You can get the discharge immediately after the treatment. In 5-7 days the healing takes place after which the redness and swelling disappear.
Advantages of Follicular Unit Extraction

Easy recovery: As there were small incisions made in the procedure which lowers the risk of widening which generally occurs in FUT procedure. This is the reason there are fewer limitations on exercise post-procedure.
Less scarring: FUE doesn t produce linear scarring on the donor's area because it doesn t require any sutures, scalpels; due to which you can wear your hair short too.
Quick healing: As there is less scarring, the time required for healing is very less as compared to FUT where the scarring is more, therefore, the healing is slow.
Disadvantages of follicular unit extraction

It s expensive: As the cost is decided on a number of sessions required for the procedure. FUE requires more sessions than FUT, as this transplants individual follicle units which are more time-consuming.
It s temporary: In most of the cases it doesn t last longer than FUT. because in this the follicular units are taken from a various area which leads to thinning of the donor zone and visible scarring.
Shaving: The one who doesn t like shaving can have a problem. Because FUE requires shaving of donor s area. Only in advanced procedures like long hair FUE, shaving is not required.

Follicle Transfer - Know The Benefits!

Lupus is an autoimmune disease, which is chronic i. e. Lasts for years or more than at least six weeks and may affect any part or organ of the body. The immune system fights off viruses, bacteria and germs by producing proteins known as antibodies. Autoimmune means that due to some defect, your immune system is unable to differentiate between the healthy tissues in your body and foreign invader that harms your body; thus creating antibodies that destroy the healthy tissues. This causes inflammation and damage to various parts of the bodies, leaving the sufferer in excruciating pain. 

Symptoms:
1. Fatigue: most of the people suffering from lupus experience weariness and fatigue. People usually take afternoon naps to remedy this. However, this may lead to insomnia. Talk to a doctor to successfully cure this symptom.
2. Unexplained fever: if you suffer from recurrent fever that hovers around 99 to 101 degrees fahrenheit, visit the doctor as soon as possible since this is a sign of infection or inflammation.
3. Hair loss: one of the most prominent symptoms of lupus is hair loss or thinning of hair. You may find your hair looking brittle, thin and ragged, including the hair on your eyebrows, eyelashes and other parts of the body. 
4. Lesions or skin rash: another prominent symptom is the butterfly rash that covers both the cheeks and the bridge of the nose and appears right before a flare up. This rash may occur all of a sudden or when exposed to the sunlight. Lupus also causes lesions and discoloration on various parts of the body due to exposure to sunlight or artificial light.
5. Pulmonary issues: lupus causes pleuritic chest pain due to painful inflammation in the lungs as well as the areas surrounding it such as diaphragm and lung blood vessels. This affects the patient's breathing process. Moreover, lupus is also known to decrease the size of the lung also called the" vanishing lung syndrome" that is identified by shortness of breath and chronic chest pain.
6. Kidney inflammation: most individuals suffering from lupus tend to develop nephritis that is inflammation in the kidneys. It is imperative to visit the doctor if you have symptoms of nephritis as it may cause end-stage renal disease (esrd) if untreated.

Symptoms of Lupus

Nails are an important part of your physiology, although they are mostly used for either utilitarian purposes such as gripping or for beauty purposes such as nail decorations. Nails themselves can go through infections which need not have underlying causes and thus can cause damage to that part of the tissue. One such disorder of the nail is onycholysis.

What is onycholysis?
This is a disorder where the nail on the finger or the toes starts to separate from the skin below. This happens little by little and usually starts at the tip and then progresses backward. The further back it progresses, the more nail tissue it destroys. While the entire nail may not be detached from the nail bed, parts of it may chip off, showing the tissue underneath.

Symptoms of onycholysis:

Jagged border between the pink flesh of the nail bed and the yellow edge of the nail
Detached nails become opaque, yellow or may turn green in color
Nail may become irregular in shape and size
Bits and chunks of nails can break off easily
Primary causes for onycholysis:

Let's look at some of the primary causes of onycholysis:

Frequent trauma - if you have a profession or work at home where you constantly require tapping away, it might cause minute injuries to build up within the nails and the fingers. Tapping on keyboards is one area where you could get repetitive trauma like this.
Manicure problems - many salons may aggressively try to clean the underside of the nails and in the process, slowly dislodge the nail form the nail bed and cause onycholysis. This has known to be the case with many people.
Water immersion - if you have work where your nails are immersed in water for long periods of time, this could also affect the development of onycholysis.
Skin diseases - certain skin conditions can also end up giving onycholysis. Psoriasis and contact dermatitis are other conditions that may lead to onycholysis as a consequence.
Allergy to nail glue - many makeup artists and customers have complained that certain brands of nail glue can also cause allergies resulting in onycholysis.
Medications - medications meant for the treatment of other ailments within the body can have the unintended consequences of causing onycholysis.
Treatment-
The underlying problems need to be corrected which may cause onycholysis. Once the underlying problem is corrected, onycholysis usually corrects itself. The nail may take some time to re-grow but will grow back on its own eventually and may take 4 to 6 months to cover the entire affected area again.


All About Onycholysis

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