It is common for skin to get dry and the condition is marked by less than the required water in the epidermis (the topmost skin layer). Males and females are equally affected by it. With age, the incidences for having dry skin increases. Elderly people tend to have less amount of natural lubricants and oil in the skin. Areas like the hands, lower legs and arms are more prone to have dry skin. Atmospheric humidity also affects the dryness of skin. It is called xerosic dermatitis or xeroderma.

It might be temporary and mild and may last for some days. In some cases, it can become a severe long-term problem. Dry skin symptoms encompass itching, discomfort and skin tightness. Winters and dry, cold air also affects your skin and the result is dry skin.

Why it normally occurs?
Individuals who wash or sanitize their hands more often can experience a greater degree of dry skin.

Medications may also induce this condition.
The epidermis layer of the skin normally has protein and fat, which prevents dehydration in the skin. When the fatty oils in the skin are removed, the moisture and protection of the skin is lost. The skin becomes more sensitive and breakdowns easily when it gets dried. It might cause the skin to become powdered or may be invisible.
Red rash may appear if dry skin is left untreated. Simple treatment and prevention measures have been effective in dry skin treatment.
Avoid chemical cleansers and harsh soaps is an effective way to prevent dry skin. Moisturisers and bland emollient application on a regular basis have shown effectiveness for treating the condition.
Cellulitis, bacterial infections and eczema might be complications arising from dry skin. Thankfully, dry skin generally is mild and the remedies are easy.
Generalised winter itching is also called winter itch and can be seen commonly amongst older people. It is mainly caused due to dry skin.
People suffering from eczema may also experience winter itch. 
Cold temperature and low humidity can make the dry skin worse in winters.

Dry Skin - Why It Normally Happens?

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:

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.

Onycholysis - How It Can Affect Your Nails?

Between a woman dressed in a satin dress and another dressed in cotton, who do you think was more comfortable? The lady dressed in cotton ofcourse! It isn't the length of the dress that dictates this answer but the breathability of the fabric.

Breathability can be defined as the fabric's ability to allow air and moisture to pass through it. This is determined by the composition of fibers and how tightly they are woven together. Wearing breathable fabric helps your skin breathe by allowing sweat to evaporate rather than block skin pores. This also helps regulate your body's temperature. So, when you go shopping for your summer wardrobe, look out for these fabrics.

1 Cotton
Cotton is a natural fiber hat can be found in a number of varieties. However, not all of them are breathable. For your skin to breathe, avoid cotton blends and stick to 100% cotton fabric. Seersucker and madras cotton are great for summer. Cotton clothes are ideal for dry summers as well as humid conditions.

2 Linen
The light weight nature of linen makes it an extremely breathable fabric. This natural fiber also absorbs moisture very well.

3 Light Silk
Silk is often termed as a winter material but light silks are ideal for any weather. Silk is highly absorbent and dries quickly thus allowing your skin to breathe. It also has natural climate regulating properties that allow it to stay cool in summers and warm in winters. Silk is also the most hypoallergenic fabric available.

4 Chambray
Chambray is a breathable alternative to denims. While heavy weight chambray has a rugged appeal, light weight chambray can have a casual as well as dressy appeal.

On that note, here are a few fabrics to avoid

1 Nylon
Nylon is a completely synthetic material with low absorption and a water repellant nature. Thus not only will it not allow sweat to evaporate, it will trap your sweat within your clothes. This is both uncomfortable and unhealthy.

2 Polyester and Polyester blends
Like nylon, polyester is water repellent and thus allows perspiration to between your clothes and your skin causing the garment to stick to the body. Don't assume a polyester cotton blend to be any better as even a 40% synthetic presence can keep the fabric from absorbing sweat.

3 Viscose or Rayon
Both these fabrics are often passed off as cotton. However they do not have the absorption or breathability nature of cotton. While it will not trap heat like nylon and polyester, rayon also repels water thus leading to a perspiration build up.

4 Satin
Satin is produced by weaving nylon and polyester together and hence is synthetic and does not allow the skin to breathe. Also satin is thick and heavy.

Which kind of clothing lets your skin breathe?

What is endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a common condition where cells of the lining of the womb (the endometrium) are found elsewhere, usually in the pelvis and around the womb, ovaries and fallopian tubes. It mainly affects women during their reproductive years. Endometriosis is not an infection and it is not contagious.

What are the symptoms?

The main symptoms of endometriosis are pelvic pain, pain during or after sex and painful, sometimes heavy periods. It may cause problems with getting pregnant. It can affect many areas of a woman s life including her general physical health, emotional wellbeing and daily routine. Many women may have no symptoms. It is a long-term condition. Some women with endometriosis become pregnant easily while others have difficulty getting pregnant.

What causes endometriosis?

Endometriosis occurs when the cells of the lining of the womb are found in other parts of the body, usually the pelvis. Each month this tissue outside the womb thickens and breaks down and bleeds in the same way as the lining of the womb. This internal bleeding into the pelvis, unlike a period, has no way of leaving the body. This causes inflammation, pain and damage to the reproductive organs. Less commonly, endometriosis may occur on the bowel and bladder, or deep within the muscle wall of the uterus (adenomyosis). It can also rarely be found in other parts of the body.

The symptoms of endometriosis are common and could be caused by a number of other conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).

There is no simple test for endometriosis.
Your gynaecologist may examine your pelvic area, this will include an internal examination.
You may be offered a scan. This can identify whether there is an endometriosis cyst in the ovaries. A normal scan does not rule out endometriosis.
For most women, having a laparoscopy is the only way to confirm endometriosis; because of this, it is often referred to as the  gold standard  test. This allows the gynaecologist to see the pelvic organs clearly and look for any endometriosis.
Several factors may influence your decision about treatment. These include:

How you feel about your situation
Your age
Whether your main symptom is pain or problems getting pregnant
What treatment can I get?

The options for treatment may be:

Pain relief

Hormone treatments: There is a range of hormone treatments to stop or reduce ovulation (the release of an egg) to allow the endometriosis to shrink or disappear. The hormonal methods below are contraceptives and will prevent you from becoming pregnant:

The combined oral contraceptive (COC) pill or patch. These contain the hormones estrogen and progestogen and work by preventing ovulation and can make your periods lighter, shorter and less painful.
The intrauterine system (IUS): this is a small T-shaped device which releases the hormone progestogen. This helps to reduce the pain and makes periods lighter. Some women get no periods at all.
The hormonal methods below are non-contraceptive, so contraception will be needed if you do not want to become pregnant:
Use of hormonal progestogens or testosterone derivatives
GnRH agonists are drugs that prevent estrogen being produced by the ovaries and cause a temporary and reversible menopause.
Some women find that recreational exercise improves their wellbeing, which may help to improve some symptoms of endometriosis.

Surgery: Surgery can be used to remove areas of endometriosis. There are different types of surgery, depending on where the endometriosis is and how extensive it is. How successful the surgery is can vary and you may need further surgery.

Laparoscopic surgery: The gynaecologist removes patches of endometriosis by destroying them or cutting them out.
Laparotomy: If the endometriosis is severe and extensive, you may be offered a laparotomy. This is major surgery which involves a cut in the abdomen, usually in the bikini line.
Hysterectomy: Some women have surgery to remove their womb (a hysterectomy) with or without the ovaries. Depending upon your own situation, your doctor should discuss hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with you if you have your ovaries removed.
What if I am having difficulty getting pregnant?

Getting pregnant can be a problem for some women with endometriosis. Your doctor should provide you with full information about your options such as assisted conception. If you become pregnant, endometriosis is unlikely to put your pregnancy at risk.

Endometriosis - Signs & Symptoms That Indicate It!

We think that the recent scientific discoveries have benefited our life and health to a great extent. But do we have any idea that how good our ancient Ayurveda Science is and how good it can act in solving our several health related issues?

No wonder, most of us do not know. But yes, Ayurvedic medicines are much beneficial without the side effects that most of the synthetic drugs discovered these days possess.
In this article, we will discuss on Bhringraaj and how good it is for our health.

Bhringraaj Powder and Its Benefits

Liver health: You can possess a good liver health with Bhringraaj powder as this consists of flavonoids and other chemicals like wedelolactone. Jaundice and hepatitis can be cured by consuming this powder in prescribed doses.
Anti microbial properties: Bhringraaj has antimicrobial effects. It can resist almost nine bacterial strains.
Tooth ache: Bhringraaj is a very good relief from a toothache. Just rub the powder on the gums and see the result in some time. The ethanolic extract and alkaloids help in this pain relief.
Treats upset stomach: If you are suffering from an upset stomach, then this powder can help you. The various organic and chemical compounds present in bhringraaj help in this natural treatment.
Respiratory problem treatment: If you get an infection in your respiratory tract, then consuming Bhringraaj powder can treat the infection and remove phlegm from your respiratory tract.
Hair health: Bhringraaj powder is good for hair health. If you are suffering from baldness, then this powder can stimulate the hair follicles thus re-growing hair.
Eye health: Some chemical compounds are formed in our body that creates cataract and other eye problems. But Bhringraaj powder has some neutralizing power, which damages the free radicals causing such ailments.
Heart health: Bhringraaj powder can help in reducing cholesterol level and prevent heart ailments. Though not strongly proved, still it is thought that the diuretic effects of Bhringraaj help in this remedy.
Cancer prevention: Bhringraaj powder is a fantastic solution for liver cancer. It stops cancer cells from proliferating and spreading.
Treats cholera: If Bhringraaj powder is consumed three times a day for three days, then it is likely to cure cholera.
Relieves body ache: Body ache is relieved if the powder is consumed according to a prescribed dose.
Treats ulcer: Applying Bhringraaj powder on the ulcers can cure it magically.
How to use: You can cook your food with this powder. The best part is that it does not have any side effects, but is loaded with benefits.

Bhringraaj (False Daisy) - 12 Important Benefits Of It!

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!

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