Dr. Priyanka Agarwal

If you lose about 50-100 strands of hair each day, but the loss is not visible as new hair grow in their place. However, if you lose more than a 100 strands in a day and more than 200 strands on the day you shampoo, you may be suffering from what is known as excessive hair fall.

Following are the conditions that lead to hair loss:

• PCOS: In polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), your body makes more male hormones, or androgen, than it should. This can cause the extra hair on your face and body while the hair on your head thins out.
• The Pill: The hormones that suppress ovulation can also thin out your hair. You can also lose hair when you stop taking the pill.
• Crash Diets: You may lose more than weight with a fad diet. And if you lose weight more rapidly, you might also lose hair in a couple of months.
• Deficiency: A longstanding deficiency of Iron, Folic acid, and other nutrients can also trigger off hair loss and cause hair thinning.
• Thyroid Problems: If the thyroid makes too much or too little thyroid hormone, you may develop progressive thinning of hair all over the scalp.
• Medicines: Drugs like blood thinners, methotrexate, cholesterol lowering medications, chemotherapeutic agents, anti-depressants etc. can cause hair loss and thinning.
• Childbirth: Hair seems fuller during pregnancy because high hormone levels keep resting hairs from falling out. But after the baby comes, things go back to normal and those strands will fall out quickly. You could lose a lot of hair at once.
• Cancer treatment: Chemo and radiation therapy can take a toll on your hair. In their quest to kill cancer cells, both can harm hair follicles and trigger dramatic hair loss. Extreme stress e.g. a serious illness, major surgery, trauma involving blood loss, severe emotional disturbance etc., can cause you to suddenly shed huge amounts of hair. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Dermatologist.

Healthy skin is a sign of overall good health and vitality. Skin problem is one of the most persistent problems encountered by people. Blessed are the people who enjoy a flawless, radiant and healthy skin throughout their lives. Pollution, stress and unhealthy lifestyle have been affecting mankind like never before.

Let us check out what all you need to be careful about for a great skin:

1. Elasticity: One must keep the skin clean and use anti aging products in a timely manner along with a good moisturiser and sunscreen, so that the supple quality and glow is kept intact with a regular cleanse of the collagen, which can be prevented from slipping away due to neglect. This collagen keeps the elasticity of the skin which makes the skin look firm and young.
2. Free Radicals: The particles or molecules that escape from dust, pollution and other such factors in everyday urban living, settle on the skin and clog the pores. It is important to clean the skin every single day and exfoliate at least once a week with a trip to the salon or with a facial scrub at home, so that these can be removed.
3. Prevention: One must clean the skin and use skin care products that prevent premature aging and accumulation of free radicals. Prevention is better than cure and this stands true in the case of skin care as well.
4. UV Rays: The powerful UV rays can hit your skin persistently and cause long term damage and sun spots. In order to lessen the damaging effect, it is important to use protective skin care products that will help in keeping freckles, age spots, brown spots, skin peeling and excessive sunburn and tanning at bay.
5. Skin Problems and Allergies: Bug bites, injuries and other allergies must be taken care of instantly with a visit to the doctor or medicated creams and medication. This will ensure that the delicate texture of the skin does not get marred by possible infection.

It is important to look after your skin with a proper routine of cleansing, toning and moisturising. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Dermatologist.

Laser hair removal is a permanent hair removal method that makes use of laser beams to reach the hair follicles before the light from the beam is absorbed by the same. This method is preferred by people who do not want to go in for traditional methods like waxing, tweezing and epilating as these require regular sessions and may not always be convenient.

So, here's all you need to know about laser hair removal:

1. Precision: The laser beam that is set on to the skin gets absorbed by the pigment present in the hair follicles. Each pulse of this laser will take a nano second to treat many follicles at one time. The areas like the upper lip and the bikini line can be treated in a matter of minutes. 
2. Duration: Most people going through this treatment will require at least five to seven sessions so as to attain permanent hair loss. 
3. Preparation: The procedure does not merely consist of a process that zaps the unwanted hair. Considerable preparation has to go into it, especially since it a long term treatment method. Avoid waxing or electrolysis at least six weeks before the treatment as this may make the skin tender. Also, since the laser beams affect the hair roots that it can catch, it is best to have them grown out so that the procedure is more effective. Also, you will need to limit your time in the sun before going in for the procedure. 
4. Trimming: Before the procedure actually starts, the hair will require trimming. A few millimetres will be removed, just above the surface of the skin. 
5. Adjustments: Once the trimming is done, the laser equipment will be trained on your skin for a process of adjustment which will involve studying and adjusting as per the colour, thickness and the site of hair removal. Also, the adjustment will be done in terms of the skin colour.
6. Protection: Before the laser pulses are administered, the expert will need to wear eye protection and cover the site of hair removal with a cooling gel that will protect the skin. Also, a test pulse will be administered on to a small patch first, in order to see if there is any reaction or inflammation.
7. Aftermath: After the procedure, the application of anti-inflammatory creams and lotions will take place, following which the next session will be scheduled. Usually, the next session will be three to four weeks later.

You must make sure that you going to a well-known clinic where the laser hair removal process is conducted by an expert. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Dermatologist.

As we age, the fat volume on our face slowly starts decreasing. This results in the skin hanging loose and sagging down. Wrinkles also appear on the surface of the skin. This phenomenon is purely natural and happens to every human being with age. Maintaining freshness and everlasting youth is quite a tough task. Loosened skin does not look good and cuts down your appeal. However, there are some natural ways of skin tightening, which may make your skin maintain its tightness for a longer time period. Nowadays, surgeries for skin tightening are popular, but sticking to natural means is always best for your body. 

Here are some common ways of skin tightening:

1. Facial Masks: Facial masks are effective in removing extra oil from the skin. Accumulated dirt on your skin pores is also cleansed by using facial masks. They are pocket friendly and as an outcome, you look fresh and glowing.
2. Facial Massages: Good quality moisturizers and special lotions are good for skin tightening. These have to be massaged onto your face in a circular pattern. Due to rubbing of the lotion on your skin, it reaches the inside and provides nourishment. You should preferably apply these creams or moisturizers before going to bed as new skin cells replace existing ones during the night time. The skin is very delicate and proper care must be taken.
3. Exercise: Exercising on a regular basis is a healthy habit and it also helps in skin tightening. Women in their pregnancy stages, experience sagging or loosening of the skin. Inversion exercises help in increasing blood flow to a great extent and are recommended for tightening of facial skin. Performing a headstand rejuvenates skin cells. This is because, while doing a headstand the blood flows in the direction of your head.
4. A balanced diet and plenty of water intake: If you want to maintain tight skin tissue, a proper balanced diet is quite essential. Your diet should comprise of every vital nutrient. Ensure that you are including a sufficient amount of proteins, minerals and vitamins in your diet. Fresh fruits and vegetables account for natural skin tightening. Fibers must also be consumed. Intake of plenty of water is very important for healthy skin. You should drink more than 4 liters of water a day. In case of hot and humid days, the amount should be increased even more.

If you maintain the stated points in your life, you will be able to naturally maintain your skin tightness and keep away from surgery.

Scabies is a skin condition that causes the skin to itch. It is caused by a tiny burrowing mite, which is called Sarcoptes scabei. The presence of the mite in the burrowed areas causes intense itching, especially at night. This a contagious condition, which can quickly spread through physical contact in places like nursing homes, schools, prisons etc. Scabies is easily treatable by applying lotions to the skin that may kill the mite. Yet, one may still experience itching for several weeks.

The eight legged mite that causes the condition is microscopic. The female mite burrows just beneath the skin and makes a tunnel where it deposits eggs. These eggs hatch, mature and spread to the other areas of the skin or to the skin of other people. The body's allergic reaction to the mites, their eggs and wastes causes the itching.

Symptoms
Some of the symptoms of the conditions are severe itching, narrow irregular burrow tracks, which look like blisters or bumps on your skin. The burrow tracks generally appear in the folds of the skin. The common sites of the condition are between the fingers, armpits, around the waist, soles of your feet, knees, shoulder blades etc.

Complications
Some of the complications of the condition are:

1. Vigorous scratching, which can break your skin and can cause a secondary infection such as impetigo. This superficial skin infection is usually caused by the staphylococci bacteria.
2. Severe scratching can also lead to damaged and reddened skin, which in severe cases can start to bleed.

Risk factors
Crusted scabies, also known as Norwegian scabies is a severe form of the condition, which affects certain high risk groups, such as:

1. People with chronic medical conditions, such as HIV/Aids or chronic leukemia
2. Older people in nursing homes
3. People who are very ill

Related Tip: "Must Know Risk Factors and Complication of Scabies"

The skin is known as the largest organ in the human body. It covers us from top to toe and has three layers: 

1. Epidermis: The outermost layer
2. Dermis: Lies just beneath the Epidermis 
3. Hypodermis: It holds the fat and connective tissue

Our skin requires constant care and protection because it is exposed to the ravages of pollution, dust and harmful UV rays. Let us consider the following reasons for taking care of the skin.

1. Free Radicals: The particles or molecules that escape from dust, pollution and other such factors in everyday urban living, settle on the skin and clog the pores. It is important to clean the skin every single day and exfoliate at least once a week with a trip to the salon or with a facial scrub at home, so that these can be removed.
2. Dead Cells: The skin throws up dead cells on a daily basis, which may not be obvious to the naked eye. These need to be cleared daily as they can also clog the pores and give rise to acne, skin infection and other skin conditions, that can take a turn for the worse with ailments like Melanoma and skin cancer.
3. Elasticity: One must keep the skin clean and use anti aging products in a timely manner along with a good moisturiser and sunscreen, so that the supple quality and glow is kept intact with a regular cleanse of the collagen, which can be prevented from slipping away due to neglect. This collagen keeps the elasticity of the skin which makes the skin look firm and young.
4. Prevention: One must clean the skin and use skin care products that prevent premature aging and accumulation of free radicals. Prevention is better than cure and this stands true in the case of skin care as well. 
5. UV Rays: The powerful UV rays can hit your skin persistently and cause long term damage and sun spots. In order to lessen the damaging effect, it is important to use protective skin care products that will help in keeping freckles, age spots, brown spots, skin peeling and excessive sunburn and tanning at bay. 
6. Skin Problems and Allergies: Bug bites, injuries and other allergies must be taken care of instantly with a visit to the doctor or medicated creams and medication. This will ensure that the delicate texture of the skin does not get marred by possible infection.

It is important to look after your skin with a proper routine of cleansing, toning and moisturising.