Dr. Vikas Verma

Many women experience acne during pregnancy. It is most common during the first and second trimester. During pregnancy our body produces an increased amount of hormones called androgens which can cause the glands to grow and produce more oil. This oil leads to bacteria, inflammation, and breakouts. This is natural, and nothing to worry about from a health perspective. There is often no way to prevent acne during pregnancy as it is not possible to control the hormonal changes that lead to the problem. However, you can take following precautions to check its outbreak:

1. Use a mild, soap-free face wash or cleanser to clean your face daily. You should cleanse your face not more than twice a day.
2. Pat your skin dry after each wash as rubbing with towels or washcloths can irritate the facial skin, leading to the problem.
3. Use oil-free moisturizers, face wash and makeup.
4. Use an oil-free sunscreen lotion whenever going out during daytime.
5. Wear full-sleeve clothes to avoid exposing your skin to direct sunlight.
6. Wash your hair regularly especially if you have oily hair.
7. Maintain proper hygiene. Wash and clean your towels, pillowcases and hats regularly.
8. Drinking lots of water to flush to keep the skin hydrated.
9. Have a balanced diet containing plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables which are rich in vitamins A, E and B complex and fibre.
10. Avoid oily, greasy foods and fast foods.
11. Have adequate sleep and practice some relaxation techniques to avoid fatigue and stress.
12. Stop touching your face that often as bacteria from your fingers can pass on to your face.
13. Buy makeup products after utmost diligence.
14. You should also take zinc supplements to prevent acne.

If you still get acne despite following the above mentioned tips, then you should take appropriate medicine as prescribed by the dermatologist. Medicines like Clindamycin e.g. Cleocin T, Clindagel, Azelaic acid (Finacea, Azelex) and Erythromycin are considered safe during pregnancy. You can also apply the medicine only as recommended as most products are intended for daily or twice-daily use only. Also try some home remedies like apply a mixture of honey and ground oatmeal to your face and rinsing off gently. Massage gently with a plain carrier oil such as argan oil or olive oil. You can also consider applying aloe vera gel to cure acne. These treatments will not be as effective as taking medicines though.

However, avoid hormone therapy including anti-androgens like spironolactone, flutamide and estrogen as these can lead to major developmental changes to the foetus. Oral tetracycyclines and topical retinoids should also be avoided. Accutane also leads to increased risk of miscarriage, hence do not even consider it. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Gynaecologist.

Stress, worry, anxiety, and inadequate nutrition lead to hair loss and premature graying of hair. A certain amount of hair loss is considered normal, as old strands are replaced by new. When hair loss is excessive, care must be taken. Similarly, the graying of hair after a certain age is a normal phenomenon, but when this starts in the early years of life, one should look into for remedies.

Causes

Increased intake of fried, sour, spicy, salty, and fermented foods, as well as tea and coffee, aggravate the Pitta Dosha (Ayurvedic humor representing Fire) in the body. This Pitta accumulates in the skin of the scalp, leading to hair falling out and graying prematurely. Factors like excessive anger and stress are also responsible. Excessive consumption of alcohol and meat also aggravate Pitta.

Symptoms

• Loss of hair

Ayurvedic Hair Loss and Premature Graying Treatment

Hair loss is known as Khalitya in Ayurveda. According to Ayurveda, hair is a byproduct of bone formation and the tissue responsible for building bones is also responsible for the growth of hair. Early hair loss is related to body type and the balance of the mind-body constitution (doshas). People who have excess Pitta in their body are likely to lose their hair early in life, or have prematurely thin or gray hair. Excess Pitta in the sebaceous gland, at the root of the hair, or folliculitis can lead to hair loss.

Ayurvedic treatment of hair loss is aimed at pacification of Pitta through a customized diet and lifestyle regime, along with medication. A combination of diet, herbs, oil massage, meditation, aromatherapy, breathing and yoga can be beneficial in addressing the problem of hair loss and premature graying of hair.

Diet & Lifestyle Advice

• Avoid Pitta-aggravating foods like spicy, heavy, and oily foods, as well as tea and coffee.

• Avoid refined foods, refined sugar, junk food, and alcoholic and carbonated drinks.

• Increase intake of fresh fruits, green leafy vegetables, and vegetable juice prepared from lettuce, carrot, capsicum, and alfalfa.

• Avoid using chemical products on the hair. Try herbal oils and shampoos instead.

Home Remedies

• Mix powdered Indian gooseberry (amla) and sesame seeds in equal amounts. Take 1 teaspoon twice a day with water.

What are blackheads?
Blackheads are basically a form of acne that contains oxidised melanin; melanin is the pigment that is secreted by the skin cells, known as melanocytes. They get lodged within the pores of the skin and can give a nasty appearance. It looks like little black dots on the skin and gives an uneven appearance.

Why are they caused?
Clogged pores have an all around depicted pathogenesis:

1. The sebaceous organs overproduce sebum (and skin cell abundance may likewise be an element)
2. The abundant sebum bunches together with dead skin cells and hinder the hair follicle (the base and trench in the skin from which a hair strand develops)
3. The open comedones uncover this plug of sebum to the air, bringing about oxidation of the sleek, waxy substance, turning it into a dark colour.

As laid out above, clogged pores are a consequence of strange sebum production, frequently combined with abundance of skin cells, bringing about blocked pores. While we comprehend this procedure, the explanations behind the extra creation of sebum are less clear.

Hormonal changes amid adolescence are the most widely recognized trigger for excess sebum generation. Less basic are changes because of menstrual periods, pregnancy and conception prevention pills. The male sex hormone, ‘androgen’ triggers more noteworthy over-production of sebum and higher turnover of skin cells and its creation surges in both young men and young ladies amid adolescence.

An over-secretion of androgen hormones in grown-up ladies may expand the dangers of clogged pores and different types of skin inflammation, and also hirsutism (extreme hair development). Different variables for skin break outs and the occurrence of clogged pores include:
1. Beauty care products, chemicals and garments that cover pores
2. Substantial sweating or high dampness
3. Dietary variables, ailment or pharmaceuticals that support fast skin cell turnover
4. Certain steroid drugs aggravate skin inflammation or cause comparative skin eruptions.

How is it treated?
Having a small number of blackheads is categorised as mild acne. It is treated as per its severity; so spotting a few sporadic blackheads on your face might not warrant immediate medical attention. However, severe cases should be medically attended to, in order to prevent scarring and further aggravations.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Melanoma, also referred to as malignant melanoma, is a type of cancer. It evolves from the color or pigment containing cells known as melanocytes. Melanomas normally happen in the skin, yet may once in a while it may happen in the mouth, guts, or eyes as well. In women, it generally happens in the legs, while in men they are most regularly on the back. Sometime a mole may also raise your concern by increasing in size, developing abnormal edges, a change of color or itching and irritability. This may also prompt breakdown of the skin.

Some general facts on melanoma are mentioned below:
1. More than one million new instances of skin cancer or melanoma are analyzed every year.
2. There has been a 2000% increase in rate of melanoma since the year 1930. One out of fifty get affected by this cancer.
3. This is common in young women and causes many deaths.
4. Women below the age of forty are at more risk of getting melanoma than any other kind of cancer such as breast cancer.
5. There has been a high rise in the rate of melanoma from 1970 to 2008. There has been an 800% increase in young women and 400% increase in case of similar aged men.
6. Early recognition makes melanoma treatable. It is screened for growth very minimally.

Primary causes:

1. The most primary cause of melanoma is ultraviolet light (UV) in people with a low level of skin pigment. The UV light might be from either the sun or from different sources, for example, tanning devices. Around 25% of cases occur from or in the form of moles. 
2. Those with numerous moles, presence of the disease in family members and who have poor immunity are at more noteworthy risk to get melanoma. Various uncommon hereditary defects, such as xeroderma pigmentosum increase the risk of melanoma.
3. The individuals who work on airplanes seem to have an expanded danger, due to more contact with UV rays.
4. Ultraviolet UVB light of wavelengths between 315 - 280 nm from the sun react with the skin cell DNA and result in a kind of direct DNA harm called cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs). 

In order to stay away or avoid melanoma, you should:

1. Spend less time in direct sunlight and should seek shade.
2. Avoid the sun at peak hours.
3. Examine your skin at times for some kind of change.
4. Keep away from tanning salons.

Melanoma is a dangerous form of cancer and causes a lot of deaths. You should stay away from anything that causes melanoma.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!