SKIN IN CHILDHOOD: MORE ABOUT SUNBURN

admin — Wed, 18 May 2011 14:03:53 +0000

Sunburn is caused predominantly by ultraviolet В light and therefore can be totally prevented. It is more likely to occur in the summer months when the ultraviolet В rays are strongest, especially between 10.00 a.m. and 3.00 p.m. Sunburn can also occur in winter, especially when the sun reflects off surfaces such as snow and water. It is quite possible to get sun-burnt on cloudy days, as cloudy weather will only ever block out about twenty per cent of ultraviolet rays.
Preventing sunburn To prevent sunburn in children, they should remain indoors between 10.00 a.m. and 3.00 p.m., especially in summer. Hopefully, schools will eventually adopt this policy in relation to playtimes and scheduling sports activities. Outdoors, physical shade should be used as much as possible to protect the skin. This includes wearing wide-brimmed hats and clothing which covers the arms and legs, and using umbrellas and trees for shade.When playing outdoors in summer, children should wear a factor 15 sunscreen on all exposed parts of the body. Factor 15 sunscreens protect the skin very well from sunburn, particularly if they are re-applied every one to two hours. They should also be re-applied after swimming or any activity which has induced sweating as they tend to ‘wash off. On very sensitive areas such as the nose and ears stronger sunscreens are needed. These include zinc cream as well as Clinique Continuous Coverage and other thick make-ups. These products are superior to all sunscreens. Although fluorescent zinc creams have become very popular, they are a nightmare to remove from clothing, bathrooms and walls. It may be best to avoid these deceptively appealing preparations and opt for the more standard creams instead.
Treating sunburnOnce sunburn has occurred, the skin is damaged and the consequences will probably become evident in the long term. Any treatment will only provide symptomatic relief. Cold, wet compresses of diluted vinegar (one part vinegar to ten parts water), baking soda or any other cooling preparation will make the skin feel more comfortable, and taking one or two aspirin will help decrease pain and inflammation. Topical anesthetic and antihistamine creams should not be used as they can produce severe allergic reactions. If a child has severe sunburn, he or she should be taken to a doctor as cortisone creams are very effective.
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SKIN CARE: ACNE- TREATMENT

admin — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:21:25 +0000

Acne surgery is a term commonly used in the United States to describe various surgical approaches to the treatment of certain acne complications. The simplest form is the application of liquid nitrogen via a roller or swab to the affected areas. This is a very cold liquid which effects a mild burn and peeling results. If there are large, single blocked pores, these may be expressed with a special comedone extractor. If there should be large cysts or scars, these may be injected with steroid preparations which promote shrinkage and healing. If there is residual disturbing scarring after the condition has become quiescent, then dermabrasion may be useful.

Dermabrasion involves planing the skin to a smooth consistency, using a diamond chip disc rotating extremely fast. This is attached to a hand-held electric apparatus like a dental drill. It can be done in a dermatologist’s office, using an appropriate local anaesthetic spray which also freezes the skin to make it firm to work with. This procedure is limited to severe and well-localized scarring, but should not be performed during the active stage of the condition. It does not require hospitalization, and the patient is usually able to return to normal activities within ten to fourteen days.

Superficial X-ray therapy used to be a form of treatment but is not generally recommended nowadays.

Squeezing or picking the ubiquitous pimple is certainly in advisable. Injudicious interference will possibly result in expressing most of the infective material, but some will invariably be pushed deeper, causing continuing problems. Furthermore, as a result, healing is prolonged and scarring a common consequence.

The place of diet in the management of acne is still controversial. This is due mainly to the difficulty of running a well controlled, matched, double-blind trial. However, in practice, many patients derive considerable improvement from avoiding certain derivatives of the cocoa bean, including chocolate, cocoa, cola and also coffee. Similarly, iodized salt and bromides frequently aggravate the condition. Yet there seems to be no evidence to implicate high fat, sugar-containing or milk-based foods.

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SKIN IN CHILDHOOD: MORE ABOUT SUNBURN

SKIN CARE: ACNE- TREATMENT