Health News and Information » Skin Care http://justpharma.net Your source for medical news, health, fitness, and food and nutrition Tue, 26 Jul 2011 11:19:58 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 SKIN AND DISEASE: USE OF HOT FOMENTATIONS http://justpharma.net/2011/04/skin-and-disease-use-of-hot-fomentations/ http://justpharma.net/2011/04/skin-and-disease-use-of-hot-fomentations/#comments Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:04:15 +0000 admin http://justpharma.net/?p=179 In many cases where there is a collection of pus near the surface of the body – as in the case of boils, septic spots and minor abscesses – the hot fomentation is indispensable. It helps to soften the skin so that natural drainage may take place, and the heat appears to hasten the “ripening” process. But there are many other skin troubles where the hot fomentation may be used with great advantage. In some such cases the skin in certain parts of the body will become hardened and form thick scales, showing that the normal function of elimination is too slow. Such areas need to be stimulated into greater activity, and there is no better measure than heat applied in a moist fomentation.A piece of woolen cloth should be wrung out in water as hot as can be borne and then applied to the parts; this should be well covered by a dry material to keep in the heat, and the whole fomentation changed when it has cooled off. It is often made still more effective in restoring flexibility to the skin if a little olive oil has been gently anointed to the surface before the fomentation is applied.The hot fomentation may be used to great advantage in some of the chronic skin complaints, like psoriasis, for example, where years of faulty skin action have led to changes in the superficial tissues. Some of these troubles become so extensive that they may cover almost the whole of the body, and then the baths mentioned earlier may be the proper treatment. But generally speaking, there are patches which will be found to be more affected than others, and these should receive the extra stimulation of the hot fomentation.A dressing with a little olive oil is often very useful after the fomentation. It may be applied to the surface in very small quantities and allowed to be absorbed, or a little may be applied to a cloth and worn over the parts for a few hours.
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]]> http://justpharma.net/2011/04/skin-and-disease-use-of-hot-fomentations/feed/ 0 SKIN CARE: MELANOMA http://justpharma.net/2009/05/skin-care-melanoma/ http://justpharma.net/2009/05/skin-care-melanoma/#comments Fri, 08 May 2009 14:41:24 +0000 admin http://justpharma.net/2009/05/skin-care-melanoma/ This is a malignant tumour of melanocytes, which are the melanin and pigment producing cells in the basal layer of the epidermis. It is by far the most dangerous and life-threatening form of all cancers. Two-thirds of all skin cancer deaths are attributable to it. Like other skin cancers, the frequency of melanomas appear to be increasing—and not because of better or earlier recognition.

Causes. The incidence is greatest where light-skinned Caucasians are exposed to large amounts of solar radiation. Unlike S.C.C.s or B.C.C.s, melanomas are not found predominantly on sun-exposed areas—one-third of tumours occur on the trunk. The greatest incidence in the world is in Queensland.

Occasionally a mole may undergo malignant change and become a melanoma. However, considering the number of moles in the population, this happens relatively rarely; melanomas of this origin account for probably less than one-third of melanomas.

Features. Melanomas may vary considerably in appearance. However they usually all have some degree of colour or pigmentation to them. This is usually not uniform, and the edges are commonly irregular. The pigmentation may range from tan through blue to black, or from between red and brown to blue and black. Sometimes a melanoma is quite flat and flush with the skin surface, or on the other hand it may appear as a raised lump.

Some of the characteristics that may be observed in a mole which should arouse suspicion are:

colour change—either becoming darker or more variable in colour size change—becoming larger or irregular in outline surface roughness, scales, ulceration, or bleeding itching or pain

Treatment. The treatment for melanomas is basically surgical excision. If the diagnosis is uncertain, this should be preceded by a biopsy. The surgery of melanomas is usually fairly extensive (that is! wide and deep) because of the poor prognoses for advanced cases. Usually, a fairly large margin of normal skin is taken out with the melanoma, and a skin graft applied. The more radical approach of the past, in which the lymph glands close to the affected skin were also removed, is no longer practised.

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