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Flat or elevated, pink brown or darker skin lesions usually growing during the first, second and third decades of life. Patients with many naevi (for example over 50) do need to be highly self-observant about the possibility of malignant melanoma development.
Inflammatory spots on the face usually in adolescence but also commonly seen in young adults. Treatment usually brings about very satisfactory improvment
Usually seen on sunshine exposed areas of skin for example the backs of the hands, forearms, upper shoulders. Usually a slightly thickened red and scaly patch of skin which fails to repond to simple moisturisers etc
Usually a very widespread red irritable rash results from taking oral medication for example antibiotics. Many different drugs and medications can be responsible.
A dry scaly irritated skin rash, linked to asthma and hay fever, commoner in children but can affect any age. The word "dermatitis means precisely the same thing as eczema.
Erosions of the skin surface down to raw tissue beneath, typically around the lower legs and ankles in patients with circulation problems and varicose veins.
A widespread scaly rash across the body but sometimes more localised to sweaty areas - the skin can be either increased in pigmentation or decreased in the affected areas.
This is a simple medical term meaning "itch" but a number of patients get widespread itch without a rash and this can be linked to internal disease and may require medical investigation.
A red scaly eruption of the skin with a genetic tendency and sometimes linked to arthritis. It has many different appearances depending upon the body site.
Pale brown or sometimes darker brown warty lesions which look a bit like a cauliflower under magnification. Sometimes patients get a very large number of these.
An irregular scaly red patch of skin becoming more thickened and eventually turning into a lump or tumour. This is a cancerous problem and requires specialised treatment.
This is a medical term referring to a fungal infection of the skin - athletes foot is one example but sometimes patients get this problem in other body areas and it can be difficult to diagnose.
Usually seen on sunshine exposed areas of skin for example the backs of the hands, forearms, upper shoulders. Usually a slightly thickened red and scaly patch of skin which fails to repond to simple moisturisers etc
This is pronounced - ak tin nik / keh rat toes sis. These are scaly patches of different sizes appearing on skin which has been exposed to excess sunshine.
Bad skin can cause not only physical symptoms but psychological issues, so it is tremendously important to seek expert advice if you are effected.
The condition is characterised by blockage and inflammation of the hair follicles and associated sebaceous (natural oil producing) glands of the face, chest and upper back. Appearances vary from mild greasiness of the skin together with some blackhead (or 'comedone') formation to severely inflame cysts in rare cases.
Sometimes blackheads do not appear but blockage of the sebaceous glands leads to the formation of 'whiteheads' (or 'closed comedones') instead. These are very small white or skin-coloured spots. Inflammation of either form of comedone will lead to the appearance of severely inflamed acne spots.
The aim of treatment is to reduce the overall numbers of comedones and to reduce the likelihood of the different types of comedones from turning into inflamed spots or cysts. Treatment is a combination of 'topical' agents (things which are applied to the outside surface of the skin) and (systemic' agents (things which are taken by mouth to act on the skin from within).
It is very important that you understand that no form of treatment for acne will be fully effective in less than twelve weeks. You must persist with regular treatment for the whole period before seeing any response. Tablets are often much more effective if they do not mix with food in the stomach. Your stomach will be empty two hours after your last meal or drink containing milk. You should not take anything other than water for 40 min after your tablets. You may need to find four times during the day (depending on what dose of treatment you are on) during which these rules can be followed; two helpful times are before breakfast and before going to bed.
The topical applications are not intended to treat inflamed red spots, they are designed to prevent the progress of comedones into spots. Therefore, think of them as treatments which work by
preventing spots from developing.
In other words do not stop using the preparations too soon after improvement, the treatment is probably still working at this stage. Continue for the full period, as directed by your Doctor. You need to apply these topical agents to the whole of the potentially affected area which has been giving you problems (e.g. the whole of the cheeks, chin and chest), whether there are spots present or not!!
Obviously there is no point in applying anything to an area which has never been involved with your acne. These topical treatments will nearly always lead to some redness and dryness of the skin when you first start the application. This will gradually settle down. To help your skin get used to this irritation you should start off by leaving the application on for only twenty minutes initially, and then washing it off thoroughly with soap and water. After one week of this you can increase to 30 - 60 minutes, depending on how well you can tolerate the treatment, and then double the length of time each week until you can leave it on for eight hours overnight.
Beware because the treatment has a mild bleaching effect on clothing and can turn dark clothing (including bed clothes) lighter. It is perfectly all right for you to apply moisturising creams to counteract the drying effect of the treatments, I would recommend my Jojoba Facial Cream for the face and my Shea Body Lotion for other parts of your body, you are entirely free to apply makeup as you wish, this will not worsen your acne.
The treatment for acne is designed to keep the skin condition under control until the body's own tendency to get rid of acne has occurred (usually between 20 and 30 years of age).
Most treatments for acne can be continued for prolonged periods safely until this natural improvement begins.
For resistant acne Roaccutane is a tremendously effective treatment.
If you have struggled with acne spots or perhaps have been dismissed by an unsympathetic doctor, consider using 'consult the specialist' for my expert help.