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Winter is Here: Tips to Prevent Acne and 'Dry Skin Blues'
OurHealthNetwork.com's leading facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Dr. John Rachel, offers tips for managing acne and dry facial skin during the winter. Des Plaines, Illinois (PRWEB) January 23, 2008 -- When the weather outside is "frightful," better begin preparing for the "dry skin season," especially if you suffer from acne. Whether your dry skin problems are seasonal or year-round, certain acne medications make the skin even drier. This, in addition to the cold dry air and biting winds of winter, can cause real problems for acne sufferers. When skin becomes exceedingly dry, there is an increase in the number of dead skin cells present. Dead skin cells clog pores, which in turn leads to acne breakouts. "An ounce of prevention" will keep your skin soft and comfortable, and help you beat the discomfort and pain caused by dry, irritated acne-prone skin.
SLU researchers to look at laser treatment for acne scars
ST on Monday, January 14, 2008 ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Researchers at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine plan to test a special laser treatment that might improve acne scars on people with darker skin. The scars are difficult to remove. Physicians usually treat the scars by removing the surface of the skin with powerful lasers or chemical treatments. These treatments can cause discoloration for people with darker skin. Dermatologists at Saint Louis University plan a clinical trial to see if a gentler laser treatment might help. The technique would use lasers that bypass the surface of the skin and stimulate collagen growth underneath. .
Living with acne
Drugstores offer a mind-boggling array of products and treatments that range from "The Power Pimple Peel" to the formidable sounding "Teminator 10," next to long-time standards such as Clearasil and Stridex. A stroll down most crowded malls will find a kiosk marketing Proactiv, the skin regimen touted by celebrities such as Jessica Simpson, Vanessa Williams and Sean "Diddy" Combs as an acne cure-all. "The over-the-counter stuff isn't necessarily bad for mild acne," Ganz said. "Look for topical creams, products with salycic acid or benzoyl peroxide; that's what's in Proactiv, by the way," she said. But you might want to see a dermatologist if the over- the-counter products don't work after two months, both Ganz and Lawley advise. "If they're using these things regularly, and the (skin) is not responding after two months, it should be worth it to go to a dermatologist and start prescription treatments," Lawley said.
Ease the pain of winter-ravaged lips
Anyone who's said it doesn't hurt to smile must not have had chapped lips.
Chapped lips are basically an infl ammation of the lip itself and can occur for a variety of reasons, including exposure to wind, dry air, cold temperatures and the sun, said Stephanie Burleson, family medical physician with Utica Park Clinic Jenks.
“Chapped lips can be a big problem when they get sore. They can interfere with eating, drinking, talking or other types of everyday things," she said.
Breathing problems such as asthma that cause people to breath out of their mouth more than their nose can also trigger chapped lips, as can some medications.
“Medications for acne, like Accutane, are notorious for drying lips," Burleson said.
Heaters also affect the lips by causing the air to dry out.
Acne Drug Accutane Ups Cholesterol
Zane, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, along with Manos and other colleagues, evaluated laboratory abnormalities among 13,772 patients with severe acne who were treated with Accutane between 1995 and 2002. The average age of the patients in the study was 19; roughly half were female. When the researchers analyzed the medical records of each patient before, during, and after treatment with Accutane, they found clinicians did a good job of monitoring their patients' blood levels to look for potential problems. Changes in Blood Levels Those problems included a 44% rise in triglyceride levels among patients with normal pretreatment levels, a 31% rise in total cholesterol, and an 11% rise in liver enzyme levels. No significant changes were seen in levels of infection-fighting white blood cells, oxygen-carrying hemoglobin, or blood clotting platelets.
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