Skin Speaks Blog

Skin cancer is extremely common; over 1 million Americans are diagnosed with some form of the disease each year and the number continues to rise.   Although people with fair skin are thought to be more at risk, skin cancer can affect anybody.

Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas are the most common types of skin cancer, and they’re typically found on areas of the body that receive consistent exposure to the sun. In people who spend a significant amount of time outdoors, these cancers are more likely to develop around the head and neck.  They aren’t life threatening, but definitely need to be treated to avoid damage to other body tissues.

Melanomas are tumors of melanin forming cells that can appear anywhere on the body.  Like basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, they’re more likely to appear on sun exposed or sun burned areas.   Melanomas typically appear as dark irregular textures, and they grow at a fairly rapid pace.   It is crucial to detect and treat melanomas early on, before they spread to other areas of the body.  To minimize your risk of skin cancer, follow these instructions:

• Wear sunblock, even on cloudy days.
• Use sunscreen that blocks UVA and UVB.
• Realize that sunblock doesn’t make you impervious to sun damage.
• Protect the eyes and face with sunglasses or a cowboy hat
• If possible, avoid the peak hours of sun in the early afternoon
• Perform regular examinations of your skin to look for irregularities.

If you want more information on detection, prevention, or diagnosis of skin cancer, visit Advancements in Dermatology at one of our six Twin Cities locations.

A patient recently asked us about her rosacea and what type of everyday triggers are said to make the condition worse.  Rosacea is a basically a condition of enlarged facial blood vessels, causing a flushed red appearance.

Answering this question isn’t exactly straightforward.   It’s true that certain foods, beverages, or activities may trigger or aggravate rosacea, but they often vary from person to person.   The National Rosacea Society once compiled a list of triggers reported by rosacea sufferers, including things like the following:

• Horseradish
• Black/red pepper
• Coffee
• Barbecue or hot sauce
• Tomatoes
• Vinegar
• Red Wine
• Sunbathing
• Saunas
• Stress
• Extreme cold
• Jogging & aerobics (in hot weather)

Part of rosacea treatment usually involves identification of your personal trigger factors and avoiding them.  See Skinspeaks.com for more information on other treatments.

In these hectic and uncertain times, dermatologists are busy caring for patients who present stress-related skin problems. Pimples appear out of nowhere, dry skin in desperate need of hydration appears overnight, folds around the nose and deep lines in the brow and around the eyes appear more pronounced. If you had problems with your skin before, stress just makes it worse. Patients agree – they notice differences in their skin when they are stressed out, which can persist for weeks and months, even years.

A double-stressor this time of year is getting the kiddies ready to head back to school.  If you are a parent you are probably scrambling to get them ready for their first day, spending money on school supplies, clothes and shoes. Of course, work doesn’t stop because kids are heading back to school.

Our bodies are reacting to external challenges too.   Stress creates an adrenaline surge that elevates the level of a hormone called cortisol in the blood. Cortisol tells fat cells to dump sugar into the bloodstream for energy ‚ which is great if you need to outrun a raging elephant but not so great on your body or your skin. Over time stress can damage your body in ways that are not so attractive when we examine ourselves in the mirror.  In addition, we rarely do our bodies or our skin any favors during hard times. As a matter of fact, that is when we sleep less, drink more and eat all the wrong foods.

While all these issues can be resolved, first you have to de-stress. Until that time comes, here are 5 professional tips on how to get by:

- Keep your hands away from your face, stop touching and stop popping those pimples! Keep your hands busy with a pencil or squeeze one of those strengthening balls. For goodness sake, get rid of that magnifying mirror

– Go visit your doctor or cosmetic physician and pick up a few acne fighters.

– Get yourself a facial, even if you’re on a budget. Treat yourself to some downtime; even bring your teenage kid in for a facial with you. A twofer! It will be therapeutic and quite relaxing for you both.

– If you or your kids are using benzoyl peroxide be sure not to use it at the same time as you’re using bleaching products (Hydroquinones) or copper peptides. You can use both products, but not at the same time.  Use one in the morning and the other in the evening.

– If you’re using high quality skin care products, try a chemical peel! Because a peel removes the built up dead skin on the surface of your face, it allows therapeutic products to penetrate and get the job done more quickly and more effectively. Even a rejuvenating mask or anti-acne mask will give you a great head start on de-stressing your epidermal anxiety!

For those who experience melasma, this time of year – the summer season – is especially problematic.  Here are a few facts that might be useful for those affected by melasma.

• Melasma is often recognized as a brownish, symmetrical lesion, usually on the face.
• It is estimated that over 5 million women in the U.S. suffer from this condition.
• A melasma lesion contains excess melanin, caused by abnormal functioning of the skin cells.
• Females with dark skin types are affected most by melasma.
• Sunlight, or UV radiation triggers melasma and makes it worse, even when exposure is brief.
• Hormonal factors play a role as well; pregnancy, birth control, and hormone therapy are sometimes associated with melasma.
• Common melasma treatments include laser light therapies, chemical peels, and skin lightening agents.

If you’re having issues with melasma this summer, don’t hesitate to contact Advancements in Dermatology for expert assistance.  We’ll do our best to restore your skin to its natural, beautiful and uniform appearance.

Lisa’s skin is red, scaly, and itchy in different areas from her head to her toes. Twice a day she has to bathe and apply moisturizer and once every month she visits her dermatologist for UV light treatment. This may be a burden, but it can’t be ignored because Lisa has psoriasis, a chronic condition that results when a person’s skin cell growth cycle is too fast.

For most people, the skin growth cycle takes about 1 month, but in psoriatic skin it may take as little as 3 days. During this accelerated process, skin cells collect and have nowhere to go, so they push their way to the skin surface to form itchy, scaly lesions. Here are a few more quick facts about psoriasis you might need to know.

• Doctors believe psoriasis is caused by autoimmune dysfunction.
• There is no psoriasis cure or procedure to end psoriasis symptoms, but in some cases it may go into remission for a long time.
• Psoriasis is not contagious.
• Triggers for psoriasis may include sunburn and strep throat.
• Psoriasis often precedes a condition called psoriatic arthritis, characterized by inflammation of the joints and other tissues.
• Psoriasis affects males and females equally, in about 1-2 percent of the population.
• Among those affected, Psoriasis symptoms typically begin before a person reaches middle age.
• Scalp psoriasis is common, as are lesions on the elbows, knees, and torso. You may see the same basic pattern of lesions forming on each side of the body.

Although psoriasis is an irksome condition to carry with you all your life, there are ways to manage it, and most patients learn to do so. A good dermatologist should help patients manage psoriasis by finding simple psoriasis remedies or treatments that clear up lesions, slow down skin cell production, and minimize or avoid side effects. For more information on the different types of psoriasis see our Advancements in Dermatology psoriasis web page.

As we approach the 4th of July weekend, many of us are planning a trip to the cabin or an outdoor party to soak up the nice Minnesota weather and sun. Being recently reminded of the problems that can arise for acne sufferers in the summer, I just wanted to share two words of advice concerning acne and sun exposure.

• Acne treatments and prescription drugs often make one more sensitive and vulnerable to the sun’s damaging UV rays, so use extra caution if you’re taking medications for your acne.

• It has been said by some patients that sun exposure is good for acne, which isn’t entirely false; moderate sun exposure can improve acne to a certain extent.   However, it doesn’t take much to get overexposed, which will have quite the opposite effect later on, with more oil production and clogged pores.

So don’t forget the sunscreen when you head out this weekend. The American Academy of Dermatology advises acne sufferers to use at least SPF 15.   When you return, don’t hesitate to come see us at Skin Speaks to learn about acne treatments like photodynamic therapy or an acne facial.

Have a happy independence day!