Photo by Red-Licorice

“Age spot,” also known unkindly as “liver spot,” have little to do with your age and nothing to do with your liver. Well, okay, they are approximately the color of cooked liver or pate, but they still have nothing to do with your own liver. If you take a long look at the places on your body where these discolored spots appear, you probably can infer their cause. They appear most frequently on your face—especially your cheeks and forehead. They also pop-up like dandelions in springtime on your shoulders, hands, and arms. In other words, “age spots” appear in places most exposed to sun. If they do become more common as you age, chalk-it-up to more time in the sun, and therefore greater skin damage. Not only are “age spots” usually harmless, but also they indicate your body’s natural defenses are working:

Your body produces more pigment as a defense against sun exposure. Freckles differ very little from age spots except in coloration, the product of sun damage to “fair” skin.

Learn the Skin Spot Lexicon

In fact, your “age spots” come in five different varieties, all caused or aggravated by the sun. As you treat them and generally care for your complexion, watch your five different kinds of spots very carefully. “Ordinary” spots detract from your beauty but pose not health risks; extraordinary spots may be pre-cancerous lesions, and they put your health seriously at risk. If your ordinary spots change, or if a spot appears that does not look like one of the four most common spots you see in your most sun-exposed areas, call a dermatologist immediately. You would much rather hear your dermatologist say you over-reacted than hear her announcing, sadly, you waited too long. Skin cancer numbers among the leading preventable causes of death in women; early detection and timely treatment make all the difference.

Photo by TrubbleShots

Freckles are at the top list of common skin-spots. Freckles are small, reddish-tan little dots and ovals measuring no more than a quarter inch; overlaps do not count. A freckle usually grow darker and tend to multiply during the summer; they get lighter in the winter—that sun thing. Among physicians and dermatologists, your “age spots” officially are called “lentigenes,” appearing in all your sun-sensitive places. One southern California dermatologist encourages her patients to try a little experiment:

“Move your bra strap for a week,” she encourages, “and see what happens to that once very white skin.” It spots before it tans, because skin develops extra pigmentation as a defense against further sun damage. When spots grow into patches, they qualify as “uneven skin tone”—same problem with excess pigmentation in sun-damaged areas, different manifestation. “Post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation” develops when blemishes and bites bake in hot sun; they turn extra dark and persist long after the infection or bite has healed. And, finally, “melasma” comes from a conspiracy between sun and estrogens. Melasma appears on your forehead and cheeks or around your lips when your hormones spike because of pregnancy, hormone replacement therapy, or starting on birth control pills or rings.

Face the “Face Facts”

Much as you love your golden summery glow and associate it with all things great-outdoors, the sun is not your friend Yes, you need a little bit of healthy sun time to maintain your body’s minimum Vitamin D requirement. Doctors say about twenty minutes per week will amp-up your Vitamin D just fine. The rest of the time, treat the sun as your sworn mortal enemy. Whatever you hate the most in the entire known universe, you hate the sun even more—not just because of unsightly age spots and freckles that never quite join all together in one even tan, but also because it wrinkles, dries, and triggers pre-cancerous growth in your skin. You want your face to remain sparkling fresh, radiant and beautiful; but the sun can make it look like an old cowboy’s leather wallet. Say it together: “eeeew!”

Photo by antomic

The number One Face Fact: Fortify and protect yourself against the sun. Buy a cute hat and wear it whenever you go outdoors; in fact, buy a whole collection of hats, making them an essential element in your signature look. The classic fedora, a fashion essential, has just enough brim to protect your forehead and nose from nasty UV rays. Or steal a page from Las Vegas fashionistas, who have adopted the straw cowboy hat as part of the official daytime uniform. Accessorize the hat and protect your face with over-size sunglasses. The designers seem to “get it,” because sunglasses have grown progressively larger season-by-season over the last several years. Designers also have improved their sunglasses’ UV/UVA protection, but make sure you read the labels carefully, and invest in the most protection you can find.

Face Facts, Too: Use all-natural products and genuinely skin-friendly make-up. Increase your SPF’s to the maximum. No matter what your skin tone or how easily you tan without burning, you want SPF 40 all over your exposed areas, and you want it in everything you put on your face. To reduce and heal all five kinds of bumps, beautifying your skin while you nourish it, use premium foundation and blush from the brands that genuinely give priority to skin care. Bobbi Brown and Bare Escentuals have earned endorsement from demanding dermatologists who tested the products in serious, double-blind clinical testing. Also keep strong medicine on hand for the rare occasions when you get sunburned. Aloe Vera gel and avocado oil stand out as by far the best all-natural remedies for all kinds of skin damage.

Finally, add “hydroquinone” to your daily beauty routine, applying it at night to “bleach” away all those evil spots. In fact, hydroquinone does not oxidize or whiten your spots; instead, it interferes with the enzyme that catalyzes production of skin pigment. No pigment, no spot. You may buy 2% solutions at your pharmacy; or your dermatologist can prescribe 4% solutions of hydroquinone.

Acne and Scar Treatment

Are you looking for a right dermatologist? Who would be able to do acne treatment – scar reduction, the dermatologist you select should be knowledgeable as well as friendly. You could find a right dermatologist by asking few questions.

Which dermatologist does your doctor recommend?

Dermotologist

Your doctor could play a main role in this process, by suggesting you the right dermatologist.  It would actually be better to get an opinion from him or her. He is one person who could guide you and lead you in a right direction or at least give a hint as to where you could start from. Remember to ask nurses as well. Usually they also have a fine recommendation and insights.

The insurance company normally covers the acne treatment. But they do not cover cosmetic related procedures. Are you interested in anti aging treatments or laser hair removal treatments too? You could ask your doctor as to how much these would cost. The cost may differ and it depends on the place as in where you are getting it done.

What if you haven’t insured? Inform the office of dermatologist as to in which way you will be paying the cost of the treatment. If you are paying out of your pocket then your doctor could help you in minimizing the cost like he might prescribe you generic drugs or could work along-with you on the payments.

Is your physician board certified?

Dermatologists that are board certified have finished additional training as well as have got through board exam which are conducted by American Board of Dermatology. Board certified dermatologist are considered to be knowledgeable as well as competent when it comes to the following treatments such as hair, skin, skin surgeries, nails and so on.

Also question the dermatologist as to what is his area of expertise regarding treatment. Even though all the dermatologists can treat acne, but you will be tension free and satisfied if you are getting it treated by a dermatologist who is expert in the acne treatment, rather opting for that dermatologist who specialises in skin cancer or hair loss treatment.

Are the working hours accommodating?

If you have a tight schedule which makes it completely impossible for you to take out time in the morning or afternoon, make sure that the dermatologist you select has an evening or weekend shift as well. So you could easily take appointment and visit him.

Also ask as to how much time it will take to get the appointment. But we are all aware that all the good dermatologist are quiet busy. But don’t forget to ask that if there is a problem and it needs to be treated immediately then how much time will it take to get an appointment?

It’s a normal psychology of humans that if they like a dermatologist and find his treatment has suited them, then they don’t mind waiting for longer hours. However it is important that the doctor should check you up as soon as possible.

Your comfortness with the dermatologist should also be considered

You must have such kind of relationship with your dermatologist that you can feel the convenience of asking him anything and discuss with him any kind of health issues you are facing. A fine relationship with the dermatologist is significant. Have you felt rushed at the time of your appointment? Or you prefer the doctor for his bedside manner? At times 2 people merely don’t click. Anyways take it easy and that is okay. Go for some other dermatologist with whom you feel comfortable or comfy.

Secondly, going for a medical examination can give a clear picture of those items and conditions. Plus the physician and you both can work as a team to figure out the causes of occurring allergies. Take guide lines and follow them accordingly without missing a single medicine dose. Also, be careful about the restricted items. If the physician has told you to avoid a food item or a number of them, then you should not try to violate the guideline. As violating those even for a fraction of second can disrupt the whole process of treatment.

One of the remedies is to start using antihistamine medicines, which shut downs or at least slows down the immune system from fighting against any antibodies. Though these antibodies are useful, they are considered as alien agents that are there to harm the system. There are some general remedies that can be adopted too to cope with the allergic conditions.

You can keep your surroundings dry and damp proof. To keep the surroundings damp proof, vacuum cleaners are generally used with HEPA filters. HEPA filters are capable of etymologizing dust mites, bacteria, molds, pollen, and other particles that use air as a carrier. These are the basic causes of breath and skin allergies.

Also keeping your body from dampness for long hours is necessary. There are many products available nowadays in the market to do the needful. For example, one can use dry-spray-deodorants to soak away access perspiration or powders can be used for the same purpose.

Products that are manufactured for allergic conditions should only be used as during allergies it is a general tendency that the skin becomes hyper sensitive. Using everyday products can cause skin rashes and also can heighten allergies.

Take cleanliness as a top priority item, always clean your feet when you come home from work, and especially if you have been out for sport or any other physical activity. Feet is one of the most affecting areas regarding allergies, that is why proper care is critically important to avoid foot allergies. Try buying best footwear that provides proper ventilation allowing the skin to remain dry, so as to prevent the foot allergy from spreading.

While taking care of cleanliness, remember not to leave dirty clothes on the bed, as your bed can house allergens from the dirty clothes. Always put them away in the to-be-washed clothes the very next moment when you take them off. Take bath especially before going to bed to stop the active allergens for the time being.

Also use the house cleaning stuff that suits to the allergy patients, as smell and particular fragrances can also become a cause of irritation too. If such products are not available at the market, then you can opt to buy odorless products.

Whenever you are buying a product for your body, check the ‘tested on’ info; it should carry ‘tested on human’, not ‘tested on animal’.

With these tips one can easily cope with allergies without much trouble. For every problem, there is a solution, and it is we ourselves, who have to figure out the best solution for ourselves.