Skin Infections

Skin sensitivity is not the same thing as allergy. For example, if your hands become irritated after repeated use of a strong cleansing agent, but not irritated after repeated use of the same agent in a weaker solution, you are sensitive rather than allergic to it. The allergic individual reacts to very tiny amounts of materials to which he is allergic. Skin sensitivity varies greatly among individuals. Some skins are sensitive to a multiplicity of things; others too few if any.  

SKIN INFECTIONS Exposed as it is, the skin is subject to invasion by many types of micro- organisms, including bacteria that may be harmless and other bacteria, that may cause boils or impetigo; viruses that cause fever blisters; parasites responsible for scabies; fungi that cause such problems as athlete's foot; and the organism of syphilis, the spirochete, which produces syphilitic lesions. A boil is a swollen, inflamed area on the skin produced by bacteria- bacteria that often are present on the skin but unable to do any damage unless resistance has been lowered by such things as irritating friction, cuts, poor health, bad nutrition, or diabetes.

A carbuncle, which may be produced by the same type of bacteria involved in boils, is more serious than a boil because it involves inflammation not only of the skin but of deeper tissues and is accompanied by a general feeling of illness. Boils and carbuncles respond readily to medical treatment, which may include use of penicillin or another antibiotic and/or incision and drain- age if necessary. In addition, the physician will try to determine the basic cause and treat or eliminate it if possible. (Diabetes may be heralded by the appearance of boils and other skin infections.) Anyone with a carbuncle should see a doctor. So should anyone who has a number of boils at one time or suffers from repeated outbreaks. Boils and carbuncles can be serious matters.

Organisms from a boil or carbuncle may enter the blood, with grave and even fatal consequences. This is particularly true of a boil or carbuncle on the nose or upper lip, because in these areas there is an easier access route for the organisms to reach the brain. If you have a small boil that is not on nose or upper lip, it is usually safe for you to try the following: Wash the boil and surrounding area with soap and water several times a day. Lightly dab on 70 percent alcohol afterward. Cover, not too tightly, with an antiseptic gauze pad to prevent irritation. In addition, hourly for ten minutes at a time, apply hot compresses. Make the compresses by soaking an antiseptic gauze pad in hot water containing as much table salt as will dissolve in it. This not only helps relieve pain but stimulates the boil to come to a head and drain. Cover with a fresh dry pad. If the boil does not get better within a few days, see your physician. Do not attempt to open a boil yourself or let an amateur surgeon friend try. 

Skin wrinkles - cosmetics- skin specialist- soaps to cure skin problems

WRINKLES

Many skin specialists place a large share of blame for wrinkles on excessive sunshine. Total avoidance of the sun is not necessary, but care in the amount of direct or reflected sunlight you expose yourself to is warranted. Another cause of wrinkles is excessive exposure to soap and water. Many housewives rinse their hands automatically before touching almost anything. Without realizing it, they may rinse several dozen times a day. Cleanliness is not to be forsaken but it is a good idea to do some house- work wearing rubber gloves or to rub on a good hand lotion from time to time. Bath oils have become popular because women have noticed how attractive the skin looks after being anointed with oil. It is important, we think, to note here, too, that when an overweight person takes off weight too quickly-more than three or four pounds a week-the skin may become loose and wrinkled.

Weight loss should be undertaken at a moderate pace, for the sake of both general health and skin appearance. If careful reducing is combined with exercise, the skin will not become loose and wrinkled. Skin massage cannot prevent wrinkles; it may make you feel good but accomplishes little else. "Skin foods" won't do any good either. Like any other organ, the skin is fed by the body and needs no special foods of its own. Wearing "wrinkle eradicators" or "masks" to bed nightly won't help either. Actually, once wrinkles or lines have appeared, only skillful plastic surgery can eliminate them.

There is, we believe, a place for wrinkle removal through surgery-for anyone, such as an actress, for whom a youthful appearance may be a professional necessity. For the average woman, we would suggest: Why not just avoid frowning and, instead, smile, so that when wrinkles or lines appear, they add to, rather than detract from, the appearance. Exaggerated wrinkle-removing and rejuvenating claims are made for many lotions, creams, muscle oils, astringents, skin conditioners, etc. If you find yourself sorely tempted to use one, consult your local Better Business Bureau or write to the American Medical Association, 535 North Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois  

Baldness, Hair loss, blonds, skin care, irritation, hair growth causes and medicines

Hair

Hair, which is part of the skin, varies considerably in texture from the soft, almost invisible type on the forehead to the long scalp hairs and the shorter, stiff hairs on the eyelids. The root of each hair is anchored at the bottom of a follicle, or tiny shaft. The follicle passes through the epidermis, deep into the dermal layer, and the follicle of a long hair may penetrate into the subcutaneous layer. Emptying into the follicles is sebaceous, or oil, glands. Each hair has a shaft which extends past the top of the follicle and is covered with microscopic overlapping scales. Cells in an inner layer of the shaft contain pigment that determines hair color. In white hair, these cells contain air rather than pigment.

Attached to each hair follicle, too, is a small bundle of muscle fibers which, under influence of cold or emotions, causes the hair to become erect and produces "goose flesh." The average scalp has about 100,000 hairs. Blonds generally have about 20,000 more and redheads about 20,000 less. Hereditary influences determine color, texture, and distribution of hair over head and body. Hairs can grow only so long as follicles are alive. Sometimes follicles wear out or are destroyed by illness. Baldness indicates that the follicles have stopped functioning. If the baldness is caused by disease, the hair may grow back. Most often, however, baldness is a hereditary condition and there is no known way to renew the hair follicles. 

Like baldness, the tendency for hair to turn gray is inherited. There is no evidence that graying is caused by a vitamin deficiency or a sudden emotional crisis. Hair follicles follow a cycle: they are active for a period, then wither, then rest, then become active again. Withering lasts several weeks and during this period hair shafts fall out. About 30 to 60 hairs are lost daily from the scalp but the follicles are not lost. After a resting period of several months, the hairs begin to grow again and continue to grow for several years.

Hair growth during the active period varies according to body location. Scalp hair growth has been measured at about .012 inch daily, beard growth at .15 inch. Elsewhere on the body, growth is slower. Nails Like hair, the fingernails and toenails are a specialized form of skin, as fingers and toes develop, a thin layer, known as the stratum lucidum, which separates dermis and epidermis, thickens and hardens. The fully developed nail overlays a modified part of the dermis, that is the nail bed. At its base, the nail is covered by epidermis. 

Care for The Skin, HAir And Nails - How to save from infection

THE SKIN, HAIR, AND NAILS 

THE SKIN is the body's largest organ, having an area in an average 150- pound person of 17 to 20 square feet and weighing about 6 pounds, twice as much as either liver or brain. It extends into the nose and other body cavities in the form of thin mucous membrane which secretes lubricating fluids. The skin is an enormously versatile and protective organ. It serves to keep body fluids in and foreign agents out, to shield against harmful rays, to help regulate body temperature.

It forms the body's shape, contains the sense of touch, is a main organ of sexual attraction. The skin even reflects much about the state of health of the body, as you may have noticed in sick people, and also about the state of mind, as is evident when someone blushes with embarrassment or pales with fear. And although beauty is a composite of many things, physical and mental, there is no doubt that an attractive, healthy skin contributes greatly to beauty.

The more knowledge you have about the skin, the better able will you prevent disturbances to it and maintain its integrity, beauty, and positive values. although it appears to be just a simple covering, a single square inch may contain some 70 feet of nerves, 650 sweat glands, blood vessels, 65 to 75 hairs and associated muscles, and hundreds of nerve endings for detecting pressure, pain, heat,   layers of tissue form the skin: epidermis, dermis, and sub- The Skin, Hair, and Nails cutaneous layer. The epidermis is the outer layer, and because living cells cannot survive exposure to air, the outermost portion of the epidermis, the visible surface, is actually made up of dead rather than living cells.

Microscopic layers of cells from the outer epidermis are constantly being lost through bathing and rubbing against clothing. They are re- placed from underneath by new cells formed in the malpighian layer of the epidermis. Here, in this deeper layer, where new cells are formed, the skin may be colored by a pigment called melanin, which has as its purpose the prevention of tissue damage from the more dangerous rays of the sun. Skin color is also influenced by another pigment which is yellow and by the presence of blood vessels in the dermal layer. Beneath the epidermis is the dermis, sometimes called the "true skin." At the top of the dermis is a layer of tiny, rounded ridges called papillae, which project outward, perhaps 150 million of them throughout the body. 

Main Occupational Hazards - Skin Diseases

1.       SKIN DISEASES

      These are among the most widespread industrial health problems. Almost anything-chemicals, dirt, and oil, as well as germs-can irritate the skin. Chief troublemakers are petroleum products, such as machine oil, naphtha, and cutting oil compounds; solvents which include degreasers such as kerosene, gasoline, and trichlorethylene; alkalis, such as lime, caustic soda, and strong yellow soap; and plants, including poison ivy, sumac, and poison oak. Florists are particularly subject to skin irritation from plants.

Furriers may be affected by parahenylenediamine. Workers who use chromium in electroplating may develop chrome ulcers. While the list of possible skin afflictions that may develop in connection with work is an almost endless one, there are several important precautions you can use to avoid trouble. Immediately, after finishing any dirty or oily job, and also before eating lunch and leaving for the day, apply soap and water generously.

Special soaps may be required to re- move some substances that cling stubbornly or penetrate into the skin. Don't try to rub away oils that get on hands and face; this may only force them into the skin, clogging the pores, causing irritation and pimples. Wash off oil with soap and water, using repeated applications if necessary; then dry with a clean towel. Special ointments are available to cover the skin before contact with offending substances, providing protection and greatly simplifying the removal of some otherwise difficult-to-remove materials.

Gloves, sleeves, and aprons can afford protection. Pull sleeves over the cuffs of gloves to make certain no skin is exposed. Keep protective clothing clean; change it often. Do not use advertised ointments for any skin problems compounded by self-treatment. The self-treatment-actually overtreatment by a worried victim-may produces skin problems of its own. Over- treatment dermatitis is a common problem that confronts dermatologists -skin specialists to whose care serious victims often must be referred. If you have used the precautions mentioned above and still suffer because of certain oils or chemicals, you may have developed an allergy to them.

See your physician, who may be able to help with special de- sensitization treatment designed to increase your tolerance for specific materials. If this does not help, it may be essential that you move to another job. But let your doctor decide this.