To maintain a healthy set of nails, be sure to try each of the following:

• Keep your nails clean and dry.
• Avoid nail-biting or picking.
• Apply moisturizer to your nails and cuticles every day.
• File your nails in one direction and round the tip slightly, rather than filing to a point.
• Don’t remove the cuticles or clean too deeply under your nails, which can lead to infection.
• Avoid nail polish removers that contain acetone or formaldehyde.
• Bring your own instruments if you get frequent manicures.
• If you have artificial nails, check regularly for green discoloration (a sign of bacterial infection).
• Eat a balanced diet and take vitamins containing biotin.

Your nails can be warning signs for various health conditions, from hepatitis to heart disease. For example, you can tell if a person has anemia by looking at his or her nails. Pale, whitish nail beds may indicate a low red blood cell count, which is an indicator of anemia.

When to See a Dermatologist About Questionable Nails

When fingernails being to change color or texture, it is likely that the nails are infected. If the nails start to dislodge and pain or swelling begins, please seek a dermatologist for professional treatment right away. Be alert to changes such as texture, shape or color that aren’t due to bruising or fungal infection, because these warning signs could be helpful in determining future skin conditions or skin cancer.

Over a period of weeks, a vessel turns into scar tissue and eventually fades, and becomes barely noticeable. Depending on the size of the vein, you might need to have multiple injections several weeks apart.

How successful is sclerotherapy? After several treatments, patients can expect and 50-90 percent improvement. Even though the fading process is slow and gradual, total disappearance can be achieved.

Side effects of this treatment are mild, including itching, swelling, redness. There might also be bruising around the injection area that could last up to several days. After treatment, you can resume regular activity and walking is highly encouraged. You will be given a support stocking to  wear in order to compress the treated vessels. Avoid aspirin, ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory medications for 48 hours. Tylenol is acceptable.

For treatment of larger varicose veins, there are also surgery treatments. Tying off the veins (litigation) and pulling them out (stripping) can be used on bigger varicose veins.

Juvederm is a hyaluronic acid injectable gel that smoothes facial wrinkles and folds. Hyaluronic acid is a natural substance found in all mammals; it is used to hydrate and add volume to the skin. This substance has also been used to treat arthritis, eye wound and surgery repair.

Juvederm injectable gel is nonsurgical and very easy to administer. How it works is the physician will inject the gel into the skin with a very fine needle. The needle to reach the dense inner layer of skin beneath the epidermis so that the skin enhances in volume and diminishes wrinkles and folds.

There is very minimal recovery time, perfect for today’s busy person. The procedure itself will only take about 15 minutes. In the first 24 hours following the injection, it is recommended that you avoid strenuous activity, excessive sun exposure, and alcohol consumption. This is to minimize the chance of redness, swelling, or itching.

You should see the improvements in your skin immediately. Juvederm could smooth out lines and wrinkles for up to 1 year; however, most patients return for a “touch up” within 6 months of their initial injection.

The side effects to Juvederm are quite mild, ranging from redness, pain, firmness, swelling to lumps, bumps, bruising, itching and discoloration. There is also a risk of skin infection although that is rare.

So—how is Juvederm different from Botox? Juvederm, first of all, is a dermal filler that treats skin resulting from a loss of volume beneath the skin, mainly around the mouth and nose area. Botox, on the other hand, is a muscle relaxant use to treat moderate to severe lines, mainly around the eyebrow area.

For more information, please visit the American Society of Plastic Surgeons website.

Here are 3 of the most common hives triggers:

• · Food allergies. The most common culprits include nuts, eggs, shellfish, strawberries, and tomatoes. Food additives, including monosodium glutamate, also cause hives in some children.
• · Prescription and over-the-counter drugs. These include codeine, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, and antibiotics like penicillin and cephalosporin
• · Insect bites. Children tend to react much more strongly than adults to bites from mosquitoes, fleas, and red mites (commonly known as chiggers). Stings from bees, wasps, scorpions, spiders, and jellyfish can also cause hives.
• · Changes in the environment. It’s rare, but occasionally cold, heat, and sun exposure can trigger hives in susceptible individuals.

How Can You Treat Hives for Your Child?

Generally, parents use cool compresses and a cool bath to relieve the itching. Antihistamines, such as Benadryl, are usually the best treatment. These are available at drug stores in liquid and pill form. The hives should eventually fade if your child continues to take Benadryl as instructed. There is also pediatrician-recommended hydroxazine, commonly known as Atarax, that could effectively treat hives. Keep in mind that these antihistamines make most children a little drowsy.

You can always prevent your child from acquiring hives by letting them know what to avoid. Teach your child to avoid allergic foods, and to be weary of insects and bugs. Most hives are not life threatening, but there is a rare possibility of hives becoming anaphylactic shock, which is potentially fatal. For these episodes, swelling happens very rapidly and causes to block the airway. It is recommended that children who have severe allergies carry around an epinephrine pen to inject in case of a reaction. And of course, always seek medical attention immediately.

Our skin is a pH level of around 5.0, which is close to neutral. A bar soap has a higher pH around 8-10.0. You must not forget that washing soap is a detergent, meant to remove dirt and grease from your skin. Haven’t you noticed that your hands tend to be dry after using a bar soap?

Washing your face with a bar soap will destroy your skin. It will dry it out, drain all the oil, and suck out all the moisture. You might feel refreshed and rejuvenated at first, thinking that your skin feels nice and dry (not oily like it usually is). But think again. With less oil (sebum) on your skin, your skin becomes thinner, dry, and dehydrated, which in turn will produce fine lines, otherwise known as wrinkles. Gradually, if you continue to use bar soap, your wrinkles will mature and cannot be treated.

Your face is more delicate than the rest of your body and deserves quality nurturing and treatment. Don’t make the mistake of lazing for bar soap when it could highly damage your face’s skin in the long run. Please consider an appropriate face wash that best suits you.

Chemical peels can be performed on the face, neck and hands. It can be performed in a doctor’s office or as an outpatient procedure. First off, the skin is thoroughly cleansed to remove excess oils. Then chemical solutions are applied to small areas on the skin. Most patients will feel a warm sensation lasting from 5 to 10 minutes, followed by the stinging sensation.

After the peel, a reaction similar to sunburn will occur. Redness and scaling, and obviously, peeling of the dead skin cells. There are different levels of intensities to peels, ranging from mild to deep. Mild peels can be repeated more frequently while medium and deep peels may be repeated in 6 to 12 month intervals. It is up to you and the dermatologist to determine the depth of your peel.

After the treatment, it is very important to protect the skin from sun and bacteria. Some dermatologists may prescribe bandages, while others will give stronger sunscreen creams and lotions.  There is a possibility of skin pigmentation change after the peel. There is also a low risk of scarring, although this can be treated with other scar removal products.

Your skin after the peels will subtly show improvement. You will eventually notice a difference in texture and glow. Peels have proven to remove wrinkles, acne, blemishes, and scars. However, these results are not immune to the effects of aging and sun exposure.

Please consult your doctor or dermatologist for more information on chemical peels, and visit the American Society of Plastic Surgeons website for more research on treatments.

The other treatment is called the pulsed dye laser (PDL), which is used to treat more severe cases of acne. The PDL is slightly painful; patients feel some stinging such as a rubber band snapping on skin. After the treatment, there might be some bruising that appears in the treated area and could last up to 2 weeks.

In laser treatments, a beam of light is used across the skin and gets absorbed by the red pigment of the skin. The treatment aims at closing the pores to reduce sebum (oil) production and lessens acne. Although laser treatment is known to be effective, there have been reports that some acne lesions tend to reappear after a while, depending on the individual skin type and severity of acne.

How do you know if you need laser treatment? It all depends on the type of acne you are suffering from. So, please consult your doctor and he/she will be able to help diagnose your condition and types of treatment.

Blue light therapy functions as an absorber—there to absorb the bacteria produced by the skin. It kills P. acnes, and treats acne vulgaris most effectively. These blue lights do not contain ultraviolet (UV) light, which was what was formerly used in therapy to treat acne. People undergo blue light therapy periodically. Typically, an individual will have 2 sessions for 4 consecutive weeks, each session lasting only 15 minutes. Side affects include mild swelling and dryness.

Pulsed light and heat energy therapy, also known as LHE, combines light and heat to destroy acne-causing bacteria. LHE also shrinks sebaceous glands and decreases sebum (oil) production in the skin. Side effects include temporary redness in treated areas. Similar to blue light therapy, patients will undergo 8 sessions over a period of 4 weeks. LHE is effective and safe for treating acne vulgaris, most commonly known as red pimples, whiteheads and blackheads.

ALA and light therapy involves two steps—first, an application of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)) to the skin for 60 minutes; lastly, removing the ALA and treating the skin with light therapy. Researchers have shown that patients who receive multiple treatments of ALA and light therapy show significant acne reduction. Side effects include temporary darkening of the skin and inflammation of hair follicles.

Again, light therapy treatment for acne is a serious procedure and should only considered when topical and oral treatments don’t respond. Please talk to your doctor about the possibility of light therapy treatments.

Ethinyl estradiol and norgestimate (Ortho Tri-Cyclen)

Ethinyl estradiol and norethindrone (Estrostep)

Ethinyl estradiol and drospirenone (Yaz)

Birth control pills work for acne by reducing the amount of sebum, the oily substance that makes your skin cells build up in hair follicles. Because the pill will only target the sebum, which is only one cause of acne, it is best to use other treatments alongside the pill to treat acne more effectively. You might have to wait several months to see noticeable result with birth control and your skin might get worse before getting better.

Using birth control to treat acne is generally safe and effective; however, they are not for everyone. Side effects include:

• Headaches
• Change in menstrual flow
• Potential fetal problems, if taken when pregnant
• Breast tenderness
• Nausea and vomiting
• Decreased sex drive
• Depression

Ladies, talk to your doctor about whether birth control is suitable for you since there are a lot to choose from. Also, you might want to reconsider a different acne treatment if you have a health history of cardiovascular disease, breast or liver cancer, or blood clots.

• Tetracycline: the most widely prescribed antibiotic for acne. IT is the least expensive and has few side effects. It must be taken on an empty stomach either half an hour before a meal or 2 hours after a meal and should not interact with antacids or milk. Common side effects include sun sensitivity, skin pigmentation, gastrointestinal irritation, and teeth staining. It has been prove to show 25% improvement on acne in 1 month.
• Erythromycin: the antibiotic is also very commonly used and has several advantages over tetracycline. It is an anti-inflammatory property that helps reduce redness and can be taken with food. Side effects include upset stomach and nausea but is not harmful for pregnant women.
• Minocycline: a tetracycline derivative that is especially useful for pustular type acne. This is best taken on an empty stomach and should not be used if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. Side effects include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, skin pigmentation, and teeth discoloration.
• Doxycycline: this is a good alternative for those who cannot take erythromycin or tetracycline. It should be taken with food or else could cause severe nausea. Other side effects include: sun and light sensitivity as well as indigestion and diarrhea. You should not take this drug during pregnancy or breast-feeding.
• Clindamycin: a semi-synthetic antibiotic topical treatment that destroys P Acnes, which is acne-causing bacteria. It is normally used to treat serious bacterial infections. Side effects include dryness and irritation. When using this treatment, it is very important to follow careful instructions so that the bacteria do not develop resistance.