Lorna B's Open Salon Blog

Specialist Acne Treatments

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:02:20 -0500

I am going to a big family wedding in 10 days and a big cyst has come up on my face. I just know it will still be there on the day. Can I do anything to get rid of it?

Some doctors are experienced at injecting cysts like this with a steroid. It must be done by a doctor with this experience, as it can cause permanent damage to the skin if the correct technique and strength of steroid are not used. If your own doctor has no such experience with these types of acne treatments, ask whether anyone else in the practice could do it.

If not, or if your doctor works single-handed, you would have to see a dermatologist, but even going privately you might have trouble getting an appointment in time. It is likely, though, that the cyst will have calmed down in time for the wedding. The moral here is that, if you are prone to acne, make sure that it is under control in advance of any special occasion.

My acne is much better than it used to be but I still have some hard lumps on my cheeks. Can I have them cut out?

You could, but it would not be a good idea because you would end up with ugly scars to replace what are probably old cysts. These can be treated with liquid nitrogen, which is very cold. It is most often used to treat warts or verrucas and many doctors have access to it in their surgeries; if your doctor is not happy to freeze your cysts, you should ask for referral to a dermatologist.

I have heard about some lamps that treat acne. Do they work?

A mixture of red-blue light used in a controlled way has had some effect on inflammation and in reducing the number of acne spots. One trial of the technique involved treating the skin for 15 minutes three times a day for 12 weeks. It produced reasonable results in making inflammatory spots 75 per cent better but had no proven effect on comedones. It probably works by a combination of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory action. If you worked this hard at any of the more standard treatments, you would probably get as good if not better results. It also seems that the acne comes back once you stop the light treatment.

I don't want to take isotretinoin because I'm too scared of the side-effects. Is there anything else the dermatologist can offer me?

The dermatologist can try some of the standard treatments in different doses or combinations. The most common trick is to use higher doses of antibiotics. Both minocycline and trimethoprim can work well in higher doses than doctors are used to using. There shouldn't be any problems with the trimethoprim but the minocycline may cause some side-effects. In the higher doses of 200mg a day rather than 100mg it can cause unsightly blue-black pigment to be laid down in the skin. It is also associated with some serious conditions that can lead to liver damage or arthritis. As long as you are properly supervised and have regular blood tests, these side-effects can be prevented by stopping the drug if the dermatologist tells you to.

My acne seems to be made worse by my monthly periods so I wanted to try the hormone treatment. My doctor says it wouldn't be very safe because of problems with blood clotting. Is there nothing I can try?

It is the estrogen part of the usual hormonal treatment that would cause you problems. There is a slightly increased risk of blood clots in some people taking hormones, and it can rise if there is a personal or close family history of clots. The anti-androgen part of the treatment is not suitable to take on its own but some dermatologists prescribe another drug that can have the same effect. Called spironolactone, it blocks the action of testosterone. It is worth trying but needs to be started at a low dose and increased slowly in case it produces side-effects such as menstrual irregularities, breast tenderness or fatigue. It also needs some blood tests to check on possible changes in some of the salts (sodium and potassium) in the blood but these rarely cause any problems.

Wedding Weight Loss Tips

Fri, 9 Sep 2011 08:09:31 -0400

It’s that time of year where our weekends may include a wedding of a dear friend or family member but a thought that seems to cross our minds is – I need to lose weight! I must admit I’ve been to quite a few weddings before but never has the invitation stated that there is [...]

Do You Know Exactly What You’re Eating?

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 04:08:09 -0400

By keeping a record of what, when and where you eat, and how you feel each time, you can learn a lot about your eating habits. Daily food records give you clues to your personal triggers to eating, and you can also use your diary to identify dietary goals you may wish to set. It [...]

Are We Taking Psoriasis Too Lightly

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 16:07:22 -0400

Psoriasis is a widespread skin disorder that can have a very detrimental effect on the lives of people who are afflicted by it. Although considered to be a non-contagious and a non-life threatening disease, psoriasis can significantly have a profound effect on a person’s quality of life and social security.

The foremost distinguishing symptoms of psoriasis are the sudden appearance of inflamed, dry, scaly and itchy patches of skin on the body. Finding effective natural psoriasis treatments to soothe the itchy patches of skin plaques is the foremost concern for most psoriasis sufferers since these are the most bothersome of its symptoms that gets in the way of doing day to day tasks and routines

Aside from making it difficult to perform work or household related activities, it also has a big impact on their sleeping habits. With getting less and less sleep and rest, psoriasis sufferers tend to become withdrawn, depressed, irritable, and physically weak or drained out. And to add insult to injury, if ever the condition appears on the face, it makes it harder for the victim to go out and socialize because of its social implications.

The most practical and widespread psoriasis treatment is through the application of over the counter or prescription strength drug based psoriasis treatment recommended by doctors or dermatologists. Steroid based psoriasis creams can effectively neutralize the constant itchiness, swelling, redness, and pain to greatly ease the suffering of psoriasis plagued individuals. With a marked reduction of its many symptoms, the dry and flaky patches of skin may soon disappear at no time at all if no other complications present itself. Some unforeseen issues might occur by way of side effects that may instigate other troubling conditions or worsen the condition itself. Should this happen, it is important to stop using the medications and to inform your doctor immediately to avoid additional problems. At this point you may want to consider some natural or home remedies for psoriasis like those discussed in the psoriasis free for life report.

In case the topical psoriasis remedies fail in giving the desired results, or only work to a certain point, then the doctor might recommend a secondary form of treatment to supplement the initial treatments. These secondary treatments may involve the use of UV (ultraviolet) therapy or otherwise also called phototherapy. For chronic or severe levels of psoriasis, doctors may resort to using the systemic approach which involves giving patients oral treatments and injections. There may also be instances when the doctor will dole out antibiotics to treat a psoriasis flare-up when it is found out to be caused by an infection of some sort. Bacterial infections like that of a throat infection caused by the streptococcus bacteria can lead to a psoriasis flare-up with some people.

After undergoing various treatments for psoriasis without showing much success, some conditions may become resistant to the medicines being given and so will require a combination of various treatment methods. With the resurgence of natural alternatives and homeopathic psoriasis remedies, people should not only rely on one type of treatment method but also try undergoing a natural psoriasis treatment in order to find more success in fighting the condition.

How effective the psoriasis treatment one initiates depends heavily on a person’s overall physical and mentally health and the doctor’s prognosis. There might be a single treatment that can work at greatly reducing the symptoms and ease the sufferings of some psoriasis victims, or there it might be a combination of two or more forms of treatment methods - it all depends and varies from person to person. With varying triggers and instigators for this type of skin malady, it is important that each person be diagnosed properly by a doctor in order to receive the best psoriasis treatment for their case.

Medical Advances Into Hair Loss Treatments

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 06:07:02 -0400

Doctors know how to suppress the immune system to prevent it from rejecting transplanted organs such as hearts and kidneys. Could these immuno-suppressive drugs be used in hair loss treatments to prevent the immune system from rejecting the hair as foreign?

Yes, in theory, say dermatologists, but in practice they doubt the advisability of prescribing them to be taken by mouth, as any interference with the immune system might lower resistance to infection. The patient could become very ill. One of this drug group, azathioprine, is occasionally given orally when other hair loss remedies have failed but it needs to be carefully monitored.

To play safe and cut out risks, one of the immuno-suppressive drugs, cyclosporine, is currently being tried in a 10 per cent gel, to be used topically, i.e. applied to the scalp. The trial of these treatments for hair loss in women is in the early stages, but so far there have been no side-effects on blood pressure or kidneys.

A recent hope has been the discovery that minoxidil, a drug used to treat high blood pressure, could be used in effective hair growth products in people with patchy - mild - alopecia.

And hope for those who have had severe hair loss for many years seems to lie with the sensitizer diphencyprone, which has actually triggered hair growth in a patient who had been completely bald for 54 years!

The majority of patients, however, receive little medical help and are consequently turning to natural hair loss remedies. You may see your doctor. If the case is severe, he may refer you to a consultant dermatologist. But patients are often disappointed. They have received this kind of advice from specialists:

Don't think about yourself so much!'
It might grow. It might not.'
To a young wife of 32, who had lost all her hair, including eyebrows and eyelashes: 'You can get some very pretty hats these days!'

Hard enough to take when you are grown up, but worse for a child.

Peppi, 13, slashed her arms with a knife in the playground of her comprehensive school. Her scalp hair had nearly all fallen out and other children were playing games trying to knock her wig off.

Joanne, aged 9, refused to wear party dresses after she lost all her hair two years ago. 'She suddenly refused to wear anything but shorts and T-shirts,' says her mother. 'She changed from a pretty little girl who loved parties and frills and black patent shoes, to a tomboy.'

The parents of Laura, aged 13, were stunned by the behavior of a consultant. Says her father: Tie glanced cursorily at her head and remarked "You're going to have to wear a wig, aren't you?"' Her mother, herself a hospital worker, was equally upset. We were given no medication, hair loss treatment or advice as to how a formerly attractive girl of 13 should be helped to cope with baldness. Laura has twice been suicidal.'

It is perhaps understandable that alopecia areata treatment apparently merits such low priority in hospitals. After all, it neither cripples nor kills. Dermatology is a tiny specialty with fewer than 250 consultants in the UK and 6,000 in the USA. The bad news is that many of them send their patients home with little positive help. Indeed, they often adopt a deliberate policy of inactivity, on the grounds that it is pointless to use uncomfortable, perhaps expensive hair loss treatments which may not work.

The good news is that a small group of dedicated dermatologists is seriously involved in research and treatment for hair loss in women. They try very hard to help the patient through the trauma of hair loss.

Dr Andrew Messenger, consultant dermatologist at Sheffield's Royal Hallamshire Hospital, says: 'I see my role here as more than merely to administer a hair loss treatment. I am here - I hope - to talk with the patient and try to help her through. I try to make time to do this. The dilemma with so many of the treatments we have available is the fact that we have a condition which is in no way physically harmful. But we could cause physical damage with hair loss treatments in a case where the original problem is merely cosmetic'

Some hair loss remedies carry a risk. There can be side-effects, such as weight gain, with long-term systemic steroids. Some sensitizers have been found to be mutagenic, i.e. they can change the structure of cells.

Says Dr Messenger: It is depressing to treat alopecia. I find it sad that there is so little I can do. I feel sorry for the single people who lose their hair at a time when their looks are crucial - when they are just beginning to make relationships.' The sociological and psychological effects of alopecia are often very serious. Marriages break up; careers are ruined.