My Facial Facts: Is Your Skin The Best It Can Be?

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Most dermatologists will treat eczema with topical steroids.

Holistic doctors such as Dr. Weil however, believe these drugs are only supressing the problem and will actually cause the eczema to worsen over time.

Have you found that topicals work for awhile, but begin to lose their effectiveness after a period of time?

That’s the body building resistence to the topically-applied steroids.

Other side-effects of the prolonged use of steroids are that it can lower your immune system over time and patients using steroids can experience thinning of the skin, formation of dilated blood vessels, stretch marks and infection.

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Eczema can begin with a dry area (reddish in color) that is very itchy. Scratching only exacerbates the condition, because the more you scratch, the more you need to scratch it, etc.

Does this sound familiar?

This then causes small tears in the skin and create clear pustules, which are another symptom of eczema.

When these pustules are open, the liquid can spread to surrounding healthy tissue that later develops the same dry, reddish, itchy patches.

When the skin becomes very dry with eczema, it forms cracks that can bleed.

Winter aggravates eczema and is the time when one witnesses this tendency for the cracks to bleed, due to the contrast in temperature between the cold air outside, and the heat indoors.

This indoor heat, it further drying to the skin.

But if you don’t live in a cold climate, what else affects eczema?

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It’s a common term you’ve all heard of, but have you ever gotten down to the nitty-gritty of what eczema really is?

Do you have eczema?

Hopefully, whether you know you have it, or don’t, the Derma Divas will shed some light on this skin condition.

Eczema is a superficial inflammation of the skin that primarily affects the epidermis (or the most superficial layer of your skin.) It causes itching and a red rash which is often accompanied by blisters that weep and then crust.

This may be followed by scaling, thickening or discoloration of the area.

This condition is characterized by dry, itchy skin that can become inflammed in its advanced stages, and exhibit bleeding cracks.

It can also be characterized by red, blistering, scaly, brownish thickened and itchy skin lesions.

The word eczema is derived from the Greek word “ekzein”, which means “to boil out”, due to the tendency for this condition to cause oozing.

Eczema has been identified with different types of dermatitis (contact, atopic and chronic dermatitis.) Any word ending in the suffix “-itis” indicates inflammation, so dermatitis literally translates into “inflammation of the dermis”.

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Growing up, I remember always seeing my father with little red bumps on the back of his arms. As a child, I was never really sure what it was, but I just figured they were goosebumps and that he was always cold.

Do you find that you have these too?

In doing skin care, I’ve also seen it as flushed cheeks, with a rougher texture. If you look closely, it almost seems that the little bumps that are causing the rough texture, are little whiteheads. However, do not be fooled, as this condition is not a breakout of any kind.

In adults these bumps tend to develop on the backs of the arms, thighs and buttocks, and in youger adults (more typically teenagers going through puberty, but also in newborns) it tends to occur in the lower cheeks.

This is what’s known as Keratosis Pilaris.

By definition, Keratosis Pilaris is a condition that affects over 50% of the population and manifests in small white bumps, causing the area to be rough in texture, and is accompanied by redness/irritation in patches.

Basically, Keratosis Pilaris occurs when very small hairs (the soft, light hairs we have all over our face) are trying to push their way through the follicle, but because they’re not strong enough to come through the opening, they cause irritation and redness.

This happens “… when the human body produces excess keratin, a natural protein in the skin. The excess keratin…surrounds and entraps the hair follicles in the pore. This causes the formation of hard plugs (process known as hyperkeratinization).”

Let us assure you that Keratosis Pilaris is a harmless condition and more of a nuisance than anything else.

Do you feel like you have to go to a Dermatologist to improve your KP?

Although there are some topical medications being prescribed for this condition, we recommend you try a few things at home to see if you notice improvement…

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