Vitamin A for Skin Care
February 2nd, 2010 | 
Author: Vitamin A is one of the vitamins that can help the skin avoid lines and wrinkles as a person ages and is included in products that are available only by prescription such as Retin A. This vitamin can be taken orally and can also be found included in many over-the-counter creams and lotions, as well as facial scrubs and body scrubs.
It is also possible to find natural vitamin A in foods and even from the sun, however many people do not acquire enough of this vitamin naturally and need to supplement it with daily vitamin supplements. This can help promote clear skin that does not have mottled pigmentation, dry skin or other conditions.
This is a vitamin caution should be taken when using supplements, with vitamin A it is possible to take more than what the body can handle. This can lead to serious problems, which means that when taking supplements, they should be taken as directed. Taking more vitamin A than directed would have adverse effects rather than helping to promote healthy skin and a healthy body.
Vitamins play an important role in health of the human body and with vitamin A deficiencies lines, wrinkles, dry or rough skin and other problems.
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Illness and Hype-pigmentation
Hyper-pigmentation is something that can occur due to illness and this discoloration can be caused by either an underlying illness or it can be caused by medication that is being taken for an illness.
One of the illnesses that this type of condition can be a sign of as an underlying illness is Addison’s disease. This is a rare edocrine disorder where the adrenal glands are not able to produce enough steroid hormones. Once the illness is treated it is not unusual for the darkened patches to fade.
The medications that are known for causing hyper-pigmentation to develop are anti seizure medications, antimalarial, and minocycline medications.
It is important when there is no reason, including medications that are taken for hyper-pigmentation to develop a physician should be consulted to ensure there is no underlying illness that could be causing the darkened patches of skin that have appeared.
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What is Post Inflammatory Hyper-Pigmentation?
Post Inflammatory hyper-pigmentation is a darkening of the skin after a surgery or injury, which can include bruising, cuts and burns. In some cases even a pimple can cause post inflammatory hyper-pigmentation.
For some people affected by this condition it can take weeks, months and in some cases even years for the injury to turn into a permanent scar. It is also possible for any skin tone to have this type of condition, however the more color the skin has the more possible it is to suffer from this type of hyper-pigmentation. This does not mean only people with dark skin are affected, people that have olive or light brown skin can also be affected by post inflammatory hyper-pigmentation.
Sunscreen can help to keep the area from becoming darker, but it cannot clear up the discoloration, this is done with the use of chemical peels, microdermabrasion and in some cases with the use of a skin lightener.
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Melasma is a Form of Hyper-Pigmentation
Melasma is one of the most common types of hyper-pigmentation and is cause is unknown, but it is known that it affects mostly women. This is believed it is caused by hormones and affects many pregnant women and women on birth control pills.
There are approximately only ten percent of men that are affected by this form of hyper-pigmentation, and experts also believe the condition is hereditary. Some of the other things that can be a trigger for melasma to develop are cosmetics, medications, including birth control pills or hormone therapy.
In most cases after pregnancy or when birth control pills or other medications are stopped this will stop the progression of melasma.
Melasma is a skin disorder where the skin will have brown or grayish-brown patches that will appear on the nose, cheeks and forehead. These spots are able to be treated with steroid creams, chemical peels, laser treatments and microderabrasion.
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How should shingles be treated?
Shingles is the skin disease which creates painful rashes on the skin. It is caused due to the reactivation of the virus called “herpes zoster” which causes chickenpox. It is very unclear why the virus gets reactivated, but one of the factors given by the experts is due to the weak immune system. Immunosuppressed people are unable to fight against the disease due to the weak immune system. Some of the treatments suggested by doctors are: The development of shingles can be halted by the consumption of anti-viral drugs in the early stage. Calamine lotion helps you to lower down the itching and painkillers like aspirin and paracetamol can decrease the pain. If the pain is too high then your GP can suggest you stronger painkillers. The drugs are of limited value if the rashes have developed. It is recommended that the rashes should be kept uncovered. This heals the shingles quicker because of the air the sores get. You should always avoid scratching the sores, because due to this the rashes spread and the bacteria infect it. Some antiviral drugs like acyclovir (Zovirax), famciclovir (Famvir) and valacyclovir (Valtrex) are proved to be very affective. Rubbing the cream which contains capsaicin over the affected area of skin is also one of the best treatments.
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What are shingles?
Shingles is a skin complaint or a skin rash which is caused by a virus named herpes zoster which normally causes chickenpox. Although it is not life-threatening it is very inconvenient, uncomfortable and a very painful disease. In the early stage a person experiences extreme burning sensation due to the rashes developed. In some cases even if the scabs are healed the person suffers lot of pain on the rash covered area. The sensation is medically termed as post-herpetic neuralgia which is very unpleasant. A person can catch shingles due to the reactivation of the zoster virus. Immune deficiency is one of the factors for the virus to get reactivated. The groups of people who have a weak immune system are known as “immunosuppressed”. Unlike normal and healthy immune system they are unable to fight off the disease. If you come in contact with chickenpox, then there are negligible chances for you to get affected by shingles. Shingles is mostly cured within a period of one month. Care should be taken highly if rashes appear on the face because; it may affect your hearing sense, and if is near your eyes it might affect your vision clarity or might cause blindness.
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What are the symptoms of tick bite?
The various symptoms of tick bite are as follows:
They are usually painless although some of them may provide painful experience. At times they go unnoticed as the bite is painless. Another reason the tick bites go unnoticed is that their size is almost undetectable. Their size is so less that it may be practically difficult to find a tick once it falls off. The actual symptoms of the bite are visible only after the tick drops out. On a tick bite one may notice the following:
- Local redness of the skin.
- Itching on the portion on the bite.
- Burning sensation on the portion.
- Rarely does it result into localized intense pain.
The illness transmitted often starts showing the symptoms from days to weeks after the tick bite. Hence it may even be unnoticed by a physician. The physician need to be informed any hiking or camping activities recently carried out. Various other symptoms visible after a tick bite are:
- Possibility of flu.
- Fever
- Numbness
- Rashes
- Confusion
- Weakness
- Pain and selling in the joints
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea and vomiting.
All these symptoms may not be due the bite of the tick but due to the pathogens transmitted during the tick bite.
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What are the medications prescribed for ichthyosis?
Treatment: Ichthyosis is a disorder that can be controlled and can be managed but can’t be treated with 100% assurance. At present there is no permanent cure for the disorder. Disorder due to genetic reasons is expected to remain throughout the life. Disorder, not due to genetic reasons may be cured to a greater extent. The various principles to be followed by the one suffering are:
- Not to take hot baths or showers. Instead use warm to cold water.
- Soaps of any kind must be avoided. The reason is soap irritates the skin and dries it out fast.
- Prescribed lotion should be used as a substitute to soap.
- Many lotions are also available at the pharmacy which can be used without medical prescription.
- Moisture retaining ointments or creams must be used after bath or shower will help one get best healing results.
- One should not rub the skin dry after having a bath.
- Living in warm climatic conditions often relives the patient a bit.
- One must regularly visit a dermatologist to check the severity of the disorder.
A dermatologist can provide prescription that can be helpful in shedding the dead cells which are one amongst the primary reason for the disorder.
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What is the type of ichthyosis?
Ichthyosis type: Generally most types of ichthyosis are present from birth and expected to remain for the entire life time.
The most common types are:
- Ichthyosis vulgaris
- Lamellar ichthyosis
- Epidermolytic hyperkeratosis
- X-linked ichthyosis
- Harlequin ichthyosis
- Darier’s disease
Out of the above, ichthyosis vulgaris is the most commonly observed type.
In ichthyosis vulgaris: During birth the skin appears normal. Then by the age of 5 skins gradually becomes dry, rough and scaly.
In lamellar ichthyosis: At birth the child is covered with thickened collodion that sheds off. Then scaling occurs which covers almost the whole body.
In Epidermolytic hyperkeratosis: At birth the skin is red, tender and moist. Scaling takes place within few days at times with foul skin odor.
In x-linked: Scaling may occur right at the time of birth or after a few days. Scaling is usually found around neck trunk at buttocks or at extremities. Depending upon the type, the course of treatment can be decided.
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What causes ichthyosis?
The various known causes of ichthyosis are:
- The inherited forms of ichthyosis results due to mutation in the gene that is transmitted from the parent to the child.
- Cold dry weather worsens the problem for the person suffering from the disorder.
The main reason is that people with the disorder have defects in the skin due to which the skin cannot hold moisture. Skin loses moisture more easily than normal individual. The skin is a renewable organ capable of producing new skin cells. The new skin cells so formed at the base of the epidermis are pushed to the surface of the skin. These new skin cells eventually flatten, shrink and die and are replaced by new ones. Ichthyosis is a disorder that disrupts this cycle resulting in dry, scaly and flaky skin. In this disorder either the new cell are rapidly produced or the new cells so produced are shed very slowly. If the disorder is not caused due to genetic changes it is called as acquired ichthyosis and is comparatively rare. This type is usually associated with some other types of internal diseases like thyroid disease, chronic renal failure or cancer and is usually more visible during the adulthood.
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