Cotesensing

Frequently asked questions about skin discoloration answered

Everybody wants to be beautiful. And having a healthy skin is one of the requirements for being labeled as beautiful. To acquire one, many of us practice a strict regimen ; cleansing twice a day, frequent moisturizing, applying toner, getting regular facials, and gulping down liters of H20. Yet, even after all that, people will tell you that they’re still plagued with dark spots - pockets of discolored skin that remain even after pimples or skin bumps have disappeared.

So, in order for us to be enlightened, here are the frequently asked skin questions that might help us not just beautiful but look and live healthier.

What are all those brown spots that appear on the face and sun-exposed areas?

There is a whole spectrum of answers to this question. Most frequently encountered brown spots are freckles, moles, lentigo, and lentigines, melasma, and hyperpigmentation (skin darkening) brought by inflammatory healing - when the skin is recovering from another skin disorder such as an allergic reaction to a topically applied product.

Are these spots age-related?

Many of them are, such as lentigo (liver spot) which appears on the face,arms, and sun-exposed areas of elderly persons. The older people, however, also have a greater tendency to use cosmetic products on the face that may give rise to hyperpigmented patches. The cumulative effect of age, a lifetime of prolonged exposure, and the tendency to use this products may cause allergic and irritant reactions.

Can brown spots be prevented and treated?

The most effective way is to avoid these brown spots, no matter their nature and cause, is to use a reliable sunscreen that offers protection for all wavelengths of the ultraviolet spectrum that reach the earth, that is, a sunscreen that protects both UVA and UVB.

What about white discolorations? What causes them?

There are as many types of white spots as there of brown spots. Probably the most commonly encountered are: tinea versicolor, pityriasis alba, vitiligo and post-inflammatory hypopigmentation.

Is there a specific treatment for whitish discolorations?

Yes, there is. Leave it to your dermatologist to make the correct diagnosis and do refrain from self-medication. Tinea versicolor is treated with antifungals for a sufficient amount of time. Vitiligo is usually managed with topical photosensitizer to induce browning of the skin. Responses to treatment depend on the nature of the disease its extent and duration, as well as patient factors that may adversely or favorably affect the outcome.

It is a common mistake to buy skin care products based on age. Treating older or younger skin with products supposedly aimed with dealing with specific age ranges does not make sense because not everyone with older or younger skin has the same needs. Yet, it’s a trap many women fall into.

3 deadliest skin cancers we tend to take for granted

As much as we crave for the sun this summer, we should still not forget to take good care of our skin, lest the harmful elements of the sun rays that damage it.

As the sun radiates light down to earth, it likewise emanates invisible UV rays that could bring irreversible damage to your skin.  Experts claim that sunlight contains three types of UV rays that are quite dangerous to humans;

• UVA (long-wave UV)
• UVB (sunburn UV)
• UVC ( short-wave UV)

It is said that UV rays are the most dangerous of the three, however, since they are blocked by the earth’s ozone layers, they do not hit your skin as you engage in various outdoor activities, although this might happen eventually as the environmentalists are predicting the effects of global warming.

UVA and UVB are the two culprits you should watch out as they cause the most life-threatening skin cancers.  The word cancer is already a term that brings the chills, but these examples of skin cancers seem common and easy to treat but in reality, they can suck the life out of us.

1.  Melanoma - The most dangerous form of skin cancer is thought to be associated with severe UVB sunburns that occur before the age of 20.  Most UVB rays are enough to cause serious skin damage already. It begins in the skin cells called melanin, which is responsible for skin pigmentation.  Though it is a serious skin illness, it is curable, provided it is detected and treated early.  In women, melanoma develops on the lower legs, but it can appear under the fingernails, toenails, palms or soles.  Experts cited that the chance of developing melanoma increases with age, but it affects all age groups just the same.

2.  Squamous cell cancer - This occurs most frequently on the parts of the skin that are exposed to sunlight over long periods of time.  Usually the forehead, cheeks, nose, lower lip, and the top ears are the parts that get affected the most.  Skin experts say that blemishes develop into rough, scaly patches with small areas open wound that do not heal.  They eventually grow into larger wounds with crusts.  Again, early detection and treatment is the key.

3.  Basal cell cancer - Usually found in the areas of skin exposed to sunlight but sometimes occur in sunlight-deprived areas as well. This type of skin cancer appears as a raised, hard, red or red-gray, pearly wound often found on the forehead, eyelids, cheeks, nose or lips.  Again, according to medical literatures, early prevention followed by immediate treatment  is the key.

As always, you should consult a medical specialist should you feel discomfort or any sign of unusual reaction of your skin under the sun.

What we didn’t know about cellulite revealed

Cellulite, the eternally talked about body issue that all of us seem to just discuss in the shadows. It’s like an open secret we, women especially, don’t talk about yet we always dread every time we take a bath and look at ourselves in the mirror.

I won’t deny I have the big C and damn proud of it.  Realized it’s existence when I was in college when I was in a department store fitting room putting on a dress for a debut ball I was going to be a part of.  Being a freshman that I was, I kind of cried and yet I didn’t let anyone know. I thought I had a skin disease looking at the marks made me oozy and ashamed. But, thanks to my coolest aunt, I was enlightened.

And here’s what I learned about cellulite that I bet would take debunk all those misconceptions.

Drinking soda contributes to the production of cellulite
Thank goodness, soda has nothing to do in the production of cellulite.

It only occurs to women over 40.
Duh, I am living proof that it occurs at almost any age, starting from the tender age of 14.

The thighs and buttocks are the only parts of the body in which cellulite occurs.
Cellulite actually appears most commonly in the hips, thighs, and buttocks but it can also develop in the arms, abdomen, chest and upper back as well.

Thin people cannot have cellulite.
Cellulite can occur to ALL body types.

Cellulite can be removed by liposuction procedures.
Cellulite isn’t an indication for liposuction.  It can remove excess fat cells, but it cannot affect how they organize themselves or their general structure.

Hopefully, we will all be enlightened. All of us have it and it’s natural health phenomenon.  So, wear it a little proud.

Why I’m thinking twice about drinking coke