Are You Turning Scaly

HAS YOUR SKIN TURNED RED AND SORE AND YOU FEEL ITCHY LIKE CRAZY? And you know you haven't been near poison ivy or even don't have chickenpox! But still, you chew your fingernails down to the quick just so you won't scratch until you bleed! Don’t dip down in depression for turning into a monster movie. You suffer from ECZEMA. Dr Sheilly Kapoor Consultant Dermatology Medanta the Medicity tells all about this scaly skin concern. Read to know.

What is Eczema

In Greek means “to Boil”. It broadly encompasses skin conditions that cause the skin to suffer from recurring redness, skin edema (swelling), and you feel itching and dryness, crusting, flaking, blistering, cracking, oozing, or bleeding most of the time. Areas of temporary skin discoloration may also appear.

Identify the Causes

The exact cause of eczema in unknown but is linked to an over active response by the body's immune system to an irritant. In addition, it is more common in persons with a family history of other allergies/ asthma.

 Some types of eczema can occur as a result of single (irritant contact dermatitis) or repeated (allergic contact dermatitis) exposure to irritants / allergens. The common allergens include detergents, animal dander, objects containing nickel like coins, buttons, jewellery and eyeglass frames etc. Upper respiratory infections or colds may also be triggers. Stress may cause the condition to worsen.

Seasonal changes can affect eczema badly especially in children. However, flare-ups often occur in winter months when the air is drier. Dry hair combined with heating in some houses can cause the skin to dry out and lead to eczema.

Eczema can get aggravated by dryness of the skin. So keeping the affected area moisturized can promote skin healing and relied of symptoms. Other drugs with can be used for eczema include topical (tacrolimus and pimecrolimus ) and systemec (cyclosporine, azathioprine and methotrexate) immuno suppressents.

  

Are you at risk?

Genetic Factors: Parents who suffer from allergic disorders, including eczema, asthma, and hay fever have a higher risk of having children with eczema.

Environmental factors such as skin irritants, including wool or synthetic clothing, soaps or detergents, cosmetics or perfumes, dust/sand, chemical solvents, chlorine triggers eczema. Other conditions that aggravate the disease includes extreme temperates(cold or hot temperatures or dry air or extremely humid air), and lack of moisturizer after bathing, etc. Other allergens that also trigger eczema includes plant pollen, animal dander, household dust mites, molds, and certain foods

Age factor: The risk is greatest for infants and children. It is estimated that of people who eventually develop eczema, 65% of patients develop symptoms in the first year of life, and 90% develop symptoms before age 5. The condition often improves in adulthood, but 50% of those affected in childhood are affected throughout life.

Obvious Treatments

Lifestyle wise: Eczema can be controlled and not cured. Growing out of atopic eczema with age and avoiding the allergens causing atopic eczema are the only situations where it is considered to               be cured. Otherwise controlling the condition with some lifestyle modification with or without medication is the answer. Here are few recommendations to stay well with eczema:

• Maintain a regular bathing and moisturizing schedule.
• Avoid wearing wool or other rough fabrics which can irritate the skin.
• Dressing in layers is preferable as to much clothing may cause swelling and increase itch.
• Use a humidifier to keep the air moist and prevent the skin from getting dry.
• Moisturize well and repeat at regular intervals.

 However, specifically in warmer months, it is important to stay cool as sweating causes itchiness and make the symptoms of eczema worse. Wear loose fitting cotton clothes cotton allows the air to circulate better and helps to absorb body moisture this helps to keep the body cool and dry. Also it is good to lessen activities that cause a lot of sweating esp-during hot hours of the day. Lastly protect your skin from the sun.

Medication wise:  There is no known cure for eczema; therefore, treatments aim to control the symptoms by reducing inflammation and reducing itching. Corticosteroids are the mainstay of treatment.  To treat mild to moderate eczema steroid cream eg. Hydrocortisone may be used for a week; while in more severe cases a higher potency steroid eg. clobetasol propionate is recommended. However, in extreme severe cases, oral on injectable corticosteroids is needed. Although they bring rapid relief but at times shows greater side effects. It can be controlled on an average in 2-3 weeks in majority of cases.  For itch relief, antihistamines are combined.     

                                 

Dietary restrictions You can avoid flare-ups by restricting eatables like eggs, fish, peanuts and soya. However, this is very individual and should be discussed with your health care provider. Try to eliminate cigarette, alcohol, caffeine, saturated fats and preserved foods from the diet. Eat more fiber-rich food. Drink plenty of water and take fruit juices like orange.

What to wear with eczema

 Fabric not fashion should be the deciding factor. Cotton is currently one of the most commonly recommended fabric for people with eczema but a specially treated silk (Dermasilk) has shown good evidence to become the fabric of choice for eczema. Wool, nylon and other synthetic fibres have frequently been shown to irritate eczema, so it’s good to avoid these materials.

Fix 5 Winter Hair Woes Now!

December is about to begin and the season has surely turned to the colder side. Now with pleasant sides, winter also bring dry frizzy cold winds that can be your hair’s worst nightmare. Find out what causes these tress troubles and get a slew of solutions to fix them. Dr Sheilly Kapoor, Consultant Dermatology Medanta the Medicity shares the solutions. Read on.

Problem #1 – Dandruff

What causes it

When the mercury drops and there’s little moisture in the air, skin — including our scalps — becomes dry, tight and uncomfortably itchy, causing scaly dandruffs. However, there are other causes as well like not washing or conditioning your hair for than a week or so. A sweaty scalp also contributes to dandruff.  Another culprit is the Pityrosporum ovale fungus. A mixture of oil and fungus speeds up the rate at which dead skin cells are shed from your scalp, leading to dandruff flakes.

What you can do

Alternate shampoos and conditioners that contain different ingredients, such as salicylic acid, selenium sulfide and pyrithione zinc rather using just one anti-dandruff shampoo or conditioner exclusively as the fungus can adapt and become immune to it. Also each ingredient has a different effect, like exfoliating dead cells soothing your scalp and reducing inflammation. Specifically, shampoos rich in ingredient pyrithione zinc can help remove dandruff up to 70 percent more effective.

Problem # 2 – Dryness

What causes it

As winter falls, the wind starts howling and the air gets frigid with very little moisture left in the atmosphere to breathe. And to counter this chill, we crank up our heater that again kills moisture causing more drying effect. So whether you move in or out, your hair surely turns dry and brittle. Moreover, if you love following a regular hairstyling routine, be it colouring or using heat styling tools like blow-dryers, curling irons or straightening irons, your hair dryness gets even worse. Reason is any chemical processing, such as coloring or perming, adds to dryness and affects hair’s structure to retain moisture.

What you can do

• Use a humidifier to replenish moisture in the air and combat the drying effects of indoor heat.

• Don’t shampoo your hair daily to restore its natural oils and moisture.

• Opt for rich, creamy shampoos and conditioners containing moisturizing ingredients, like lanolin, protein, silicone, panthenol or shea butter. They’ll smooth your hair and add hydration.

• Steer clear of ingredients such as ammonium lauryl sulfate and tea tree oil, because these can strip hair’s natural oils and exacerbate dryness.

• Use luke warm water to rinse out shampoo, because hot water will make hair dryer. Finish with a blast of cool water to close up and smooth the hair cuticle. When the cuticle is smooth, light reflects off and makes your hair shiny.

• Once a week, try a deep conditioning intensive treatment with moisturizing aloe, jojoba butter or avocado oil. Choose shea butter hair mask. It is a super-rich formula with shea butter, avocado oil, panthenol and protein that repairs and rehydrates dry, damaged, coarse hair.

• Be careful drying and styling your hair. Gently squeeze and pat it with a towel to soak up moisture, but don’t rub hair with the towel, as this can damage the cuticle.

• Avoid heat-styling your hair. But, if you must use one of the heating tools, let your hair air dry for about 30 minutes to lock in some of the moisture and to avoid blow dry.

• When using hair spray or styling products do skip ones that are loaded with alcohol or strong fragrances as these further dry your hair.

Problem #3 – Hat head

What causes it

Your tresses get crushed and flattened by caps and hats. In particular, headwear that are tight-fitting or made from certain materials — like wool or acrylic — can cause you to perspire. Oil and sweat make your hair look limp and greasy.

What you can do

• As hats crush your hair, so you need to avoid anything that weigh down your locks even further, like piling on loads of styling products.

• Don’t miss shampooing alternately. Reason is if you long the gap oil, grease and residue will accumulate and weigh hair down.

• Before putting on your hat, pull hair into a ponytail, or push short hair back. If possible, choose a hat made from cotton, which is less likely to cause static.

• Wait until hair is completely dry after shampoo and has cooled off from a hot blow-dry before putting on a hat.

• For another trick, turn your head upside down, mist the underside of your hair lightly with hair spray then straighten up again. It will give hair lift and volume with no sticky, heavy residue. 

Problem #4 – Split ends

What causes it

Split ends are another crucial concern gets triggered in winters. And the reasons go similar, lack of moisture in the air, heat-styling tools or chemical processes such as colouring, rebonding, perming, etc. The drier your hair is, the more split ends you’ll have, tells Dr Kapoor.

What you can do

If you already have split ends, they can’t be repaired or reversed. All you can do is to get a trim. And to stop it grow, your best bet is to avoid heat styling, keep hair hydrated and visit your stylist for regular trims every couple months.

Problem #5 – Static and frizz

What causes them

Do you remember those static generators from science class that would make your hair stand on end if you touched them? Our tresses often take on the same look in winter. Reason is dry air and cold temperatures, which zap moisture from hair. Pulling wooly sweaters on and off over your head also contributes to the problem.

What you can do

• Hydrate your hair frequently. Use moisturizing shampoos and conditioners, or skip those labeled “volumizing” or “clarifying, products, because they can be drying and make hair more prone to static.

• Opt for leave-in conditioners which feature special polymers that adhere to hair, preventing flyaway strands.

• Serums are another good choice to coat and moisturize hair.

Whatever your winter hair woes are, these simple tips can surely prove beneficial to give you beautiful locks even during the harsh, blistering weather! So now take a chill pill.