Ways to Manage Your Weight When You Have Psoriasis

Want another good reason to stay at a healthy weight? It can help you manage your psoriasis. It can also lower your risks of heart disease and diabetes, which are higher when you have this skin condition. Follow these steps.

Stick to a Healthy Diet

Experts recommend a heart-healthy diet:

• Eat lots of fruits and veggies.
• Include plenty of whole grains in your meals.
• Choose lean protein, like skinless chicken and fish.
• Eat less red meat.
• Limit full-fat dairy foods.
• Cut back on refined carbohydrates like pasta and white rice.
• Avoid processed foods.

Rosacea Symptoms

Most people think of rosacea as a red face. It’s true this skin condition can cause facial redness, but it can also cause many other symptoms. They range from pimples on your cheeks to thick skin on your nose. Rosacea usually appears on your face, but you can have it on your neck, scalp, ears, eyes, or chest, too.

As many as 16 million Americans have rosacea, yet many don't realize they have it. Rosacea can be treated, but step one is knowing it's there.

The First Signs

Rosacea symptoms often don’t start to appear until age 30 or later. Symptoms can come and go. As a result, many people think it’s acne or a sunburn.

The Types of Rosacea

Symptoms can be different from person to person. There are four basic types of rosacea. You can have just one type, or you can have more. Women tend to have rosacea more often than men, but men tend to have more severe symptoms.

Understanding Rosacea -- the Basics

What Is Rosacea?

Rosacea is a common, lasting skin condition that affects about 14 million Americans. Its symptoms are usually patchy redness and inflammation, especially on the cheeks, nose, forehead, and chin. It often starts between the ages of 30 and 50 and affects more women than men. Because symptoms start slowly, rosacea may be mistaken at first for sunburn.

As the condition gets worse, redness becomes more lasting and obvious. Some people also notice stinging or burning feelings. Small, red, solid bumps (called papules) and pus-filled pimples (called pustules) may appear on the skin. Because these look like acne, rosacea is sometimes mistaken for acne.

Topical Treatments for Psoriasis

The dry patches of skin you get with psoriasis can be itchy and uncomfortable, but the right treatment plan can help.

Your doctor will likely suggest creams, lotions, foams, sprays, solutions, and ointments. These are called "topicals," meaning you put them directly on your skin or scalp.

A number of products are available. You can get some over the counter (OTC) at the drugstore, but for others you'll need a prescription. It may take time to find what works best for you.

Choosing a Topical

Moisturizers and lotions that you buy without a prescription can keep your skin moist and help control flare-ups. In general, thick, greasy lotions that trap moisture in your skin work best.

Tips to Manage Your Psoriasis Triggers

You can reduce flare-ups by learning to spot things that make your psoriasis worse. Follow these tips to help keep your skin condition under control.

Stress

It’s one of the most common triggers, says dermatologist Colby Evans, MD, chairman of the board of directors of the National Psoriasis Foundation.

Stress puts your body in a protective mode. It sends out the chemicals that cause inflammation and lead to flares.

What you can do: Try exercise, yoga, or massage, Evans suggests, or take up hobbies you enjoy. They can ease your stress. So can techniques like progressive muscle relaxation, focused breathing, and mindfulness meditation.

You can talk to a therapist or stress-management counselor to get more ideas.

Types of Eczema

Eczema is a common problem that causes the skin to become inflamed. People often also call it dermatitis.atopic dermatitus

Eczema comes in many forms. But the different types of eczema tend to cause these symptoms:

• Itching . The itching can be intense. The damage to the skin during eczema is often due to scratching.
• Scaling. The surface of the skin can flake off, giving the skin a rough, scaly appearance.
• Redness. The affected skin may bleed and appear blotchy.
• Fluid-filled blisters. These can ooze and form crusts.
• Cracking. Severely affected skin may develop painful, deep cracks, also called fissures.

Depending on the cause, eczema may flare up and cause severe symptoms. But it can also become a chronic problem with less intense symptoms.

Here's a look at the types of eczema and their treatments.

18 Common Rosacea Triggers

You've probably noticed that certain foods, temperatures, activities, emotions -- or something else entirely -- will trigger your rosacea to flare up. Here are some common rosacea triggers.

Foods and drinks that cause rosacea:

• Alcohol
• Spicy foods
• Hot drinks
• Hot foods (in temperature)

Activities that cause rosacea:

• Exercise or heavy exertion
• Hot baths or saunas

Healthy Beauty

Effects of Stress on Your Skin

Stress can affect your whole body, including your skin, hair, and nails.

Your emotions have a powerful effect on your skin. Since stress is a part of life, what matters is how you handle it.

How Stress Affects Skin

Stress causes a chemical response in your body that makes skin more sensitive and reactive. It can also make it harder for skin problems to heal.

Have you ever noticed that when you are stressed, you break out more? This is because stress causes your body to produce cortisol and other hormones, which tells your sebaceous glands to produce more oil. Oily skin is more prone to acne and other skin problems.

Candidiasis

Candidiasis (see the image below) is a fungal infection caused by yeasts from the genus Candida. Candida albicans is the predominant cause of the disease.

Essential update: FDA approves marketing of first rapid blood test for 5 Candida species

In September 2014, the FDA gave marketing approval for the T2Candida Panel and T2Dx Instrument (T2Candida), the first direct blood test for detecting five Candida species that cause bloodstream infections (C albicans and/or C tropicalis, C parapsilosis, C glabrata and/or C krusei).[1, 2] T2Candida can use single blood sample to identify these five yeasts within 3-5 hours, whereas traditional testing methods can take up to 6 days to detect, and even longer to identify, Candida species. Therefore, this test potentially allows earlier administration of appropriate antifungal therapy and may reduce disease severity and/or the mortality risk from sepsis.[1, 2] However, blood cultures should be used to confirm T2Candida results owing to the potential for false-positive results.

Cutaneous Candidiasis

Cutaneous candidiasis and other forms of candidosis are infections caused by the yeast Candida albicans or other Candida species. Yeasts are unicellular fungi that typically reproduce by budding, a process that entails a progeny pinching off of the mother cell. C albicans, the principal infectious agent in human infection, is an oval yeast 2-6 µm in diameter. C albicans (as well as most medically significant fungi) has the ability to exist in both hyphal and yeast forms (termed dimorphism). If pinched cells do not separate, a chain of cells is produced and is termed pseudohyphae.

Superficial infections of skin and mucous membranes are the most common types of candidal infections of the skin. Common types of candidal skin infection include intertrigo, diaper dermatitis, erosio interdigitalis blastomycetica, perianal dermatitis, and candidal balanitis. In certain subpopulations, candidal infection of the skin has increased in prevalence in recent years, principally because of the increased numbers of patients who are immunocompromised.

Fungal Infections: What You Should Know

Slideshow: Fungus Among Us

Are Fungal Infections Serious?

Fungal infections can be itchy and annoying, but they're rarely serious. Common infections such as athlete's foot, jock itch, and ringworm are caused by fungus and are easy to get and to pass around. In healthy people, they usually don't spread beyond the skin's surface, so they're easy to treat. If you spend a lot of time at the gym, take steps to protect yourself against fungal infections.

Ringworm

Ringworm isn't caused by worms. This raised, red, circular, itchy fungal infection can occur on the body or scalp. You're at greater risk if you come in contact with a pet or person with ringworm or with contaminated items. Prevent it by keeping your body clean and dry. It's easily spread, so don't share towels, combs, or other personal items.

Slideshow: A Visual Guide to Eczema

What Is Eczema?

Eczema has been called "the itch that rashes" because the itching usually occurs first. This group of skin rashes may first appear in babies and toddlers, becoming a drier, flaky rash in older children. Adults may see scaly, leathery patches or a stubborn hand eczema. Atopic dermatitis is a common, often inherited form, but there are other types, as well as many treatment options.

Eczema Symptoms

Itching is the defining symptom. Once you start scratching, the skin becomes inflamed -- and even itchier. The appearance can vary greatly and may include:

• Red, scaly areas
• Small, rough bumps
• Thick, leathery patches

Fungal Infections of the Skin

Fungal infections of the skin are very common and include athlete's foot, jock itch, ringworm, and yeast infections.

Athlete's Foot

Athlete's foot, also called tinea pedis, is a fungal infection of the foot. It causes peeling, redness, itching, burning, and sometimes blisters and sores.

Athlete's foot is a very common infection. The fungus grows best in a warm, moist environment such as shoes, socks, swimming pools, locker rooms, and the floors of public showers. It is most common in the summer and in warm, humid climates. It occurs more often in people who wear tight shoes and who use community baths and pools.

Detecting and Dealing With Eczema

Diet and Eczema: The Facts

If you have eczema, you want to do all you can to try to stop the irritation and itching it can cause. So you may be eager to try eczema diets promoted in books or online.

How helpful are these eczema diets? Research about diet and eczema is conflicting.

This article will review what experts recommend when it comes to diet and eczema.

Diet and Eczema in Children

"Some young children have eczema caused by allergic reactions to certain foods," says Donald V. Belsito, MD, a professor of clinical dermatology at Columbia University in New York. "But after age 3 or 4, eczema caused by foods is very rare. Food can cause hives and other skin reactions, but not eczema."

Slideshow: Pictures of Common Foot Problems

Fungal Nail Infection

Tiny fungi can get inside your nail through a crack or break, causing an infection that can make nails thick, discolored, and brittle. The fungus, which thrives in warm, wet places, can spread to people who swim a lot or who have sweaty feet. An infection won't go away on its own, and it can be hard to treat. Creams you put on your nail may help mild cases. Antifungal pills or surgery to remove the nail offer the best chance of clearing up a severe infection.

Avoid a Sandal Scandal

Is a bunion, corn, ingrown toenail, or a bad case of athlete's foot causing you pain? Keep your feet happy and healthy -- learn the symptoms of common foot problems and what you can do to treat them.

Vaccines for Adults: What You Should Know

Shingles & Chickenpox: What's the Link?

Just before Christmas a few years ago, Richard DiCarlo, MD, woke up in the night with burning pain on his left side. Turning on a light, he saw a row of red bumps and knew immediately that he had shingles, also known as zoster, caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus, dormant since a childhood infection.

After shingles and a year of postherpetic neuralgia, a painful condition that made it difficult to sleep, DiCarlo, an infectious disease specialist at Louisiana State University in New Orleans, counts himself among the supporters of the shingles vaccine. The shingles vaccine Zostavax was licensed in the U.S. in 2006. Data from the Shingles Prevention Trial, which enrolled 38,000 adults aged 60 and over, showed that men and women who got the shingles vaccine were half as likely to get the ailment after an average follow-up period of three years compared to those given a placebo shot. Vaccinated study participants who did develop shingles also had reduced pain compared to participants given a placebo shot. The vaccine was most effective in people ages 60-69 with increased decline in effectiveness associated with older age.

How Is Eczema Diagnosed and Treated?

To diagnose eczema, your doctor will first talk to you about your symptoms and medical history.

He or she will also ask about your family's history of rashes and other allergy-related medical conditions, such as asthma and hay fever.

While there is no single test to diagnose eczema, a good medical history and an exam of your skin are usually all that is needed.

What Are the Treatments for Eczema?

Good skin care is a key component in controlling eczema. For some people with mild eczema, modifying their skin care routine and making a few lifestyle changes may be all that is needed to treat eczema. Other people with more severe eczema may need to take medications to control their symptoms.

Common Adult Skin Problems Slideshow

Got Skin Problems?

Is your skin itchy, broken out, or covered in a rash or strange spots? Skin inflammation, changes in texture or color, and spots may result from infection, a chronic skin condition, or contact with an allergen or irritant. If you think you have one of these common adult skin problems, have your doctor check it out. Most are minor, but others can signal something more serious.

Shingles (Herpes Zoster)

A rash of raised dots that turns into painful blisters, shingles causes your skin to burn, itch, tingle, or become very sensitive. Shingles often shows up on your trunk and buttocks, but can appear anywhere. An outbreak lasts about two weeks. You’ll recover, but pain, numbness, and itching might linger for months, years, or even the rest of your life. Treatment includes creams for your skin, antiviral drugs, steroids, and even antidepressants.

What Your Skin Says About Your Health Slideshow

Your Skin: A Window to Your Health

Your skin can be a window to your underlying health, says Wake Forest University's Joseph Jorizzo, MD, one of the experts who literally wrote the book on skin signs of internal disease. Many underlying health conditions -- some very serious -- first appear as skin problems.

Butterfly Rash

A butterfly rash across the face is often the first sign of lupus. But don't jump to conclusions. "It could be rosacea, it could be contact dermatitis. Unfortunately, sometimes it is a sign of lupus," says University of Miami dermatologist Paolo Romanelli, MD. Only further tests can tell if it's really lupus.

Slideshow: Top Eczema Triggers to Avoid

Chemicals: Air Fresheners, Cleaning Supplies, and Smoke

• To steer clear of chemicals that can make eczema itchy and to keep your skin happy:
• Wear cotton lined gloves when cleaning.
• Don't use air fresheners or perfume.
• Stay away from smoke, and if you do smoke, now is a great time to kick the habit.

Hot Water: Turn It Down and Lotion Up

Choose lukewarm or cool water instead of hot to keep skin calmer after handwashing and showers. When you’re done washing, gently pat skin -- don't rub -- until it’s just damp. Then, slather on thick lotion right away to lock in moisture. Allergic to wool? Check the ingredients label of your lotion. Lanolin will irritate your skin. For people without a wool allergy, lanolin helps.

Psoriasis Health Center

Slideshow: A Visual Guide to Psoriasis

What Is Psoriasis?

This skin condition causes a thick, patchy, red rash with silvery, white scales. The most common type is called plaque psoriasis.

You can get it anywhere, but it shows up most often on your scalp, elbows, knees, and lower back. You can't catch it by touching the skin of someone who's got it.

Kids can get psoriasis, but it's more common in adults.

Psoriasis Symptoms

When psoriasis starts, you may see a few red bumps on your skin. These may get larger and thicker, and then get scales on top.

Skin Infections

Learn about types of bacterial, fungal, and viral skin infections.

Bacterial Skin Infections

Leprosy

Leprosy is caused by a slow-growing type of bacteria called Mycobacteriumleprae (M. leprae). Leprosy is also known as Hansen's disease, after the scientist who discovered M. leprae in 1873.

Carbuncles

A carbuncle is a red, swollen, and painful cluster of boils that are connected to each other under the skin.

Staph Infection

The infection often begins with a little cut, which gets infected with bacteria. These staph infections range from a simple boil to antibiotic-resistant infections to flesh-eating infections.

5 Signs Of A Yeast Infection and How To Get Rid Of It Quickly

According to the Mayo Clinic, 3 out of 4 women will experience a yeast infection at one point in their lives. Once you get a yeast infection, you’re more likely to get another one.

It is estimated that nearly 80 percent of women have unhealthy vaginal flora (that make up their vaginal bacteria) at any given time.

Are you a woman with any of the following?

• Vaginal itching that is often severe.
• Vaginal discharge that is usually white, thick, clumpy, and odorless.
• Red, irritated skin around the opening to the vagina (labia).
• Pain while urinating when urine touches irritated skin.
• Pain in the vagina during sexual intercourse

Vaginal yeast infection I

Vaginal yeast infection is an infection of the vagina. It is most commonly due to the fungus Candida albicans.

Causes

Most women have a vaginal yeast infection at some time. Candida albicans is a common type of fungus. It is often found in small amounts in the vagina, mouth, digestive tract, and on the skin. Most of the time, it does not cause infection or symptoms.

Candida and the many other germs that normally live in the vagina keep each other in balance. However, sometimes the number of Candida increases, leading to a yeast infection.

Candida infection of the skin

Cutaneous candidiasis is an infection of the skin with a candida fungus.

Causes

The body normally hosts a variety of germs, including bacteria and fungi. Some of these are useful to the body, some produce no harm or benefit, and some can cause harmful infections.

Some fungal infections are caused by fungi that live on the hair, nails, and outer skin layers. They include yeast-like fungi such as Candida.

In cutaneous candidiasis, the skin is infected with Candida fungi. This type of infection is fairly common. It can involve almost any skin on the body, but most often it occurs in warm, moist, creased areas such as the armpits and groin. The fungus that most often causes cutaneous candidiasis is Candida albicans.

Candidal Skin Infection

What is candida?

Candida is a type of yeast (fungus). Small numbers of candida normally live on your skin and do no harm. Sometimes, under certain conditions, they can multiply and cause infection. The common sites for candida to cause infection are your vagina (vaginal thrush), your mouth (oral thrush) and your skin. This leaflet just deals with candidal skin infections. See separate leaflets called Vaginal Thrush and Oral Thrush for further details.

Is a candidal skin infection serious?

Usually not. Most infections occur in people who are otherwise healthy (although they are more common if you are overweight). Treatment usually works extremely well. In some people, the candidal skin infection may be the first indication of another condition such as diabetes.

Candida Fungus Skin Infection

Overview

Candida is a strain of fungus that can cause an infection in your skin, among other locations. In normal conditions, your skin may host small amounts of this fungus, but problems arise when it begins to multiply and creates an overgrowth. More than 150 species of candida exist, but the majority of infections are caused by a species called Candida albicans.

The outlook for Candida infection is often very good. Generally, the condition isn’t serious and can be easily treated. However, uncontrolled infections can lead to potentially life-threatening problems — especially in those with weakened immune systems. Quick treatment can help stop the spread of the fungus, while also improving (and potentially saving) your life.