Lifestyle Choices

A jutting or receding chin often causes grief to its owner but, whereas a great many people seek cosmetic surgery for noses, far fewer even know that anything can be done to the chin. Sometimes, in fact, it is the shape of the chin that throws an otherwise innocuous nose into undue prominence and a surgeon may suggest correction of the former rather than the latter. In a few cases, however, surgery for both the chin and the nose may be aesthetically beneficial.

The chin is, of course, part of the jaw but surgery for the chin is a different matter entirely from surgery for the entire jaw. The latter is a major procedure in which usually the teeth need realignment too because deformities of the jaw affect bite. Such surgery is not carried out by cosmetic surgeons but by oral and maxillofacial surgeons, working together with orthodontists. Chin surgery is concerned only with the small part of the jaw that sticks out under your mouth but it is not undertaken by all cosmetic surgeons. Ask for guidance from your general practitioner. (more…)

Actinic keratoses(AKs) are flat or slightly raised, sometimes red, scaly patches which appear on the background of sun-damaged skin — especially on the face, the scalps of balding men, the backs of the hands, arms, chest and back. Since they are rough to the touch, AKs are often more easily diagnosed by feel than by observation. They are especially prevalent on fair-skinned people who continue to develop AKs even long after discontinuing sun exposure. AKs are pre-malignant skin growths that can develop into squameous cell carcinomas. They must therefore be treated straightaway, either by cryosurgery or chemotherapy using Effudex (5-fluorouracil) or Actinex (masoproco) cream. These creams cause the skin to become markedly inflamed for at least one week, but there is also some decrease in wrinkles as a bonus! (more…)

Infection

Certain food poisoning bacteria other than staphylococci can infect food and grow in it without detectable taste or smell. Then, when the food is eaten, these germs gain access to the gut of the consumer, multiply there and cause a typical gastroenteric form of poisoning.

An example of this type of infection is that caused by the Salmonella group of bacteria. These germs are normally carried in the gut by pigs, poultry, cows, bullocks, sheep, domestic animals and rodents, and, to a lesser extent, human beings. Eggs (especially duck), egg powder and milk can also be affected. (more…)

Fungi

Several fungi can infect human skin, nails and hair. Those fungi which normally live in the soil or on animals tend to produce inflammation as well as scaling but those which are specifically human fungi give rise to little reaction on the skin. The term ringworm is used because many fungal infections produce a circular rash.

Ringworm

Ringworm on the foot is also called athlete’s foot and it is the most widespread form of fungal infection. It is easily spread from one person to another and swimming baths and changing rooms are likely sources of infection. The usual changes are redness, scaling and maceration in the space between fourth and fifth toes, and it may be accompanied by small blisters. It may remain like this for years causing no discomfort, however, it may itch and spread to the other web spaces or other body sites. (more…)

Viruses

Viruses are even smaller than bacteria and fungi and they are not usually found on normal skin. Many viruses can cause a rash - e.g. measles and glandular fever - but these diseases are not dealt with here. This section describes some virus infections in which either the only signs or the commonest signs of the disease are on the skin.

Warts

It is now known that there are several strains of wart virus and each tends to produce its own type of wart. Some cause the ordinary wart on the hands, others painful warts on the feet; and still others warts on the face or genitals. Warts are caught from other people. This happens easily in children who have not had time to develop immunity to the virus but adults are more resistant. Even when the virus has gained access to the skin it may lie dormant for weeks or months before the wart itself appears. (more…)

This group of diseases is extremely common and no one goes through life without some infection of the skin at one time or another. In hot countries it is even more of a problem. An infection is caused by tiny organisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi and can spread from one person to another. They are microscopic. An infestation, on the other hand, is caused by small creatures that can generally be seen with the naked eye. (more…)

The Cause

It is more common among teenagers than among any other age group, although acne, an infection of the sebaceous glands, can occur at any time in life. It shows up as blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, and pustules that occur on the face and neck, back and chest, almost always when levels of testosterone and progesterone—two hormones necessary for growth—are high. Testosterone, known as the male hormone (although women have it in small quantities too), spurs the sebaceous glands to increase their production of sebum. When too much sebum is produced, a keratinous plug can fill the duct, which then becomes infected while the skin around it becomes inflamed. If the problem is severe enough—and luckily most people never get to this stage—the walls of the infected ducts even disintegrate, and cystic lesions may develop in the skin which leave permanent scars after the infection itself has healed. (more…)

The pre-menstrual syndrome is a group of symptoms which occur regularly before menstruation and during early menstruation. After menstruation you are, by strict definition, entirely free from symptoms.

The symptoms are variable, ranging from migraine, backache, joint pains, asthma, tension, irritability, pimples and blotchy skin to swollen breasts, swollen ankles, bloatedness and tiredness. If the symptoms include the triad of tiredness, depression and irritability, this is called pre-menstrual tension. To find out whether you are susceptible to pre-menstrual depression or tension, it is useful to record accurately the timing of symptoms in relation to the menstrual cycle. This means using a diary or a chart every day for several months, and recording the presence or absence of symptoms and the presence or absence of menstruation. Only if there is a regular correlation and if the symptom disappears after menstruation, can you be sure of the diagnosis. (more…)

AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) was first described in the early 1980s. HIV (Human ImmunodeficiencyVirus) was discovered as the cause of AIDS in 1983. It is still unclear exactly where the virus originated.

Factors that have caused the virus to spread rapidly include socioeconomic instability, multiple sexual partner activity, as well as intravenous drug usage and migration of people across large distances. HIV is generally spread in three ways: via sexual intercourse, with HIV-infected blood directly into the body, and from mother to child transmission during pregnancy, childbirth and via breastfeeding. HIV is not spread by casual, everyday non-sexual contact. It is not spread by kissing, hugging or touching. Neither is it spread by handshaking, sharing food utensils or from toilet seats.

The HIV virus attacks and slowly destroys the immune system. There are three stages during the infection — being well with no symptoms, mild disease episodes and then very severe illness. Some people are rapid progressors (disease progresses and becomes very active) whereas others are slow progressors (they remain generally very well often for 10-15 years). (more…)

Vaginal discharge is a fluid coming from the vagina, normally clear, cloudy or whitish. The consistency and amount of discharge varies during your menstrual cycle. The vagina normally contains bacteria as well as fungal organisms, and a healthy vagina keeps a balance of these bacteria and fungi. Bacterial growth is controlled and affected by many different factors, such as acid level (pH) and hormones. Anything that upsets this balance may increase your risk of infection or overgrowth of any of the normal bacteria or by yeast. Possible triggers include:

1) Antibiotic use

1. Birth-control pills

3) Douching

4) Diabetes

5) Pregnancy

6) Stress

1. Tight or synthetic undergarments

What indicates an abnormal discharge or vaginitis (inflammation of the vagina)?

1. itching

2. burning (more…)