Skin Care Treatments Tag

In our article on chronic itch, we discussed just how serious of an issue itchy skin can be. Many people suffer greatly from this problem and are looking for things they can do at home to help. Here is a list of 5 simple, natural, and affordable DIY treatments for itchy skin. A few of these things are already in your cupboard, and if not, can easily be purchased at your local grocery store or health food store.

Aloe Vera Itchy SkinAloe Vera

Aloe vera is a good treatment option for chronic itch as it's convenient for daily use. It has a soothing effect on skin, so it's effective in treating itchy skin that is caused by irritation or rashes. You can buy a natural, unscented aloe vera gel, or you can get the gel directly from the actual plant, and then you can apply it to your skin just after you shower and dry off. It's light enough to wear throughout the day, and it's a great moisturizer so it treats dry skin as well as skin itch.

Both psoriasis and eczema (or atopic dermatitis) cause red, scaly skin rashes and can occur on the same parts of the body which is why sometimes people confuse one for the other. They do have somewhat different symptoms so a dermatologist is the best person to diagnose which skin condition it is and how to treat it. Here are some of the characteristics of psoriasis and eczema and how to tell the difference between the two:

What Are Shingles?

If you are over 60, chances are that your doctor has immunized you with the shingles vaccine or counseled you to get it. At least that is what the folks at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta hope will happen. But even the best laid medical plans go awry in our world of managed care, cost shifting, and vaccine phobia.

Suffering From Rosacea?

Are you a flusher? A blusher? Tired of that chronic redness on your face or your adult acne? You may very well have a treatable condition called rosacea.

Rosacea, or the “Curse of the Celts” as it is historically known, tends to plague those of northern European heritage unequally higher than other backgrounds. It is a dirt-common disease that is just beginning to be understood by modern medicine.

It is said that "chronic itch is the skin equivalent to pain." Itching disrupts sleep, limits your activities, diminishes your concentration and generally is quite maddening. We will scratch, claw and tear up our skin to satisfy that annoying itch sensation. It is poorly understood by modern medicine but the burden on patients is very real and taxing to even the most stoic of individuals. A psychological component complicates its definition and study, as just thinking about itchy things can cause you to itch.

I see men in my office every day. Most come in under their own volition while many are dragged in by wives and girlfriends. We don’t like to admit it, but we have many of the same skin concerns as women: odd-shaped blemishes; hair in the all wrong places; skin ravaged by the passage of years brought on by a lifestyle that perhaps wasn’t very healthy. We don’t feel like the person looking back at us in the mirror.