Medical Encyclopedia

Photo damaged or sun damaged skin is something that few people escape. Photo damage occurs because of the skin being exposed to sunlight. It does not depend on whether or not we intentionally suntan.

Although wrinkles can signify wisdom, most people nowadays would rather not have them.

Skin ages all over the body but to a greater extent it comes to decline in its elasticity in those areas which have been much exposed to the sun. Changes brought on by sun damage occur on the face, neck, the back of the hands, the top of the forearms. Wrinkles are divided into two categories: fine surface lines and deep furrows. Fine surface lines are generally easier to treat than deep furrows which require aggressive measures like plastic surgery.

Many people tend to experience excessive hair loss. A number of things can serve as a cause of it. Hair loss may be a response of the body after an illness or a major surgery. Hormonal problems may be at the bottom of hair loss due to the over- or underactiveness of thyroid gland. If it comes out so that male and female hormones, known as androgens and estrogens, are out of balance, it may also lead to hair loss. Hair loss may occur on account of pregnancy and the period after pregnancy. During pregnancy high levels of certain hormones can cause the body to keep hair that would normally fall out. When the hormones return to the pre-pregnancy levels, that hair falls out and the normal cycle of growth and loss starts again. Hair loss may be a side effect of certain medications like blood thinners, medicines used for gout, medicines used in chemotherapy to treat cancer, Vitamin A, birth control pills and antidepressants. Catastrophic hair loss can be an outward sign that a person is sick or undergoes a severe disease like lupus, diabetes or cancer.

Blackheads are also known as open comedones or pimples. Blackheads are follicles that have a wider than normal opening. Due to the overactiveness of sebaceous glands much oil is secreted which further expands and thickens the pores of the skin clogging them. The pores remain open for the tip of the clogged grease to be exposed to air and dirt. The follicles undergo a chemical reaction resulting in the oxidation of melanin that gives the instance inside the follicles the typical black color.
Being present in every type of the skin blackheads are likely to develop in people with very oily skin. Pregnancy is considered to be a period favorable for the formation of whiteheads and blackheads acne as the female body goes through a great deal of hormone change during this period. Many women experience acne starting or stopping birth control pills.

Acne vulgaris is a skin condition that mainly affects adolescents but may persist or even become worse and severe in adulthood. Acne vulgaris is characterized by non inflammatory papules or comedones and by inflammatory papules, pustules and nodules. A comedone is a whitehead (closed comedone) or a blackhead (open comedone) without any sign of inflammation. Papules and pustules are raised bumps with obvious inflammation. Acne vulgaris commonly develops on the areas of the skin with the densest population of sebaceous follicles. These areas include the face, the upper part of the chest and the back.