Skin Care

Worms are many-celled animals unlike single-celled bacteria and protozoa which are the other main parasites of humans. Parasitic roundworms and tapeworms that cause disease in humans come from unsanitary living conditions and unhygienic preparation of food. They vary in size and shapes and in their life-cycles. The following types of roundworms are significant: Filariae - these cause elephantiasis, loa loa and river blindness. These worms are round, and can be transferred from person to person by a blood-sucking insect.

What to look for

The appearance of warts depends on wear they appear on the body.

· On the palm of hands - hard, raised skin with conical projections. The colour is pink to brown.

· On the hands, knees or face - many in number, flat.

· On the face or neck - thin and elongated.

It is not known what causes vitiligo, although it is suspected that it is hereditary. Emotional stress may the onset of vitiligo.

In essence what happens in the body is that the cells stop producing melanin which gives the skin and hair its colour. There are several possibilities one is that this is an autoimmune disease in which the cells attack there own cells, perceiving them as foreign. The problem can cause distress and embarrassment and can affect people’s self esteem.

Varicose veins are usually fairly obvious and bulge out from under your skin. They usually affect your legs. Varicose veins can be superficial or deep. Superficial veins are visible and swollen. They are painful and can affect your circulation but usually harmless.

Deep varicose veins can be the cause of blood clots and inflammation as they form deeper within the leg.



Causes

People who suffer from varicose veins are thought to have defective valves in the leg. This is a result of too much blood pressure which makes the veins swell. The swollen veins then cause the valves not to seal properly. We rely on the valves to circulate the blood to the heart properly. If they do not function properly, the blood can’t keep flowing and starts to pool in the vein causing the swollen veins that are part of this condition.

This is a condition caused by bacteria usually found in the soil.

What to look for

If you have a cut or wound and any of these things occur - call your doctor

· stiffness of the neck, jaw - lock jaw, and other muscles

· uncontrollable spasms of the jaw and neck muscles.

· painful, involuntary contraction of other muscles.

Swimmers ear, also known as otitis externa is Inflammation of the canal between the Eardrum and the external opening of the Ear.



What to look for

· itching inside the ear.

· watery discharge from the ear.

· severe pain and tenderness in the ear, especially when moving your head or when gently pulling on your earlobe.

· a foul-smelling, yellowish discharge from the ear.

· temporarily muffled hearing (caused by blockage of the ear canal).

This is a very common problem that afflicts the outer ear. Otherwise known as otitis externa, an inflammation occurs in the outer ear canal. The inflammation can often lead to an infection. It can often occur in swimmers but it can also afflict non-swimmers.

Gone are the days when people go to the beach hoping to get burnt in the hope of eventually getting a great tan. These days, it is almost common knowledge that too much sunburn may equal skin cancer and premature aging.

Everyone is at risk. If you have dark skin do not think you can escape the dangerous rays of the sun.

Your reddened skin will normally heal within a few days but the damage can last a lifetime. If your sunburn is accompanied by blisters, the sunburn is quite severe and no doubt will be extremely painful. You will lose a few layers of skin through peeling.

Any sunburn will inevitably cause skin damage.

A sty is a pimple on the eyelid. It usually means the gland on the eyelid is infected.

Sties are very painful but usually only last 3-4 days.

Sties are usually harmless and rarely affect your eye or sight. They can happen to both sexes at any age and at any time.

Infections caused by the staphylococcus bacteria.

What to look for

· Swollen areas around a cut.

· boils or pus filled pimples around hair follicles.

· swollen lymph nodes

This is a disease of the outer skin layer called the epidermis. Skin is very complex part of our systems.

There are two main parts to the skin. The outer layer… The epidermis - which consists of several layers of cells and the lowest parts. It is at this point that the cells divide and move their way up to the surface. Once at the surface, the cells will flatten and die. They consist of keratin. The whole process takes nearly four weeks. Throughout the epidermis are melanocytes, which are cells that produce a protective pigment called melanin.

Skin cancers fall into two major categories: melanoma and non-melanoma.