Using Activated Charcoal for Better, Healthier Skin

Just thinking about charcoal invokes images of backyard cookouts and football tailgates – flames rising as juicy burgers cook away on fire-powered grills. Yet charcoal isn’t just fuel for fire. In spas and beauty stores across the country, activated charcoal is being sold as a natural skin care product found in many cleansing soaps, moisturizers and body scrubs.

But what is it?

Activated charcoal is carbon that has been processed with oxygen in order to create lots of tiny pores. This gives it the ability to absorb drugs, gases and chemicals more easily. Activated charcoal is often used to reduce intestinal gas, treat bile flow problems and even poisonings – but more recently it is being used on skin.

When used on poison ivy, for example, it draws out the toxin and absorbs it, providing immediate relief. When used on insect bites or bee stings, activated charcoal draws out venom left in the wound, relieving pain and swelling. Meanwhile, applying an activated charcoal product to acne-riddled skin can help remove impurities, excess oil, and old layers of surface skin. This leaves the face feeling clean and smooth and makes the skin look healthier.

Skin Care Products

There are many skin care products that include activated carbon as a main ingredient – from facial masks to pore purifying strips – however, many problems can be treated using a simple, homemade charcoal poultice. A charcoal poultice (or compress) is a mixture of charcoal and water that is heated, spread on a cloth or paper towel, and applied to the skin while warm.

Those looking for a ready-to-use activated charcoal product can try one of the following popular products:

Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask
Sumbody Charcoal Cleanser
Boscia Revitalizing Black Hydration Gel
Dr. Ci:Labo Basic Black Charcoal Cleansing Gel
Collective Wellbeing Charcoal Body Wash

Have you tried one of these or other activated charcoal products for your skin? What did you think?

Top 5 Reasons to Visit a Dermatologist

A dermatologist is a medical professional who specializes in disorders and diseases of the skin. Dermatologists can examine, evaluate and treat various skin conditions, as well as provide preventative medical services.

Services provided by a dermatologist can be both medical and cosmetic. There are a variety of reasons why a person would want to visit a dermatologist. Below, are five reasons why you should see a dermatologist for your skin care needs:

1. Insurance may cover it. While insurance companies won’t pay for cosmetic services such as Botox, they often will cover treatments for common skin care problems like rosacea and acne. Before scheduling an appointment, it is advised to check with your current insurance provider to see what treatments and costs will be covered.

2. OTC products are not cheaper. Many people, especially younger individuals, believe that it is cheaper to treat a skin problem on their own with over-the-counter (OTC) products. However, that is not always the case. For example, acne products, including antibiotics for acne and those containing benzoyl peroxide, are often covered by insurance. Typically the cost for an OTC is the same as for an effective prescription treatment’s copay.

3. Prescription treatments for wrinkles are more effective. A prescription retinoid for fighting wrinkles, boosting collagen and keeping skin plump and supple, is better than any OTC can supply. OTC products contain very low strength retinoid (Vitamin A) and can’t be as effective as prescription products like Retin-A, Differin or Tazorac.

4. It is not a spa. Although several spas offer the same procedures as dermatologists, dermatologists are not only better trained, but have stronger, more effective products and technqiues. For example, dermatologists have lasers and light devices that can battle wrinkles, while a spa does not. And in most cases, it can cost much more to get these treatments done at a spa.

5. Prevent skin cancer. A dermatologist is trained to screen a body for skin cancer. Such checks are advised to occur annually and is especially important to individuals with fair skin, light eyes, a family history of melanoma, and/or over 50 moles on his or her body. In addition to checking for skin cancer, dermatologists can also help create a treatment plan for cancer that has begun to form.

If a person is nervous about visiting a dermatologist, remember, every dermatologist has undergone four years of medical school, followed by a year-long internship and three years of specific training on the science, treatment and care of skin.

Sweat glands play key role in repairing skin

In one of the most perplexing findings that has hit the scientific community this month, researchers are claiming the glands that make us sweat could also help heal skin wounds, such as scrapes, burns and ulcers.

Dermatologists in Long Island NY have long known human skin is rich with millions of sweat glands that help the body cool down after a trip to the gym or on a warm day. They also play a key role in providing cells for recovering skin wounds, according to a University of Michigan Health System research.

‘Skin ulcers – including those caused by diabetes or bed sores – and other non-healing wounds remain a tremendous burden on health services and communities around the world,’ said ILaure Rittie, research assistant professor of dermatology at Michigan Medical School, who led the study. ‘Treating chronic wounds costs tens of billions of dollars annually in the US alone, and this price tag just keeps rising. Something isn’t working,’ Rittie was quoted as saying in the American Journal of Pathology.

Now, Michigan researchers believe they have discovered one of the body’s most powerful secret weapons in healing.

The researchers used a laser to create minor wounds in 31 volunteers. Over the following week they took skin biopsies of the wound to identify where new skin cells had grown. Before wounding, there were few new cells in the eccrine glands, which help regulate temperature, but four days later there were plenty. This suggests that the glands contain a reservoir of adult stem cells that can be recruited to repair wounds. Humans have three times more eccrine glands than hair follicles, making them the major contributor to new skin cells.

The finding is “unexpected and against current dogma”, says Elaine Fuchs from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Maryland. Rittié says the work has “taken the first step to identifying new therapies in wound healing”.

Previous understanding of wound closure was that new skin cells originate from hair follicles and from intact skin at the edge of the wound. The Michigan findings demonstrate that cells arise from beneath the wound, and suggest that human sweat glands also store an important reservoir of adult stem cells that can quickly be recruited to aid wound healing.

‘By identifying a key process of wound closure, we can examine drug therapies with a new target in mind: sweat glands, which are very under-studied,’ Rittie said in a statement.
‘It may be surprising that it’s taken until now to discover the sweat glands’ vital role in wound repair. But there’s a good reason why these specific glands are under-studied – sweat glands are unique to humans and absent in the body skin of laboratory animals that are commonly used for wound healing research,’ added Rittie.

To find out more about the latest skin treatments and surgical procedures, visit the Abadir Associates professional dermatologists web site.

Brachytherapy Dermatology Software Effective for Removing Skin Cancer

By using dermatology software, such as electronic medical record systems, healthcare professionals are able to monitor abnormal moles and skin discolorations in patients to spot signs of skin cancer early on. Once skin cancer is detected, there are many treatment methods physicians can choose from depending on the type of cancer and where it is located. For patients suffering from nonmelanoma skin cancer, the answer could be brachytherapy.

Brachytherapy is a form of localized radiotherapy where high radiation doses are given from a short distance, reducing exposure to nearby organs and tissue and allowing physicians to remain at the patient’s side without risk of receiving radiation.

At the American Society for Radiation Oncology’s (ASTRO) annual meeting, Dr. Ajay Bhatnagar presented a study in which 122 patients had nonmelanoma lesions removed using an Xoft Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy device. Patients were monitored for 11 to 38 months after treatment, and visit findings were recorded in their doctor’s dermatology software. Of the patients that participated in the study, none reported a recurrence of skin cancer; however, researchers are continuing to follow up.

Either way, initial findings are positive, proving that localized treatments using brachytherapy medical software can be highly effective for treating nonmelanoma skin cancer, particularly in tricky areas such as the eyelids, behind the ear, and on the tip of the nose.

Have you had brachytherapy in the past? Was it effective? Tell us about it.

Red Hair Linked to Skin Cancer

Individuals with red-hair may be more prone to the development of skin cancer due to the specific pigment of their skin. Within the United States, any skin health professional, whether they are California or Connecticut dermatologists, agree that individuals with light hair and fair skin are more susceptible to developing melanoma. However, researchers recently found that skin pigment may contribute to melanoma risk in this demographic.

Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer and is the number one cause of death due to a skin disease. Although if melanoma is caught in the earliest stages it can be treatable, if left untreated and its spreads, there are no known cures. A approximately 65 percent of melanoma diagnosis are caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays either from direct sunlight or artificial tanning beds. However, other factors, such as family history, genetics, and environmental factors, can also contribute to the development of melanoma.

Several studies have found that individuals with darker hair contain more of the skin pigment eumelanin, and those with light or red hair contain more of the the skin pigment pheomelanin. In fact, pheomelanin is the primary pigment found in red-haired individuals. The lighter pigment is known to be less effective in protecting against harmful UV rays, but researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cutaneous Biology Research Center (CBRC) and Cancer Center believed that the increased occurrence of melanoma in red-haired individuals could not be fully caused by reduced UV protection.

The study, published in the high-impact journal Nature, examined three groups of genetically engineered mice to investigate how melanoma develops in red-haired individuals. The gene MC1R, which controls the type of skin pigment produced, was manipulated to create mice that were genetically identical with the exception of skin pigment. One group had the red-haired pigment, one had the pigment for olive-colored skin, and in the last group, the enzyme that produced skin pigment was absent (albino mice).

The researchers manipulated the mice to grow moles more readily, and discovered that even before exposure to UV light, half of the red-haired mice had developed melanoma tumors within a few months. As UV light was absent, it clearly was not a factor leading to the development of the melanoma. The researchers concluded that the pheomelanin pigment itself must cause the melanomas.

This study indicates that sunscreens may need to be developed to address this pigment-associated risk in addition to protecting against UV radiation. The researchers report that even though pigments can lead to the development of melanoma, protection from UV radiation is still the most important part in skin cancer prevention.

One in fifty people will experience melanoma sometime during their life. Since melanoma caught in its earliest stages is treatable, regular screenings are very important – especially for lighter-haired individuals. For more information on melanoma screenings, contact Abadir Associates.

Using Smartphone Apps to Diagnose Skin Cancer

Dermatology EMR and other health IT tools help physicians monitor moles and diagnose skin cancers. Now, smartphone apps are doing the same for patients.

When someone mentions a dermatologist, the first thing that might come to mind is acne. However, one of the main concerns of dermatological specialists is skin cancer. It accounts for approximately half of all reported cancers each year – and many people do not catch it until it is too late. While there are tools such as dermatology EMR software that are helping physicians monitor suspicious moles and skin discolorations, the problem for some patients is that waiting times for appointment can be quite long.

According to an article published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, there is a shortage of dermatologists in the U.S., and some regions are faring far worse than others. In fact, 42 percent of Americans live in areas that are underserved by dermatologists. This can be a problem if you spot a suspicious-looking mole but can’t get in to see a skin specialist for months, especially considering that skin cancers can be completely curable when caught early on.

Luckily, there are now several smartphone applications – some more affordable than others – that are making it easy for patients to monitor their moles and get prompt peace of mind.
Here are two of the apps recommended by theAtlantic.com:

Skin Scan: Snap a picture of your mole and upload it. Within minutes, the application will tell you whether the mole appears to be atypical and needs to be examined by a dermatologist or regular physician. The app also lets users save their results so that they can track growth over an extended period of time. Price: $4.99 for the app.

SpotCheck: SpotCheck is similar to Skin Scan except that, instead of using an algorithm to detect abnormal growths, images uploaded to Spotcheck are reviewed by actual dermatologists. If they think it looks suspicious, they’ll let you know within 24 hours to consider getting it looked at by a dermatologist in your area. Price: $4.99 for the app.

Two other applications that are free to download but charge users between $50 and $85 per consult are Skin of Mine and Direct Dermatology (for California residents only).

Image source: spotcheckapp.com.

How to Deal With Acne: Be Gentle, Eat Well

For many, acne is not just a mild side effect of adolescence, it is a life changing condition. Teenagers and adults that suffer severe acne breakouts often have trouble socializing ,fitting into society, and sometimes resort to strong medications, such as Accutane for acne, to rid themselves of potentially embarrassing or socially crippling breakouts. They simply want to hide their faces in the dark.

But one shouldn’t be so drastic about a common skin condition, in fact, dermatologist Westchester say there are solutions and every day practices that can help reduce severe acne breakouts.

Experts from American Academy of Dermatology recently released tips for proper acne care saying many patients with acne over scrub their skin and to use overly harsh products that can often make the condition worse.

How to deal with acne:

Eat more vegetables. Fresh salads are especially helpful.
Drink carrot juice. Nutrients in carrots help dissolve toxins that create acne in the skin.
Try not to touch the skin, hands are usually dirty and spread bacteria from existing acne
Use mild cleansing product that are free of alcohol and chemicals that dry the skin.
Wash face twice a day with cold water, especially after sweating.
Go to the beach. Both the sun and salt water naturally clear acne.
Try not to pick, pop or squeeze acne – it only increases healing time and cause scars.
Some people say chocolate increases acne, others say it decreases acne. Experiment and try it yourself – there’s a different cocoa-acne link for everyone.
Avoid grease or spicy foods.
Relax. Stress can also be a breakout trigger.
If possible, teenage males should limit masturbation. Studies have shown links between high levels of masturbation and facial acne.

The Nation Institute of Health says acne occurs when pores on the skin get blocked due to presence of oil, hair follicle and cells that line the pore. The bacteria grow in these blocked pores due to the presence of cells and oil. When the body detects that bacteria are growing in the pores, it starts a defense attack leading to inflammation.

A common condition observed by many dermatologist in Long Island occurs when a plugged hair follicle remains beneath the skin and creates a whitehead. When the hair follicle reaches the skin surface, it creates a blackhead. The blackheads don’t appear black due to dirt but rather due to the reaction that occurs when the oil gets exposed to air.