Acne is a the most common skin condition in the United States. Commonly found on the face; acne can spread to the shoulders, back, chest, neck, upper arms and buttocks.
The American Academy of Dermatology asserts that the signs of acne may go beyond pimples to include blackheads, whiteheads, papules, pustules, cysts and nodules. Additional symptoms include:
- Low self esteem
- Depression
- Dark spots on the skin (permanent)
- Scars
- Hereditary thinning or baldness
- Alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease causing the body to attack its own hair
- Citrical (scarring) alopecia destroys a persons hair follicles
Eczema or atopic dermatitis is a common skin disease in children and may also affect adults. The disease rarely begins when a person is an adult, most people (90%) show signs before their first birthday. Depending upon the persons age, symptoms may include:
- A rash that begins in the creases of the knees or elbows
- Itchy scaly patches where rash appeared
- Very dry skin
Female pattern baldness involves a pattern of hair loss in women. Hair loss may result in gradual thinning, bald patches, or complete baldness. The causes for female pattern baldness are many and may include:
- Giving birth
- Menopause
- Stress
Hives also called urticaria (urtih-CAR-ee-uh) are welts on the skin surface that often itch and vary in size. They can appear on any part of the skin and often go away in 24 hours or less. New hives may surface as old ones fade lasting a few days or longer. A case of hives lasting longer than 6 weeks are considered chronic and may be caused from an allergy.
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that if found and treated early can result in 100% cure rate. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, the most common early signs include:
- Growing mole on your skin
- Unusual looking mole on your skin
- Non-uniform mole (has an odd shape, uneven or uncertain border, different colors)
Melasma (muh-LAZ-muh) is a skin problem resulting in brown and gray patches on the skin. It is a common problem and is most often found on the cheeks, bridge of nose, upper lip, forehead or chin. It is more commonly found in women than in men and is so common during pregnancy that it is often called the mask of pregnancy. Hormones seem to trigger melasma.
Poison ivy, oak and sumac is an itchy rash that causes raised lines of blisters on the skin surface. The rash is caused by an oil called urushiol (you-ROO-shee-all) commonly found in the plants poison oak, poison ivy and poison sumac. The rash typically does not start until 12 to 72 hours after the person comes in contact with the plant oil.
Psoriasis (sore-EYE-ah-sis) is a chronic disease caused from rapid growth of skin cells. The immune system sends faulty signals to the skin cells causing them to grow too quickly. The body is unable to shed these extra skin cells and they begin to pile up on the skin’s surface causing psoriasis to appear. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, types of psoriasis include:
- Plaque (also called psoriasis vulgaris)
- Guttate
- Inverse
- Erythrodermic (also called exfoliative psoriasis)
Rosacea (rose-AY-shah) often begins with the tendency to blush more easily than others. The redness from rosacea can slowly spread beyond the cheeks and nose to the forehead and chin. Even the ears, chest and back can be affected with redness.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, Rosacea has four subtypes:
- Erythematotelangiectatic rosacea: redness, flushing, with visible blood vessels
- Papulopustular rosacea: redness, swelling and acne-like breakouts
- Phymatous rosacea: skin thickens and has a bumpy texture
- Ocular rosacea: eyes are red and irritated and eyelids can become swollen
Squamous (skwey-muhs) Cell Carcinoma is a form of skin cancer caused by an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells arising in the squamous cells composing most of the skins upper epidermis layers. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, skin cancer is most frequently contracted from too much sun or tanning bed exposure. With early detection and treatment skin cancer has a very high cure rate.
Vitiligo (vit-uh-lie-go) is a skin disease that causes the skin to loose color. Patches of lighter skin appear usually on both sides of the body. Vitiligo affects people of all races and ethnicities and is not contagious. The risk of contracting the disease increase if a person has:
- a close blood relative who has vitiligo
- an autoimmune disease, especially Hashimoto’s disease (a thyroid disease) or alopecia areata (hair loss)
Warts are a benign (non cancerous) skin growth. Caused when a virus infects the top layer of the skin surface, warts are contagious and can spread by contact with the wart or by something that touched the wart. Often skin colored and rough, warts may also be dark brown or gray-black in color and feel smooth and flat.