Treatment of Fungal Infections of the Skin

Introduction

Fungal skin infections are caused by different types of fungi and can be a common culprit of itchy skin.Fungi invade and grow in dead keratin, a protein that makes up your skin, hair and nails. The different types of fungal infections are divided into groups based on what type of fungus is involved.

Fungal infections on, or near to the surface of the body

The most common fungi to cause skin infections are the tinea group of fungi. For example,athlete's foot (tinea pedis) is a common fungal infection of the toes and feet. Tinea infection also causes ringworm (tinea corporis) and ringworm of the scalp (tinea capitis). It also causes many fungal nail infections. A common fungal infection of the mouth and of the vagina is called thrush. This is caused by an overgrowth of candida which is a yeast (a type of fungus).

Fungal infections within the body

Fungal infections of the skin, nails, vagina and mouth are quite common. If you are healthy and have a normal immune system, it is rare for fungi to affect internal organs. However, fungal infections of the heart, lung, brain and other organs sometimes do occur.

Causes of Fungal infection

You’re more likely to get a fungal skin infection if you:

·         don’t dry your skin fully after a bath or shower

·         come into contact with a person or animal with a fungal skin infection

·         touch contaminated items, such as clothes, towels and bedclothes

·         walk barefoot in shower and pool areas

·         wear tight clothing that doesn’t allow sweat to evaporate

·         have diabetes

·         are pregnant

·         have a weakened immune system, for example, if you have HIV/AIDS

Treatment of fungal infections

General measures

• Correct predisposing factors where possible.
• Keep the affected skin clean and dry. Wash daily. Take care to dry between the toes and in the skin folds; use a hair dryer if necessary. Use your own towel.
• Hot wash socks, towels, bathmats at a temperature of at least 60C.
• Antiseptics
• Dequalinium chloride lozenges for oral candidiasis (Dequacaine®, Dequadin®)
• Di-iodohydroxyquinoline for vulvovaginal candidiasis (Floraquin® vaginal tablets).

To reduce reinfection

• Avoid walking bare foot where others may tread - wear jandals, sandals or aquasocks at the public pools and sports changing rooms.
• Avoid long periods wearing the same clothing, or wearing occlusive clothing such as wet weather gear and nylon pantyhose.
• Wear open-toed sandals when possible. Avoid long periods in occlusive footwear such as gum boots or tramping boots.
• Use antifungal foot powder e.g. ciclopirox (Batrafen®), econazole (Pevaryl®), miconazole (Daktarin®, Fungo®), tolciclate (Tolmicen®), tolnaftate (Tinaderm®), undecylenic acid (Mycota®). Sprinkle it in your shoes.

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Your skin demands some attention

What’s the Best Skin Rejuvenation Treatment?

What’s the Best Skin Rejuvenation Treatment?

Our skin is the most important feature of our body. However, various factors such as unhealthy lifestyle and eating habits, ageing and polluted environment can cause numerous skin problems. Nowadays, skin irregularities like wrinkles, acne scars and blotchiness are the most common of all skin problems.
Dr. Krupa Shankar Skin Diagnostic Centre offers a variety of skin treatments for facial rejuvenation including surgical and non-surgical procedures.

1. CHEMICAL PEELS

Skin resurfacing through chemical peels is a non-surgical cure. Chemical peels are made using differing formulas to treat moderate to severe acne, scars, and pigmentations.

Peels are done on weekly or fortnightly basis. A pre peel preparation of about two weeks is completed before first peel. The chemical solution is applied to your whole face or just on some spots. The number of peels differs depending on the severity of skin problems.

Types of chemical peels

Glycolic (AHA) Peel: There is no need of anesthesia as it is a mild peel used to reduce effects of aging and sun damage such as wrinkles and brown spots.

TCA Peel: TCA peel is effective in the reduction of wrinkles, pigmentary changes and skin blemishes. It is also used on the other areas of body that have been exposed to the sun.

Phenol Peel: It is used to treat severe skin problems including rough and sun damaged facial skin. Unlike TCA, it cannot be used on other parts of body.

2. DERMABRASION

It’s a surgical treatment that uses a wire brush or a wheel to create injury. The injury heals as the new skin grows replacing the old wounded skin.

Dermabrasion requires anesthesia for it is painful. Sometimes ice pack or freezing spray is used to harden the skin. Post-surgery care is similar treating burns.

3. LASER RESURFACING

There are two forms of laser resurfacing. One involves less invasion and injury while the other is more invasive and needs drilling which is also called fractional resurfacing. Like other skin rejuvenation treatments, it is used to treat wrinkles, age spots, scars from acne and other causes.

Before choosing any skin rejuvenation treatment, it is of utmost importance to get the knowledge of any risk involved. Consult a doctor to get a more comprehensive knowledge of the treatment that would suit your skin.

Also see :Say GoodBye to Tattoo

Say Goodbye to Your Tattoo

The craze for tattoo is evident everywhere. However, it is a craze that vanishes soon too. Tattoo removal can be as painful as getting a tattoo and have many side effects too. Q-Switched lasers now provide a safer and less painful technology for effectively removing tattoos.

Dr Krupa Shankar, one of the top dermatologists in Bangalore, shares some facts about tattoo removing Q-Switched laser technology:

Three types of lasers are currently used for tattoo removal. Q-switched ruby laser, Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and Q-switched alexandrite laser. The Q-switched ruby and alexandrite lasers are useful for removing black, blue and green inks. The Q-switched Nd:YAG laser can be used to remove black and dark blue inks. The frequency doubled Q-Switched Nd:YAG laser is used to remove red and orange tattoos.

There are five types of tattoos: professional, amateur, medicinal, traumatic, resulting from accidents, cosmetic, such as eye or lip liner. Q-Switched laser systems can remove all types of tattoos with no or little scarring.

In treatment, laser light is applied to the tattooed area which on absorption breaks ink into small particles, leaving the surrounding skin unharmed. Over a series of treatments, more ink shatters causing the tattoo to fade and then vanish.

The number of treatments is based on various factors such as type of tattoo, age, skin type, medical history. Q-Switched lasers can be painful, therefore anesthesia is used.

LASER is an acronym for Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Lasers emit monochromatic, that is of single color and/or wavelength, light through stimulated emission.

Tattoo removal lasers produce specific wavelengths of light that are absorbed by certain colors of tattoo ink while avoiding damage to surrounding skin. Each wavelength corresponds to a certain range of tattoo ink colors, which why different types of tattoo removal lasers are available. Many wavelengths are needed to treat multicolored tattoos.

Tattoo removal techniques such as surgical excision, salabrasion, dermabrasion, cryosurgery, and chemical peels have been abandoned due to the failure in yielding desirable results and adverse effects including hypopigmentation and scarring.

Also have some useful information about laser treatment

Your skin demands some attention

According to Dr. Krupa Shankar not all skins are alike. Some dry, some are oily, some are sensitive, and others are a mix of dry and oily, delicate and oily, or dry and delicate. You may even have a skin type that is all of the three – dry, sensitive and oily. Knowing your skin type is a standout amongst the most principal issues in any skin care regime. This is on account of your skin can react contrastingly to various sorts of skin treatments.

Basically the individual with oily skin has excessive oil-secreting glands. All skins contain glands just underneath the surface of the skin which emit oil to continually nourish and moisten the skin.

The dry skin on the other hand is the inverse of the oily skin. The oil glands under the skin may not be as productive in secreting oil onto the skin surface for some reason, depriving the skin of its basic moisturizing need. Appropriate skin care is absolutely dependent upon the skin type you have.

Nowadays, the idea of beauty has achieved a whole new dimension. The principle substance of beauty, that is skin, is currently viewed as an imperative part of our social lives. There is lots of accentuation in the general public to have a smooth,clear and radiant skin. With this expanded accentuation, the number of skin treatments has likewise shot up. Innumerable treatment have likewise developed as an aftereffect of this hyper fixation on excellent skin. Few treatments guarantee spotless skin.But, despite the fact that the nature of treatment is sensibly great, it doesn’t yield craved results in light of unacceptability of skin. There are also certain different properties – which when not effectively compared, can decrease the effect of even the most trusted of treatments. Consider following points before going for any skin treatment–

1. The sort of dermis assumes a critical part in choosing the outcomes of any skin treatment on your body.

      2. If you are experiencing any skin deformity, it is vital to know the exact reason for its cause before hopping to any skin treatment.

Planning to go for a laser hair removal treatment? Here are Some Tips

We all desire for a silky, smooth and hairless skin and in this age of science and technology it is possible to fulfill this desire. The laser hair removal treatment has become exceedingly popular and a huge number of people are opting for this treatment in order to get rid of unwanted body hair. In case you too are planning to go for a laser hair removal treatment then here is some advice from the renowned expert, Dr. Krupa Shankar. Keep reading to know more:

• Results are NOT permanent

The first thing you must know about laser hair removal is that this treatment is effective but its results are not permanent.  A lot of people have a huge misconception that the results of this treatment are permanent and after undergoing a set of six sitting they can boast of a hairless body for the rest of their lives. Well, sadly this is not true at all. You can expect up to 80% reduction in the growth of your body hair after undergoing at least six sessions of this treatment.

• Contact ONLY experts

This treatment is so much in demand that a lot of people have jumped into this business and are offering this service at a lower price. Beware of such people because they are not experts and there are chances that you can get severe burns on your body if you take services of inexperienced professionals. Always go to renowned and experienced dermatologists in order to get a laser hair removal treatment done!

• Skin type and hair type

Laser works best on hard and dark hair. Fair skin and dark hair are a perfect combination and laser works best on people who have this sort of skin and hair combination. The best way is to consult an expert in order to talk about it in an extensive way.

The Best Way to Fight Wrinkles & Acne at the Same Time

Acne breakouts or wrinkles are challenging enough when you’re dealing only with one or the other, but when you’re struggling with both at the same time, it’s doubly frustrating!

5 essential products for treating acne and wrinkles

Essential #1: A  gentle, water-soluble cleanser. Acne does not respond to drying cleansers or bar soaps; these actually make matters worse. “Medicated” cleansers aren’t helpful either, because the active ingredient, even if it’s effective, is just rinsed down the drain. On the other hand, just because your skin is showing signs of aging doesn’t mean you need a rich cleansing cream, because the emollient ingredients in these types of cleansers can clog pores and make breakouts worse.

Essential #2: A beta hydroxy acid (BHA) exfoliant. Exfoliating with a BHA (active ingredient: salicylic acid) product is the most effective way to improve breakouts and fight signs of aging at the same time.

Essential #3: A treatment serum with antioxidants. Most serums are lightweight, which makes them great for use on breakout-prone areas, and the best ones are loaded with the kinds of ingredients all skin types need to look and act younger and healthier and to help heal the red marks blemishes leave behind.

Essential #4: Lightweight anti-aging/anti-wrinkle moisturizer. The trick in this case is to find a moisturizer that hydrates skin without feeling thick, creamy, or greasy, all of which can aggravate breakouts. Apply at night after exfoliating and after applying your treatment serum, and be sure to apply it around your eye area, too.

Essential #5: Matte-finish daytime moisturizer with sunscreen (or a foundation with sunscreen). No anti-aging routine is complete without daily sun protection from a product rated SPF 15 or greater, and greater is better, to a point. Those with breakouts and wrinkles need sun protection from a product that smoothes and hydrates without making breakouts worse. Don’t forget, you also can use consider a foundation and a pressed powder with sunscreen as your daily facial sun protection.

This steps can be done once or twice daily, after cleansing and exfoliating.

Also See:  Skin health by Dr. Krupa Shankar

Ways to Treat Uneven Skin Tone

Everyone wants a healthy and glowing skin but very few of us are actually blessed with it. These days a lot of people complain of various skin issues and uneven skin tone is one of them. Uneven skin tone can be the outcome of numerous diverse things such as excessive exposure to the sun, hormonal disturbances, or scarring of the skin. If you also have an uneven skin tone then do not worry at all as Dr.Krupa Shankar says that this problem can be solved to a great extent. Read on to know more:

1.      Sugar Scrub

This is a good old-fashioned but effective way to balance out uneven skin tone. It is a fact that sugar is a natural scrub and it helps in making the skin smooth and supple. It would scrub away dead and chipped skin to reveal a skin tone that is beautiful, radiant and more even. The best part is that this scrub can be made at home also all you need is a quarter cup of raw granulated sugar and water. Mix it and add a few drops of coconut or olive oil.

2.      Sandalwood Mask

Sandalwood mask is a sure shot way to get rid of uneven skin tone. From past several years it has been used for diverse beauty therapies in India and is one of the keystone herbs in Ayurveda medicine. Sandalwood powder mixed with turmeric powder works like magic to treat uneven skin tone.

3.      Regular Use of Sunscreen

Though this might sound as a cliché but using a good sunscreen is extremely important. Even if you are indoors then also you must use sunscreen during the day. When you skip sunscreen then your skin is exposed to the harsh sunlight and it leads to an uneven skin tone.