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.