Dermatology Alliance-Keller Offers Lytera Skin Brightening Complex

New SkinMedica product treats hyperpigmentation from age spots and sun damage.

Dr. Todd Plott

"I have already seen great results from Lytera and we're excited to be able to offer this new product to patients immediately."

Keller, Texas (PRWEB) March 11, 2013

Maintaining a clear, even complexion is one of the best anti-aging solutions. But many people suffer from hyperpigmentation due to sun damage, age spots, melasma or any discoloration caused by acne, inflammation or hormones. Dermatology Alliance-Keller is one of the first dermatology practices in Fort Worth to offer Lytera, a new skin brightening treatment proven to reduce skin discoloration and even skin tone.
According to Todd Plott, M.D., a board certified dermatologist and founder of Dermatology Alliance-Keller, Lytera is one of the most effective skin lightening products to become available without a prescription.
“I highly recommend Lytera to patients who have skin discoloration on the face because it has a low irritation potential and helps block unwanted pigmentation of skin," he states, noting Lytera does not contain hydroquinone. "I have already seen great results from Lytera and we're excited to be able to offer this new product to patients immediately."
Lytera can be used to treat age spots, sun damage, melasma or any discoloration caused by acne, inflammation or hormones. Lytera is non-hydroquinone and contains a patented, special blend of antioxidants, mild exfoliants and moisturizers that makes it gentle enough to use on the entire face to reduce skin discoloration, and brighten and even skin tone. In clinical studies, results have been seen in as soon as four weeks.
Lytera is developed by SkinMedica, a skin care system founded by renowned dermatologist Dr. Richard Fitzpatrick. The entire aesthetic product line is based on the science of the skin's own healing abilities. As skin ages, elasticity decreases, lines appear and overall appearance is diminished. To counteract the effects of time, SkinMedica products contain restorative ingredients that work below the skin's surface to regenerate the health of the skin. Dermatology Alliance-Keller is an authorized distributor of SkinMedica products including cleaners, moisturizers, anti-aging, sunscreen and acne treatment
Lytera Skin Brightening Complex is available without a prescription and can be purchased at Dermatology Alliance-Keller. For more information or to make an appointment, call 817-251-6555 or go to http://www.dermatologyalliancekeller.com.

Skin Care Tips to Keep Rosacea Flares at Bay From The American Academy of Dermatology

SCHAUMBURG, IL--(Marketwire - Mar 12, 2013) - For people with rosacea, managing the skin condition can be a challenge since what triggers redness and inflammation of the skin in one person may not trigger it in another. Yet doing some detective work can help rosacea sufferers discover quick and easy ways to keep their skin calm.
"Foods and drinks are common culprits of rosacea flares, specifically spicy foods, hot drinks, and anything that contains caffeine and red wine," said board-certified dermatologist Zoe D. Draelos, MD, FAAD, consulting professor at Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C. "Keeping a journal of what you eat and drink and when your rosacea flares can help you discover which foods and beverages may aggravate your rosacea."
Dr. Draelos offers these additional tips in managing rosacea:
1. Don't overheat. Extremely hot temperatures often aggravate rosacea.
2. Protect your face from wind and cold. Covering your face with a scarf helps protect your skin. Just make sure that the material touching your face is not made of wool or a fabric that feels rough to the touch. These fabrics can irritate the skin.
3. Apply a sunscreen before going outside since sun exposure can cause rosacea to flare. Look for sunscreens that:

• contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as these ingredients are the least irritating
• have broad-spectrum protection
• have a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 30.

A sunscreen that contains silicone also can help protect the skin and minimize stinging and redness. On the list of ingredients, silicone may be called dimethicone or cyclomethicone.
4. Take good care of your skin. Avoid rubbing, scrubbing, or massaging the face.
5. When using hair spray, make sure the spray does not get on your face.
6. Keep your skin care routine simple. Using too many products may irritate the skin.
"Since rosacea may be more easily treated when diagnosed early, make an appointment to see a board-certified dermatologist as soon as you first start noticing changes in your skin," said Dr. Draelos.
These steps are demonstrated in "Rosacea: Skin Care Do's and Don'ts," a video posted to the Academy website and the Academy's YouTube channel. This video is part of the Dermatology A to Z: Video Series, which offers relatable videos that demonstrate tips people can use to properly care for their skin, hair and nails. A new video in the series posts to the Academy's website and the YouTube channel each month.
Celebrating 75 years of promoting skin, hair and nail health
Headquartered in Schaumburg, Ill., the American Academy of Dermatology (Academy), founded in 1938, is the largest, most influential, and most representative of all dermatologic associations. With a membership of more than 17,000 physicians worldwide, the Academy is committed to: advancing the diagnosis and medical, surgical and cosmetic treatment of the skin, hair and nails; advocating high standards in clinical practice, education, and research in dermatology; and supporting and enhancing patient care for a lifetime of healthier skin, hair and nails. For more information, contact the Academy at 1-888-462-DERM (3376) or www.aad.org. Follow the Academy on Facebook (American Academy of Dermatology) or Twitter (@AADskin).

http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/skin-care-tips-keep-rosacea-flares-bay-from-the-american-academy-dermatology-1767139.htm

Understanding Acne Basics

What Is Acne?

There's a reason it's called "common acne" -- nearly everyone suffers from pimple outbreak at some point in life.
It starts when greasy secretions from the skin's sebaceous glands plug the tiny openings for hair follicles (plugged pores). If the openings are large, the clogs take the form of blackheads: small, flat spots with dark centers. If the openings stay small, the clogs take the form of whiteheads: small, flesh-colored bumps. Both types of plugged pores can develop into swollen, tender inflammations or pimples or deeper lumps or nodules. Nodules associated with severe cases of acne (cystic acne) are firm swellings below the skin's surface that become inflamed and sometimes infected.

Understanding Acne

Find out more about acne:
Basics
Symptoms
Treatment

Although acne remains largely a curse of adolescence, about 20% of all cases occur in adults. Acne commonly starts during puberty between the ages of 10 and 13 and tends to be worse in people with oily skin. Teenage acne usually lasts for five to 10 years, normally going away during the early 20s. It occurs in both sexes, although teenage boys tend to have the most severe cases. Women are more likely than men to have mild to moderate forms into their 30s and beyond.
Acne lesions are most common on the face, but they can also occur on the neck, chest, back, shoulders, and upper arms.
Contrary to popular belief, acne isn't caused by a harmful diet, poor hygiene, or an uncontrolled sex drive. The simple truth is that heredity and hormones are behind most forms of acne. Swearing off chocolate or scrubbing your face 10 times a day won't change your predisposition to this unsightly, sometimes painful, and often embarrassing skin problem.

What Causes Acne?

The cause of acne is not fully understood. Though stress can aggravate acne, it clearly does not cause it.
Hormones. Common acne in teenagers starts with an increase in hormone production. During puberty, both boys and girls produce high levels of androgens, the male sex hormones that include testosterone. Testosterone signals the body to make more sebum, the oil produced in the skin's oil glands.
Bacteria. Excess sebum clogs the openings to hair follicles -- especially those on the face, neck, chest, and back. Bacteria grow in these clogged follicles. This makes blackheads or whiteheads form on the skin's surface -- a condition called non-inflammatory acne. Sometimes this clogging causes the follicle wall to break under the pressure of this buildup. When this happens, sebum leaks into nearby tissues and forms a pustule -- this is called inflammatory acne. Larger, tender pustules are called nodules.
Depending on the type of pill, oral contraceptives may trigger acne in some women but suppress it in others. Some injectable contraceptives and hormonal devices may also cause acne. Steroids taken by some bodybuilders and other athletes can also lead to severe outbreaks.
Acne has many subtypes. Acne neonatorum and acne infantum occasionally affect newborns and infants, usually boys. A pimply rash appears on the face but usually clears within weeks with no lasting effect. People who escaped their teen years almost pimple free may develop persistent adult-onset acne as they get older. Despite the normal increase in androgen levels during puberty, some doctors believe that flare-ups of acne have less to do with androgen levels than with how a person's skin responds to an increase in sebum production. The bacteria Propionibacterium acnes occurs naturally in healthy hair follicles. If too many of them accumulate in plugged follicles, they may secrete enzymes that break down sebum and cause inflammation. Some people are simply more sensitive than others to this reaction. Sebum levels that might cause a pimple or two in one person may result in widespread outbreaks -- or even acute cystic acne -- in another person.

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/understanding-acne-basics

Most Common Skin Diseases

The fact that acne is the most common skin disease is that about eighty percent of people from the age of eleven to thirty has acne outbreak, it is according to (NIH) National Institute of Health. Most people who have acne outbreaks are teenagers, acne and pimples are developed when skin pores are clogged because of the bacteria on the skin. The sebaceous gland secretes oil substance called sebatum in which it allows the bacteria to grow on the follicile opening of the skin and cause the skin pore to clog.

5 Kinds of Pimples

• Papules – are inflamed lesions and filled by pus and reddish color at the base.
• Comedones – are papules that are non-inflammatory, it can be classified among blackheads or white heads.
• Nodules – Are lesions that are large and solid, painful because it is lodge within the skin conditions.
• Cysts – are lesions filled with pus deep down the skin, and painful
• Postules – are lesions filled with pus and inflamed

Pimples usually appear on the neck, shoulders and face, it does not have serious risk of heath but acne in severe condition can cause permanent scars which is not good skin conditions. Acne is a skin conditions that can easily be prevented.

Tips for Acne Prevention

• Keep your face clean all the time
• Sparingly use of make-up
• Keep your face moisturized
• If you have acne purchase an over-the-counter acne treatment product
• Keep away your hands off your face
• Watch the things you put on your apply on your hair

Those are just some tips in order for you to prevent having acne. However building a perfect skin care routine will not only make you prevent acne but you will have a skin conditions that is really great.

Perfect routine for having great skin conditions

1. Know your skin type; oily skin greasy, shiny and has big pores; Dry skin is scaly, rough and flaky; and Combination skin a combination of dry and oily skin.
2. Clean normal – you don’t need to buy expensive products jus to clean your face, however you cant just use any soap on the sink and rub it to your face. Use skin care that suits your skin. Use the cleanser or soap but do not scrub your face, after putting the skin cleanser leave it for a few minutes then rinse with warm water and pat dry your face.
3. Dry skin cleaning- use cleanser that do not contain fragrance or alcohol, don’t use warm water.
4. Sunscreen – use sunscreen when you are going out, because sunlight can destroy the skin conditions. Sunscreen with an SPF is the best to put on.
5. Know the time when you should wash or not- because too much washing of the face will dry the skin conditions, wash at least twice a day one in the morning and once in the evening.
6. Removed your make up when you are going to bed, make-up can clog your skin pores.
7. Choose oil free make-ups.

Proper food intake can also improve the skin conditions eat foods associated with more Vitamin E in order to avoid skin problems.

New accurate app helps diagnose skin problems

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Rashes, bumps or marks on the skin could be a sign of stress or something more serious. But how would you know? Sometimes it takes weeks to get a doctor's appointment. There's a new, accurate app to figure out what might be wrong, right on your phone.

Dr. Noah Craft, a lead researcher at LA BioMed, helped develop VisualDx. It contains pictures and information on about 1,300 different skin diseases.
"Back then the idea was to put ideas into computers to help doctors make decisions and really empower them in an electronic way," said Craft.
Twenty to 30 percent of medical diagnoses are incorrect; 80,000 to 100,000 people a year die from diagnostic errors. Doctors say apps like VisualDx can improve accuracy.
"We tested 50 different doctors using this [the VisualDx app], or just their brains and a pile of books," said Craft. "And it was about 120 percent more accurate than just using books.

Related Conten

"It's being used by about half the medical schools now, and it's in about 1,500 hospitals," said Craft.
Marks on the skin can actually be signs of serious heart or autoimmune disorders. So the VisualDx technology can be a lifesaver.
"Having the best tools possible when you go see your doctor or before you see your doctor, is really important to help doctors and help patients make those diagnoses more accurately," said Craft.

Types of treatment for skin cancer

The main treatments

The main treatment for skin cancer is surgery. For most people this will be all the treatment you need.
Radiotherapy can also be used to treat and cure skin cancers. You may have this instead of surgery if an operation is not suitable for you. Radiotherapy can also be given after surgery to reduce the chances of the cancer coming back.
Another alternative to an operation for basal cell skin cancer is treatment with a drug to make your skin sensitive to light. This is followed by treatment with a bright light to the affected area. This treatment is called photodynamic therapy (PDT).
Chemotherapy is only occasionally used for skin cancer.

Back to top

 

Surgery

Most basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers can be successfully treated with surgery. In most cases the surgery is minor. The affected area is completely removed, usually under local anaesthetic. There are several different types of surgical techniques that can be used. What is done will depend on

• The type of skin cancer you have
• The size of the cancer
• Where the cancer is
• The stage of the cancer (if relevant)

You are usually referred to a dermatologist for skin cancer diagnosis and treatment. But some basal cell skin cancers can be removed by GPs, if they have had specialist training. If you have a skin cancer that covers a wide area or is awkward to remove, you may be operated on by a plastic surgeon.
Small cancers are often operated on under local anaesthetic. You may have a general anaesthetic for a larger cancer. If the cancer covers a large area you may need to have a skin graft. Or you may need to have the skin replaced by a skin flap. A flap is a thicker piece of skin tissue taken from an area of skin nearby. But it will still be connected to its own blood supply. It is then stitched in place over your wound.
If your cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes your surgeon will need to remove them. You have this operation under general anaesthetic.
If your doctor thinks there is a high chance of cancer spread you may have the lymph nodes removed. Even though there may be no sign of actual spread, a few cancer cells can be missed. If they are not removed they can go on to develop into new tumours and spread further to other parts of the body.

Back to top

 

Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy can be used to treat basal cell or squamous cell skin cancers. You are most likely to have this if

• The cancer covers a wide area
• It is in an area that is difficult to operate on
• Surgery is not suitable for you – for example, you may be elderly or have other health problems

In some situations radiotherapy may be used as well as surgery. If there is a risk that cancer cells may have been left behind, radiotherapy may be used after surgery. This is called adjuvant treatment. It reduces the risk of the cancer coming back in the future.
Radiotherapy can also be used to treat cancer that has spread to lymph nodes. In advanced cancer which has spread to another part of the body, radiotherapy can be used to relieve symptoms. It is also used to treat cancers that have come back (recurred) after they were first treated with surgery.

Back to top

 

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy tablets or injections are only used in certain circumstances for skin cancer. More often, chemotherapy creams are used

• To treat actinic keratosis
• For skin cancers that are only on the top layer of the skin

Solar or actinic keratosis may develop into squamous cell skin cancer, though this is very uncommon. You may have treatment to try to prevent this. A chemotherapy cream containing fluorouracil (5FU) is commonly used. Bowen's disease is also sometimes treated with 5FU cream.
Chemotherapy tablets or injections are only used for skin cancers that have spread. This treatment is mostly used to relieve symptoms in cancers that cannot be cured. This is still experimental treatment and you may be asked to take part in a clinical trial.

Back to top

 

Immunotherapy

Interferon stimulates your body’s immune system to pick out and fight cancer cells. Interferon is sometimes used to treat advanced squamous cell cancers that started in the nose, mouth or elsewhere inside the head and neck area. We have information about the specific side effects of interferon on this website.

Imiquimod cream (Aldara) is a new type of immunotherapy treatment. It is used for

• Actinic keratoses
• Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in the top layer of skin

Imiquimod cream uses the immune system to attack cancers. This means it uses the body’s natural defences to kill the cancer cells in the skin. Imiquimod makes cells produce more chemicals such as interferon and these destroy the skin cancer cells.

Back to top

 

Photodynamic therapy (PDT)

This is a relatively new type of treatment. It is another alternative to surgery. PDT uses a drug that makes skin cells sensitive to light. The area of skin that needs treating is exposed to a special type of light, and the cancer cells are destroyed. PDT is used to treat basal cell skin cancers, Bowen's disease and actinic keratosis (also called solar keratosis).
PDT is best used in cases where you would need a lot of surgery. So you generally have this treatment for large basal cell skin cancers that are not too deep, or where there are several cancers in an area. PDT is not suitable for deeper basal cell cancers or squamous cell skin cancers because the light cannot penetrate far enough into the skin. The appearance of the treated area (the cosmetic outcome) after PDT is generally better than after surgery. There is more information about PDT in this section.

Hirsutism

What is hirsutism?
Hirsutism is the term used when a woman grows too much body or facial hair in a pattern seen normally occurring only in men.
What causes hirsutism?
Androgens are often thought of as 'male hormones' but, in fact, both men and women produce them - men usually in greater amounts than women. Testosterone is the best-known androgen, but there are several others too. Hirsutism can be caused either by abnormally high levels of androgens, or by the hair follicles being more sensitive than usual to normal androgen levels.
A small minority of women with hirsutism produce too much androgen and sometimes this is due to an underlying medical condition. In addition, some medicines can cause hirsutism - these include hormones, anabolic steroids, and sometimes oral contraceptive pills.
In fact, most women with hirsutism have no hormone imbalance or underlying medical condition. Many women develop more facial or body hair gradually as they get older, especially after the menopause. Few realise how common this is - but at least 25% of normal middle-aged women remove unwanted facial hair. In addition, women from different ethnic backgrounds have different patterns of hair growth, in which it can be normal to have some hair on the face, nipples or stomach.
Is hirsutism hereditary?
A tendency to hirsutism does run in some families and is not associated with an excess of androgens. It is normal in some families with Mediterranean or Middle Eastern ancestry.
What are the symptoms of hirsutism?
Having too much hair can be highly embarrassing and cause great distress.
What does hirsutism look like?
The excess of thick, often dark, hair may be seen on the face, chest, abdomen and upper back. Women from certain ethnic groups tend to have more body hair than others and for them it may be quite normal to have some hair in these areas.
How will hirsutism be diagnosed?
Women with mild hirsutism and regular menstrual cycles seldom have an underlying medical problem. However, if a medical problem exists, your doctor should be able to detect it by asking you questions and then, if necessary, by performing blood tests.
It is important to see your doctor if your hirsutism is:
Severe
Developing quickly (over 1-2 years), or before puberty
Accompanied by menstrual problems
Associated with features suggesting an increase in androgens such as thinning of the scalp hair, baldness, or deepening of the voice
Accompanied by obesity or diabetes


Can hirsutism be cured?
Although a ‘cure’ is unlikely, local areas of excessive hair growth can often be cleared by electrolysis or laser therapy. The treatment of hirsutism with medication is usually less satisfactory as the problem often comes back when treatment stops.
For information about available treatments please go to this page on the website of the British Association of Dermatologists