Skin Course (Skin Diseases) | Save Each LifeSave Each Life

Chapter 13.

Skin Diseases

Note: The skin is also called integument. The skin system is integumentary system. You cannot pass the test if you don’t know how to spell integument or integumentary.

Allergies, irritants, genetic makeup, certain diseases, and immune system problems can cause skin conditions.

Acne

Acne is caused when blocked skin follicles from a plug caused by oil from glands, bacteria, and dead cells clump together and swell. Over-the-counter or prescription drugs may treat acne by healing pimples, stopping new pimples from forming, and preventing scars. Some medicines are put right on the skin, while others are pills that you swallow.

Alopecia Areata

Alopecia areata is a condition that attacks your hair follicles (they make hair). In most cases, hair falls out in small, round patches. There is no cure for alopecia areata. There are no drugs approved to treat it. There are medicines that have been approved for other diseases to help hair grow back. Talk to your doctor about which medicines are best for you. However, none of these medicines prevent new patches of hair loss or cure the disease. 22

Atopic Dermatitis

Atopic Dermatitis is a skin disease causing much itchiness. Scratching leads to redness, swelling, cracking, weeping clear fluid, crusting, and scaling. The goals in treating atopic dermatitis are to heal the skin and prevent flares. You should watch for changes in the skin to find out what treatments help the most. Treatments can include: Medications: – Skin creams or ointments that control swelling and lower allergic reactions; – Corticosteroids; – Antibiotics to treat infections caused by bacteria; – Drugs that suppress the immune system; – Antihistamines that make people sleepy to help stop nighttime scratching.

Light therapy: – Skin care that helps heal the skin and keep it healthy; – Avoiding things that cause an allergic reaction.

Cicatricial Alopecia

Cicatricial alopecia is a group of conditions that destroy hair follicles. Hair follicles are the part of the skin where the hair grows. The follicles are replaced with scar tissue. This means the hair will fall out and not grow back. Cicatricial alopecia is rare and not contagious. Anyone can get it, but it is not common in children. If hair loss occurs very fast, it may cause itching, pain, and burning. If it falls out more slowly, you may not feel anything. Medications are used to treat cicatricial alopecia. Surgery might be an option if you haven’t lost hair from the disease for 1 to 2 years. The disease may come back, even after treatment.

Epidermolysis Bullosa

Epidermolysis bullosa is a group of diseases in which the skin is easily injured, causing painful blisters to form. These blisters can cause serious problems if they become infected. Some people with the condition have a mild form with few blisters. Others may have many blisters. A doctor can identify the disease by taking a small piece of skin and looking at it under a microscope. Treatment includes proper skin care to prevent blisters, treating blisters and infections, and a good diet. Surgery may be needed in more severe cases.

Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS)

Hidradenitis suppurativa is a skin disease that causes pimple-like bumps or boils on and under the skin. The disease is chronic (long lasting) and can be painful. HS does not spread from one person to another.

HS starts in the hair follicle in the skin and happens where areas of skin may touch or rub together. Poor personal hygiene habits, such as not bathing or shampooing your hair, do not cause HS. In most cases, the cause of the disease is unknown.

The treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa varies and is based on your symptoms. Doctors may treat moderate or severe HS with a TNF inhibitor, which is a medication known as a biologic. Other medications to treat the symptoms may include: Antibiotics, Corticosteroids, Hormone therapy, Immunosuppressants, Pain relievers, Retinoids. Sometimes surgery is needed to open or drain the bumps or boils. Your doctor may recommend laser hair removal. The goal of the treatment is to help heal current outbreaks and to stop more symptoms from developing.

Ichthyosis

Ichthyosis causes dry, thickened skin that may look like fish scales. The disease is usually passed down from your parents. Ichthyosis is treated by dermatologists who are doctors trained to diagnose and treat diseases of the skin, hair, and nails. Creams, lotions, or ointments can relieve dryness or itching. Salt or aspirin dissolved in water, or over-the-counter lotions containing urea, may also ease scaling. For more severe cases, doctors may prescribe certain forms of vitamin A.

Lichen Sclerosus

Lichen sclerosus usually affects the skin of the genital and anal areas. It can also appear on the upper body, breasts, and upper arms. The disease does not cause skin cancer but may increase one’s risk for cancer if the skin is scarred. Treatment with creams or ointments can help. Surgery to remove skin patches at the genitals may be an option in men, but not women. Women with severe scarring in the vagina may need surgery. The person should see their doctor every six to 12 months in order to follow and treat any skin changes.

Pemphigus

Pemphigus is a type of disease where the body’s immune system attacks healthy cells in the top layer of skin (epidermis). It causes blisters on the skin and in the mouth, nose, throat, eyes, and genitals. Some forms of pemphigus can cause death if not treated. The type of pemphigus depends on where the blisters form. Most people with pemphigus can control it with medicines. These medicines can have side effects.

A person should see their doctor if you they have long-lasting blisters on the skin or mouth, to be tested for pemphigus.

Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a skin disease that causes red, scaly skin that may feel painful, swollen, or hot. Individuals may be susceptible to other conditions. It is caused by genes, meaning it runs in families, but some outside factors can make it worse or trigger flares. Psoriasis can be hard to diagnose because it can look like other skin diseases. A doctor may recommend creams, ultraviolet light therapy, prescription medications, shots, or some combination of these treatments.

Rosacea

Rosacea is a long-term disease that causes reddened skin and pimples, usually on the face. It can also make the skin thicker and cause eye problems. There is no cure for rosacea, but some treatments can make the skin look and feel better. Doctors don’t know what causes rosacea, but it may run in families.

Vitiligo

Vitiligo is a disorder that causes patches of skin to become white. It happens because cells that make color in your skin are destroyed. Doctors don’t know what causes vitiligo, but it may be an autoimmune disease. It also seems to run in families. Treatments may help restore color to the white patches of the skin, but they don’t work for everyone, and sometimes they have unwanted side effects.