Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition that most commonly affects the skin and joints. A few different types of psoriasis are recognized, and we call the most common version of chronic plaque-type psoriasis. People with psoriasis often have red scaling plaques on their skin. These plaques can cover a very small portion of the skin or be very extensive. The most common areas involved are pressure points including the elbows, knees, low back, and scalp. Roughly 1/3 of patients with psoriasis in the skin will also have inflammation in the joints causing joint pain and/or stiffness. This is called psoriatic arthritis.
At Advanced Dermatology of the Midlands, we see those skin checks saves lives on a near-daily basis. Skin cancer rates have been on the rise in our country for decades. Melanoma is the third most common skin cancer and has the greatest tendency to be lethal. Per year in the United States, there are more than 100,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed. When it comes to the diagnosis of melanoma, the single most important thing is early detection. Early detection saves lives by allowing us to catch melanoma in its earliest stages when it can be easily cured.
At Advanced Dermatology of the Midlands, we are heavily involved in developing and bringing to practice new medical and surgical therapies to improve the care of patients with skin disorders. Because it is so common and can cause so much trouble for our patients, we have a special focus on acne therapy.
We would like to share with you three new acne treatment updates, which are innovative medications for acne that have come to the market recently. Our dermatologists believe that all three of these acne treatments will each have an important role in improving the management and control of acne for select patients.
Psoriasis is a common autoimmune skin condition. It affects as much as 3 to 4% of the population. In the most frequently seen form of psoriasis, people can develop red scaly plaques in various areas on their body especially over pressure points, such as the elbows, knees, low back, and scalp. This type of psoriasis is specifically called chronic plaque-type psoriasis. In the case of psoriasis, as an autoimmune disease, a cascade of steps by the immune system leads up to inflammation triggering the skin spots.
Unfortunately, acne can leave scars. When talking about scars from acne it is important to separate the visible scars from the ones we can’t see. Most of the medical information out there will focus on visible scarring in the skin. In doing this, however, it overlooks the invisible (psychological) scars that can also occur due to acne.
Even at the best of times, heels take a lot of abuse. When we stand on our feet daily, they bear more of our weight than any other part of the body. With movement, including walking and running, our heels are exposed to different elements. This includes rough, hard, and uneven surfaces, on the ground we walk on and in our footwear. This post introduces you to some helpful tips on cracked heels treatment.
Dermatologists have perfected the use of lasers to treat many different skin problems. In our field, no laser is perhaps more important than the pulsed dye Vbeam Perfecta vascular laser. Advanced Dermatology Midlands has such a laser available that we have extensive experience using to treat our patients. This laser is known as the Vbeam Perfecta pulsed-dye laser. This medical device has many different uses and is generally quite safe.
When we talk to our patients about cysts, they frequently ask us if we watch Dr. Pimple Popper. The simple truth is, that we don’t. However, we get to live the dream by working on cysts every day. These fluid-filled sacs in the skin are common, and because of that we see and treat them very frequently in our dermatology clinics. From your head to your toes, people can develop cysts on virtually any part of their skin. Most of the time these don’t require any treatment. However, there are a few circumstances that may necessitate having your cysts treated. Also, there are many different cysts types that pop up on the skin.
Infantile hemangiomas also called strawberry birthmarks, are one of the most common skin growths seen in infancy. They are a noncancerous overgrowth of extra blood vessels. The spots generally appear as a red patch in the skin that will grow to a red raised area over a short time.
Alopecia areata
Alopecia areata is one of the most common causes of hair loss. This is an autoimmune condition where patches of hair are generally lost on the scalp. Though it can be more widespread or affect virtually any area of the body that has hair including the beard in men or eyebrows\eyelashes of females. The condition can afflict a very broad spectrum of the population. Hands-down, alopecia areata is the most common cause of hair loss in children, but it also may affect individuals at any point during their life.