Shingles

Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:

• Do you have a history of chicken pox?
• Does your skin hurt, itch, or feel numb?
• Is the pain sharp, dull, or piercing? How long have you had it?
• Do you have a rash? If so, for how long?
• Is the rash in more than one place on your skin?
• Is the rash on one side of your body only?
• Has the rash at any time looked like small blisters?
• Do you still have pain even if the rash is gone?
• What triggers the pain (for example, a light touch)?
• Do your symptoms interfere with your ability to sleep or perform activities of daily living?
• Are you taking any medications?

Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:

• Skin exam almost always confirms the diagnosis

Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:

• Skin scraping to examine under the microscope, or for viral culture, immunofluorescence, or polymerase chain reaction testing (rarely needed)

Dr. Robert S. Stern, chair of the Department of Dermatology at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center , calls them "solar-phobes": people so concerned about getting skin cancer that they stay inside or cover every bit of skin. "They cover up like they were going out into the Arabian Desert ," he says. The marketing of ultrablocking sunscreens and special sun-protective clothing plays into these fears.

There's no getting around the fact that sunlight is hard on your skin. Age gets blamed for wrinkles and rough, dry skin. But the real culprit is a combination of age and sun that dermatologists call photoaging. The short UVB wavelengths that cause sunburn can also damage DNA and suppress the skin's immune system. The longer, more penetrating UVA wavelengths may create highly reactive oxygen molecules capable of damaging skin cell membranes and the DNA inside.

Athlete's foot: Causes, prevention, and treatment

While it's not a life-or-death matter, athlete's foot-especially if it's persistent-can be painful and make walking difficult.

The early signs of athlete's foot are patches or fissures (deep breaks or slits), especially between the toes. As the infection progresses, the skin may turn red, become itchy, and appear moist. Small blisters may spread out across the foot, breaking to expose raw fissures that are painful and may swell. The area between the toes is most often affected, but the infection may spread to the soles of the feet or to the toenails, which can become thick and colored white or cloudy yellow. In the most advanced cases, the rash will extend moccasin-style across the sole of your foot, and your feet may ooze pus and develop a foul odor.

Nails

Toenail Problems

Your toenails reveal a lot about your overall health and can provide the first sign of a systemic disease. For instance, nails that are rounded inward like spoons rather than outward, may indicate a severe iron deficiency. Nails that are pitted and thick are a sign of psoriasis. If you notice any abnormality in your toenails, ask a foot care specialist about it.

Ingrown Toenails

An ingrown toenail is one of the most common sources of foot pain. It can be a serious problem for anyone with diabetes or circulatory difficulties.

Skin

Botox injections

With the recent nod of approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the popularity of Botox injections has surged. Spas, shopping malls, walk-in clinics and even parties advertise the availability of this age-defying treatment. Even before FDA approval, the use of Botox was on the rise, increasing 61% between 2000 and 2001, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Botox, the trade name for botulinum toxin type A, is used to lessen the telltale signs of aging by softening frown lines on the forehead and brow, crow's feet at the corners of the eye, and other wrinkles. But what is this toxin, how does it work, and who should be administering the procedure?

Face​

Botox injections

With the recent nod of approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the popularity of Botox injections has surged. Spas, shopping malls, walk-in clinics and even parties advertise the availability of this age-defying treatment. Even before FDA approval, the use of Botox was on the rise, increasing 61% between 2000 and 2001, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Botox, the trade name for botulinum toxin type A, is used to lessen the telltale signs of aging by softening frown lines on the forehead and brow, crow's feet at the corners of the eye, and other wrinkles. But what is this toxin, how does it work, and who should be administering the procedure?

Botox injections

With the recent nod of approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the popularity of Botox injections has surged. Spas, shopping malls, walk-in clinics and even parties advertise the availability of this age-defying treatment. Even before FDA approval, the use of Botox was on the rise, increasing 61% between 2000 and 2001, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Botox, the trade name for botulinum toxin type A, is used to lessen the telltale signs of aging by softening frown lines on the forehead and brow, crow's feet at the corners of the eye, and other wrinkles. But what is this toxin, how does it work, and who should be administering the procedure?

Q. I love to soak in the sun and get a nice tan, which makes me look healthier. However, over the years I've acquired a few wrinkles, which I'm not so crazy about. Is there anything I can do to minimize them?

A. As you know, prolonged exposure to the sun can result in premature wrinkles. In addition, age, sex, skin type, geographic location, skin pigmentation, genetics, and total duration of sun exposure throughout life all play a role in how our skin ages. Studies have shown sun exposure induces skin aging in up to 80% to 90% of Europeans and North Americans.

Drugs that magnify sunlight’s harmful effects require extra precautions.

This time of year the outdoors beckons. Whether you’re relaxing on the deck, hiking on a trail, or basking on the beach, you’re probably well aware that exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays promotes wrinkles, skin cancer, and cataracts, and that its heat can make you susceptible to sunstroke. But you may not know that many medications can amplify the sun’s effects. “Some medications can make people more sensitive to the sun, especially if they have light skin or blue eyes,” says Dr. Laura Carr, a pharmacist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

How drugs magnify the sun’s effects

Some drugs contain compounds that, when activated by the sun’s ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation, can damage cell membranes and, in some instances, DNA. The result can be a severe, blistering sunburn on the exposed parts of the body. Less frequently, drugs may trigger an allergic reaction to sun exposure, producing a rash that can cover the entire body.