In the modern world it can be hard to find the right way to take care of your body. Healthcare is expensive, jobs can be very busy and all of us have less and less time to make sure we take proper care of ourselves. Medical dermatology might not sound exciting but it, and other fields of proper self care, are important to make sure you are keeping yourself safe and healthy. Healthcare doesn’t have to be boring, either, or something that’s just a slog to get through. There are plenty of interesting things about the body that are worth learning about, from how your heart works to how your brain perceives vision to simple skin facts and tidbits that can help you take care of yourself. For example, we have billions of heartbeats in our lives nowadays whereas that was different hundreds of years ago when the life expectancy was less. People are now taller today than they were hundreds of years ago as well, thanks to advances in home safety, plumbing and better diets. Each medical discipline has its own interesting history of facts and medical dermatology is no different. Here are a few interesting facts about skin, skincare and one of the most fascinating organs you have in, and on, your body.
How It Works
You might think your skin is a simple organ but it is anything but. Starting at the beginning, a lot of people don’t even know that skin is an organ. But it absolutely is. It’s the largest organ you have by square footage and it’s also one of the hardest working. Medical dermatology has recently discovered several facets of the skin that we didn’t know about even just a few decades ago. First of all, skin is incredibly resilient. We might think we get cuts easily but our skin is super flexible and able to heal after some pretty nasty injuries. While we don’t have the amazing healing and regenerative powers of, say, a frog or other amphibian, we do come close to having some pretty tough skin generally speaking. It can keep out dirt, viruses and all sorts of bacteria that might do us harm.
Skin Ailments
The skin might be strong but it still falls victim to the occasional ailments that need to be treated. Spider veins and varicose veins can be problem, whether it’s just one varicose vein or several. These are outgrowths of other veins that you can see on the surface of the skin, some branching out into multiple areas, some not. Varicose veins can be very painful so it is important, if you have them, to visit a medical dermatologist and get them checked out as soon as possible. Caught with enough time, they can be easily treated and taken care of with a few simple procedures. Often times, the medical dermatologist will give you, the patient, a few options in terms of procedures and how you want to move forward. It is up to the person with the spider veins to decide what the best course of action is for them.
Acne and Other Problems
Millions of people around the world suffer from some form of acne just as millions of people suffer from varicose veins. Acne is not a small problem either even if it seems like one. Acne can lead to body image issues and bouts of emotional turbulence or depression so, if you suffer from acne that bothers you, you should not hesitate to seek treatment. Acne forms from overactive sebaceous glands in the skin itself which can act out and produce too much oil. Medical dermatology as a field will often recommend creams or gels to deal with this problem initially and they might offer oral medicine if the topical medicine doesn’t work. For really bad acne, minor medical machinery may help or other procedures that can help soothe the glands that keep pumping out oil even when they shouldn’t. Acne is a harmful problem but with advances in modern medicine no one has to live with it. People can be free from the pain and harm if they so choose.
