Dermatology

Acne is a common skin condition that afflicts most people, to a varying degree, during the teen years. However, the disease is by no means restricted to this age group; adults in their 20's or 30's may have acne. Don't think that because acne is common, treatment is unnecessary. Waiting to "outgrow" acne can be a serious mistake. Medical treatment can improve your appearance and self esteem, and prevent the development of lifelong scars.

An actinic keratosis is a scaly or crusty bump that forms on the skin surface. They are also called solar keratosis, sun spots, or precancerous spots. They range in size from as small as a pinhead to over an inch across. They may be light or dark, tan, pink, red, a combination of these, or the same color as ones skin. Keratoses are most likely to appear on sun exposed areas: face, ears, bald scalp, neck, backs of hands and forearms, and lips.

They are dangerous because they can be the first step in the development of skin cancer. It is estimated that 10 to 15 percent of active lesions, which are redder and more tender than the rest will take the next step and progress to squamous cell carcinomas. These cancers are usually not life threatening, provided they are detected and treated in the early stages.

Eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, is a chronic condition that causes areas of red, itchy skin. This condition usually starts in early childhood, especially when there is a family history of atopy (asthma, hay fever, conjunctivitis, or food allergies). The skin fails to hold in moisture, becomes dry, then inflamed, itchy and often infected. Various combinations of factors cause the dryness. Allergies leading to an overactive immune system and hereditary dry skin are the most prominent internal and external factors.

Moles are a common type of skin growth. They often appear as small, dark brown spots and are caused by clusters of pigmented cells. Moles generally appear during childhood and adolescence. Most moles are harmless. Rarely, they become cancerous. Monitoring moles and other pigmented patches is an important step in detecting skin cancer, especially malignant melanoma.

Psoriasis is a common skin condition that speeds up the life cycle of skin cells. It causes cells to build up rapidly on the surface of the skin. The extra skin cells form scales and red patches that are itchy and sometimes painful.

Psoriasis is a chronic disease that often comes and goes. The main goal of treatment is to stop the skin cells from growing so quickly. There is no cure for psoriasis, but you can manage symptoms. Lifestyle measures, such as moisturizing, quitting smoking and managing stress, may help.

Skin rashes are temporary outbreaks of red, bumpy, scaly, or itchy patches of skin, possibly with blisters or welts. They can occur from a variety of factors, including infections, heat, allergens, immune system disorders and medications.

Rosacea is a common skin condition that causes redness and visible blood vessels in your face. It may also produce small, red, pus-filled bumps. These signs and symptoms may flare up for weeks to months and then go away for a while. Rosacea can be mistaken for acne, other skin problems or natural ruddiness. Rosacea can affect anyone, but it's most common in middle-aged women with light skin. There's no cure for rosacea, but treatment can control and reduce the signs and symptoms.

Seborrheic dermatitis is a common skin condition that mainly affects your scalp. It causes scaly patches, red skin and stubborn dandruff. Seborrheic dermatitis can also affect oily areas of the body, such as the face, sides of the nose, eyebrows, ears, eyelids and chest.

Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. Although shingles can occur anywhere on your body, it most often appears as a single stripe of blisters that wraps around either the left or the right side of your torso. Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus that causes chickenpox. After you've had chickenpox, the virus lies inactive in nerve tissue near your spinal cord and brain. Years later, the virus may reactivate as shingles.

While it isn't a life-threatening condition, shingles can be very painful. Vaccines can help reduce the risk of shingles, while early treatment can help shorten a shingles infection and lessen the chance of complications.

Skin cancer — the abnormal growth of skin cells — most often develops on skin exposed to the sun. But this common form of cancer can also occur on areas of your skin not ordinarily exposed to sunlight. There are three major types of skin cancer — basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma.

You can reduce your risk of skin cancer by limiting or avoiding exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Checking your skin for suspicious changes can help detect skin cancer at its earliest stages. Early detection of skin cancer gives you the greatest chance for successful skin cancer treatment.

Skin tags are very common benign skin growths. It is estimated that almost half of adults have at least one of these harmless growths. They occur more commonly in obese or diabetic individuals and in people with a family history of skin tags. Skin tags affect men and women with equal frequency. They tend to grow in areas where there are skin folds, such as the underarms, neck, eyelids, and groin. They are skin colored or brown ovoid growths attached to a fleshy stalk. Usually they are small, between 2-5 mm, but can grow to be several centimeters. Skin tags are not painful, but can be bothersome.

Sunburn — red, painful skin that feels hot to the touch — usually appears within a few hours after too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from sunshine or artificial sources, such as sunlamps.

Intense, repeated sun exposure that results in sunburn increases your risk of other skin damage and certain diseases. These include dry or wrinkled skin, dark spots, rough spots, and skin cancers, such as melanoma. You can usually find sunburn relief with simply home remedies. Sunburn may take several days or longer to fade. You can prevent sunburn and related conditions by protecting your skin. This is especially important when you're outdoors, even on cool or cloudy days.

Tinea versicolor is a common fungal infection of the skin. The fungus interferes with the normal pigmentation of the skin, resulting in small, discolored patches. These patches may be lighter or darker in color than the surrounding skin and most commonly affect the trunk and shoulders. Tinea versicolor occurs most frequently in teens and young adults. Sun exposure may make tinea versicolor more apparent. It is not painful or contagious.

Nail fungus is a common condition that begins as a white or yellow spot under the tip of your fingernail or toenail. As the fungal infection goes deeper, nail fungus may cause your nail to discolor, thicken and crumble at the edge. It can affect several nails.

If your condition is mild and not bothering you, you may not need treatment. If your nail fungus is painful and has caused thickened nails, self-care steps and medications may help.

Warts are small, grainy skin growths that are most common on the hands, feet and face, but they can grow almost anywhere on the body. Rough to the touch, warts also often feature a pattern of tiny black dots, which are small, clotted blood vessels.

Warts are caused by a virus and are transmitted by touch. It can take a wart as long as two to six months to develop after your skin has been exposed to the virus. Warts are usually harmless and eventually disappear on their own. But many people choose to remove them because they find them bothersome or embarrassing.

Dr. Balshi treats various other skin conditions that have not been listed. No matter what skin issue you are experiencing, don't hesitate to make an appointment! No concern is too small.