Different Skin Problems
Some Skin Diseases or Skin Problems are curable while some are hereditary and some can be prevented with proper care.
4.Skin Infections (Contd.):
Cold Sores: Cold sores occur most frequently on the lips, though they can develop on any part of the body. They are a result of a virus – Herpes Simplex. In adults, this virus, sometimes, also affects the genitalia. This type of infection is spread by sexual intercourse and forms one of the many sexually transmitted diseases. The virus of cold sores generally lies dormant in the body but can be activated by colds, fevers, stressful conditions, emotional upheavals or any serious illness. Each attack lasts for a couple of days, but generally, the attacks tend to become less frequent with time. It is best to avoid intimate contact with an individual who is having an attack of herpes. There are some relief giving measures of acute attacks:
– Cold compresses or ice can relieve the pain.
– Ether compresses (to be given by a doctor) would hasten healing. A new arrival in the treatment of herpes is acyclovir – though expensive, it can give considerable relief to people getting recurrent attacks of Herpes.
Scabies: Few diseases carry so much social stigma as scabies. Most people openly express resentment when they are told that their itching is due to scabies. Actually, anybody can get scabies – the disease is caused by a mite, which is no respector of social status. It is a highly contagious disease. Scabies is passed from one person to another through intimate contact, infected bedding and clothes or by sharing a bed. The mite can live on the discarded clothes for a couple of days. After contact, it takes about 6 weeks for the itching to start. The itching is more severe at night. Soon a rash appears on the body – this rash is not seen on the face and is most prominent on the hands, the waist, the abdomen and on the genitalia. When you go to your doctor with complaints of itching, he generally examines your hands very carefully – this is because he is looking to see if you have scabies. If you follow the directions given by the doctor carefully, scabies is easily treatable. The whole family is to be treated together, even if only one member has the problem. Benzyl Benzoate or Gamma Benzene Hexachloride are used – both are very effective.
Leprosy: Leprosy is absolutely curable. This disease has always been associated with extreme social stigma since it is though to be highly contagious and incurable. Both these notions are absolutely wrong and baseless. Leprosy is caused by a bacteria which is closely related to a germ of tuberculosis. It is the least contagious of all infections. If the treatment is taken early, it is easily cured; if, however, the treatment is delayed, then deformities develop, but even then these can be corrected with surgery. The most important symptoms of leprosy are decreased sensation and the appearance of light colored patches on the skin. The nerves might become painful. If the treatment is not taken at this stage, deformities might develop. Treatment of leprosy is available at all hospitals. Nowadays multiple drugs are used to ensure a total cure – dapsone, clofazimine and rifampicin are the drugs commonly used. Medication needs to be taken regularly for a duration varying from 6 months to 2 years. Before starting treatment, the doctor might take a piece of the skin to study it under the microscope – this will help him decide about the duration of treatment. There are several myths about leprosy which need to be dispelled. For centuries it has been perpetuated that leprosy is a curse. This is not true because it is just another infection caused by bacteria. It is also not an inherited problem and it cannot be transmitted from the mother to an unborn child. Leprosy is curable – even the deformities are amenable to surgery.
