Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with health and skin

SCUM Manifesto

airguitar2 — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:05:02 -0800

I do not think of myself as a dirty person, but when I'm in the shower and I scrape my nails over my neck/chest/back area, a grayish scum collects under my fingernails. What is this disgusting medley, and what can I do about it? I shower. I wash. Nonetheless, my skin seems to create a grayish, filmy, scum-like substance that I can scrape off with my fingernails.

Possibly related: my comb, after several uses, also seems to have a grayish film on the teeth.

Am I disgusting? What is this? How do I rid myself of the scum??

Tea Tree Filter

bad grammar — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:44:28 -0800

Should tea tree oil in bath water sting like crazy? I'm not getting a good answer from the online tea tree oil fanatics who swear by its use for all medical and hygienic purposes.

I used 100% tea tree oil from the drugstore and put about 2 t. in my hot bath water. About halfway through the bath (not a long soak), it started to make my legs sting like crazy, and I drained the bath water, cleaned the tub and soaped all over again to get it off. It is still stinging. Oddly enough the rest of my body isn't experiencing the prickly sensation.

Is this a serious reaction (i.e. poison, allergy) or will it go away? I basically feel as if I've had a Finnish sauna and beaten myself with the traditional birch branches.

I realize I probably used too much. For impulse actions I identify with Mark Vonnegut who said "My mind is like a lynch mob."

Is there an age at which a child's skin colour becomes permanent?

JoannaC — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 17:05:10 -0800

Is there an age at which a child's skin colour becomes permanent? I have a beautiful nephew who is mixed race (half Caucasian, half middle Eastern). His father is quite a bit darker, both I hair and skin, than he is. He is a beautiful kid and of course the colour of his skin doesn't matter to any of us. But I know a baby's skin can darken or change from when they are born and I am just curious about what age that stops. He is about to turn two, so he is not a 'baby' anymore. Can we assume that the colour he is now is the colour he'll be forever? Or can it change more as he grows up or during puberty? As I said, it's no big deal either way. We're just curious about whether there is an 'age of permanence' or whether it's one of those things that will change as he grows.

What's this red line on my thumb?

overeducated_alligator — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 16:57:36 -0800

What's this red line on my thumb? (Picture inside, not gross) This red line appeared on my thumb a week or two ago (see image link). It doesn't hurt or itch. I have no pain or limitation in movement.

http://i.imgur.com/sai69.jpg

Any ideas what it is? Anything I should be concerned about?*

*You're not doctors, of course. If it's still there or changes after a few weeks I'll go to the doctor.

"A pox o' your throat, you bawling, blasphemous, incharitable dog!"

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:08:31 -0800

Dermatology Filter: what the eff is this rash/acne on my chest that won't go away!? What can I do? I can't afford to see someone unless important... is this important? [warning: links to pictures involve cleavage/bra. NSFW]

I've had this splotchy, looks like acne, rash on my chest for almost 2 weeks. It seems to be spreading up towards my shoulders and arms, as well as across my breasts. I have no idea what to do about it; it's extremely embarrassing, and my current financial/insurance situation makes seeing a doctor about this unlikely unless absolutely necessary.

It's not present anywhere else on my body. I haven't come into contact with any "poison-" plants; I can't believe this is chicken pox. It doesn't itch at all until I come home at night and get ready for bed... where upon I change clothes and feel really hyper-aware of my skin.
I've been blessed with almost no history of acne beyond occasional whiteheads on my nose/chin, so this would be an unprecedented case of acne in an extremely unusual place.

Washing daily didn't help; puncturing (gently!) the whitehead spots and releasing the liquid in them doesn't make them go away.
Leaving it all alone seems to lessen redness but does nothing to slow spread or diminish the population of whitehead-looking spots.

What is this? What can I do?

What is this on my elbow?

Anonymous — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:24:37 -0800

What is this on my elbow? Pictures: 1, 2, 3. First, the dermatologist said this patch on my elbow was either eczema or psoriasis (I can't remember which). She gave me some sort of steroid cream to use on the area. The next time I was there, I asked about it again. She said that it was unlikely that it was eczema or psoriasis because I don't have any other other patches anywhere else on my body. She looked at it again, suggested it might be a few warts clustered together but said that she really didn't know. I continue to use the steroid cream as needed. Would really like to know what this is so I can do something more than just put cream on it indefinitely.

More info: It appeared a couple of years ago and I just put lotion on it for a while before asking the doctor about it. This did nothing. It never hurts or burns or itches. It just becomes scaly when I go for 5-10 days without putting the cream on. It's about an inch wide and doesn't impact my daily life in any way (aside from wondering what the heck it is). This came about at a time when several other skin problems arose including warts on feet, seborrheic dermatitis on face, and a dry scaly feeling on cheeks (not sure what it's called). I'm 34 and female.

ECZEMA help

misformiche — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 08:51:28 -0800

What are you eczema solutions? I've had this for years, one thing works for... a while then I seem to develop some sort of immunity to the solution.

I'm just looking for a handful of new things to try and quite frankly I'm sick to death of trolling forums looking for something i havent tried.
I could go to a doctor but every solution theyve ever given me has never worked. I've always had better luck with home type remedies.

Looking for a miracle worker: Bay Area acne dermatologist recommendations?

scazza — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 06:48:40 -0800

Looking for a miracle worker: Bay Area acne dermatologist recommendations? The last recs from AskMe are from 2009 or 2004. Thought another roundup would be worth it. This is for my husband who has had painful cystic acne for almost 2 decades now, back, neck, face. Otherwise healthy as a horse so I'm thinking that accutane is the next step if his liver can handle it. I've been opposed to it but I've seen that there are some that got good results without the scary side effects. The dermatologist here in NYC was a quack; the Retin-A, clindamycin, differin, rosula, made his skin softer but made NO difference in breakouts. And he was so good with the routine too, to no effect. We're moving to the Bay area today and this madness just needs to stop.

I'm looking for someone really serious about results, and who could be a good, cautious guide with accutane.

Thanks!

Milk baths?

The Whelk — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:09:44 -0800

Amazing skin forever? At my ritzy gym I constantly see older gentlemen with the most amazing skin quality: smooth, clear, even tone, even lightly tanned. What have they done to get/keep this peternatual skin quality and what can I do now as a younger man to get it?

Is missing a few days here and there for topical acne treatment a bad idea?

tomtheblackbear — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:12:37 -0800

Is starting and stopping topical acne treatments a bad idea? I apply my Rx topical treatment more often than not, but it's sometimes inconvenient or I forget about it. Will I become resistant to the topical treatment in the same way that I would become resistant to an antibiotic if I use it on a start and stop basis?

Behold Grossfoot!

Anonymous — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:02:18 -0800

How can I pamper my feet? Years of hiking, dancing, running, and a general dislike of socks have turned my feet into a disaster area. Dry, flaky patches, huge callouses, cracked nails, a planar wart. Nothing super-painful, just kinda gross. Short of going to a Podiatrist, what can I do so I can show my feet in public? FYI - Dude. late 20s.

What the hell is going on with me

Merzbau — Tue, 11 May 2010 13:22:49 -0800

Followup to an earlier health-related question. Kind of long; more under the cut. This is a follow-up to an earlier question.

On the advice of family members and answers from the earlier question, I saw an endocrinologist. He seemed to think everything was normal, but ordered some blood work just to be sure. Those numbers came back within normal ranges. I lost my copy of the report, though I will have another copy by tomorrow, and missed the follow-up appointment (these have to be booked months in advance), but my psychiatrist seemed to think everything was OK when I handed him the report to go over as part of an evaluation before starting ADD meds.

In the meantime, I'm still feeling tired and run-down most of the time, and alternate between barely sleeping at all and sleeping for ten or more hours at a stretch. I'm on a 40mg dose of Vyvanse for ADD, and while it helps me focus and stay on task, I get tired and confused doing simple things, and my short-term memory is shot. Today alone I've forgotten a co-worker's name, locked my keys in my car (for the first time in my life), made a mistake taking a customer's order that cost $50 to fix, and all that before 2:00. I've also had trouble speaking clearly, which is a problem since my main duty at work is phone service- I find myself slurring a lot.

The depression is still present, and often alarmingly sudden in its onset. I'll be at work and suddenly be hit with a crushing feeling of hopelessness, and often won't be able to stop myself crying at my desk. This can last for hours, and has sometimes been so bad that I end up taking a high dose of Trazodone and some wine and going to sleep at seven or eight o'clock just to make it stop.

The skin problems have also gotten worse. I'm continuing to shed hair, but now it's more noticeable and there are frequently pieces of skin attached to the root or along the shaft of the shed hairs. On closer examination, they also look like they're splitting or "peeling"- not split ends as such, but very fine fibers splitting away from the hair about halfway down. And over the past couple of weeks, I've somehow gotten a red rash along my eyebrows, on either side of my nose and mouth, and most of my scalp. It flares up painfully, seemingly when I'm tired or stressed, and if I don't wash my face with dandruff shampoo it constantly flakes.

And last of all, I suspect this doesn't have much to do with anything, but on the off chance it makes someone go AHA!, I've been having a lot of stiff, popping joints- my neck, knees, shoulders, wrists, hip (when I cross and uncross my legs), everything. It's not painful, and probably not significant, but it's new, and so maybe worth mentioning...

I'm bringing up the depression with my psychiatrist, on the off chance it's a side effect of the Vyvanse, and I definitely need to at least see a dermatologist about the skin problems, but is it worth pursuing the endocrinology angle if my lab work came back OK?

And second, how exactly do I find a good dermatologist? The last one I saw definitely didn't inspire any confidence- examined my head for less than five minutes, didn't ask any questions, and very confidently and authoritatively wrote a prescription for medication that ended up doing nothing.

How to get rid of odd red spot on my skin?

gcolmes@gmail.com — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 02:33:41 -0800

Can you identify this odd red spot on my chest and make it go away? I've made an appointment to see my doctor, but in the meantime, what the hell is this?

It's just been there for about 4 days. It's slightly smaller than a dime, not raised, not itchy, not bothersome at all, just red. How do I make it go away??

Thanks for your help!

I don't want to look like W.C. Fields...

miss lynnster — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:10:42 -0800

Living with rosacea... tips please. I've been to the dermatologist. I've tried Metrogel and Doxycycline. They work ok but are expensive with my insurance so I am not on either right now. About once a month or so my right cheek and chin explode with outbreaks and I HATE it. Facials really do help, but I don't want to have to spend hundreds of dollars on facials every time I feel an outbreak coming on. I know that food intake is supposed to matter, but I haven't found that so much. I eat healthy and my alcohol intake isn't crazy.

Any tips on living with this and what to do when I feel an outbreak on the horizon? Is there anything that will help other than having an expensive facial or filling myself with expensive chemicals from the dermatologist? Right now my right cheek is almost purple with a volcano of healing-but-angry skin. I'm not a fan of looking like WC Fields on a bad day.

Oh, and no... I'm not more stressed than usual... actually I'm less so.

P.S. - Yes, I've read the other rosacea threads. Since a lot of them seemed to be answered by people who weren't going through rosacea themselves I figured it might not hurt to ask again and see if anyone had new comments.

Thanks in advance for the help folks!

Guitarist with hyperhydrosis and oily skin needs help

sid abotu — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:27:22 -0800

I am a borderline professional guitarist who suffers from hyperhydrosis (excessive sweating) and also seems to have developed a very oil-extruding physiology. Is there anything I can do to make it so that I don't have to wash my hands between each and every song? If not, what is the most efficient way to clean up and dry off my hands every five minutes or so? I am 39 years old and I have been playing guitar for 30 years. I play acoustic fingerstyle and I am pretty aggressive/hard in my approach to the instrument (but I don't dance around!). I don't eat an overly fatty or greasy diet and I am overall a pretty healthy person. I live in Ottawa, Canada, and despite what you might have heard this is an incredibly hot and humid location and my problem is particularly acute this time of year. I am open to suggestions of more moderate (and musical!) climates.

During the last decade my physiology has changed or some kind of perfectly awful storm of the extreme sweating I have always had (I think it is getting worse) and oily excretions has combined to make my favourite activity extremely frustrating and frankly it has made the prospect of returning to gigging scary. I wash my hands thoroughly using a standard bar of soap, rinse and dry, pick up my guitar and play a song and by the end of the tune my hands are wet and greasy. Hell, even just typing this question thus far (after having washed my hands for the 20th time today) I can feel the stickiness.

I am not OCD, this is a real impediment. Do any other musicians or folks who have dealt with this kind of situation have any guidance for me re. techniques to cope with this kind of problem? I know that there are dubious (nerve-severing!) surgeries for hyperhydrosis but I am not there yet: I am more interested in coping mechanisms that you might have discovered.

What to do about Inflammed Hair Follicles

Anthro girl — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:56:08 -0800

My thigh is covered with inflamed hair follicles. It's basically little red dots that look like razor burn. It doesn't hurt, itch, or anything, it just looks bad. Is there any way to reduce them?

HELP! Poison Ivy Out of Control

peace_love_hope — Sat, 24 May 2008 06:25:34 -0800

Poison Ivy -- Ok, I'm on round 2 of dosepack, steriod creams, and combining N1 and N2 allergy inhibitors -- I'm doing the best modern medicine has to offer, and based on the raised ugly red whelps it appears to no avail. I'm covered from head to toe and unfortunately points in between. Now -- how about some some Hivemind brilliance on other methods to get this more under control. I'm game for about anything at this stage. And yeah, I know I shouldn't -- but I did -- so please, help me! (Thanks...)

How can I treat contact dermatitis?

newfers — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:56:02 -0800

I get pretty severe contact dermatitis on my hands. Is there anything other than Triamcinolone cream which might help? I work in the produce department of a Kroger store, and for years I have had what doctors tell me is contact dermatitis on my hands from handling fresh produce. I wear latex gloves, but through seepage or ripping, my hands still get raw and sore, until I mercifully have a couple days off for the healing to begin. When my hands are at their worst, they are red and blotchy, with slight clear oozing. Yuck! I keep myself clean when I get home from work, and try to moisturize and get my hands as clean as possible, which usually keeps them from getting worse.

Soaking my hands in VERY hot water gives an almost orgasmic feeling, but is probably not a healthy thing to do (often). Is there anything other than Triamcinolone cream which might help? Over the counter Cortisone creams don't seem to do much good.

I will be making an appointment with my doc for some more of the cream, but in the meantime, I thought I'd ask the real experts (mefites!) for any suggestions.

How do I improve my dull, lifeless skin?

Anonymous — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 08:50:54 -0800

My skin is terrible. It's not just the acne, though I do have that. It is mottled and dull. I have deep shadows under my eyes. Wrinkles are spreading under my eyes and from the corners of my nose to my mouth. I don't (and never have) smoked, nor lived around smokers. I drink at least 2 liters of water a day. I'm a female in my early 20s, and I've got the skin of a nicotine and alcohol addict in their forties. What am I doing wrong? More treatment details inside. On top of what I already said, I do the following:
- I wash with Cetaphil and warm water, no washcloth or face scrubbing outside of a once or twice-weekly exfoiliation scrub.
- At night I apply either a 2.5% benzoyl peroxide treatment or a 2% salicylic acid treatment, though never both at once.
- In the mornings I use a retinoic acid moisturizer.
- At different times of the day (so they don't interfere with one another), I take biotin, a multivitamin, B-vitamins, a calcium-magnesium-zinc combination pill, an extra zinc vitamin, and fish oil.
- I exercise regularly.
- I am approximately ten pounds overweight, but otherwise in good health
- I sleep at least 7-8 hours per night 90% of the time
- I have taken various forms of birth control, but they didn't do anything for my skin and made me crazy.
- I have tried Differin and Retin-A, neither which did much (though that was years ago, maybe I should give it another shot?)

Possible Causes
- I have had a history of bad, blistered sunburns when I was younger--though only two or three times have they blistered on my face. Now I wear sunscreen.
- There was a six-month period two years ago when I drank way, way too much almost daily. This has long since ended.

In terms of treatment, I feel like I'm doing most everything right, but my skin just seems to get worse. I get tiny bumps all over my forehead and blemishes on my cheeks (it is not cystic acne). My skin is dull and lifeless-looking. It's awful. I could deal with the acne if I at least had a healthy glow, but I don't. What more can I do?

avogadro's number (except not)

Anonymous — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 22:20:48 -0800

I have a doctor's appointment to get a mole looked at. What can I expect? It is a raised mole on my face. It is smaller than a pencil eraser. I was told recently that it looks a bit bigger than it had in the past, also it has been itching periodically. I also have another mole, very similar in appearance but (to my best recollection) that has not had any weird symptoms; however, sometime within the last year (I may have had a sunburn) a top layer of one of the moles came off but I don't remember which one.

What is the doctor going to do? Just look at it or take a biopsy? (The mole is small enough and prominent enough on my face that taking a biopsy might be taking the entire mole and make me look slightly different.) Is my other mole going to be an issue? What are best best case and worst case scenarios?

How much should I be worrying?

Why do my thighs randomly break out with pimples?!

jimdanger — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 05:08:11 -0800

What are these pimples on my thigh? As you can see by the pics [1,2] my thigh is currently breaking out with some kind of pimples. This happens every so often, but I see no pattern. They're really red and some of them are tender. About the same time I get them on my upper thigh, I get one somewhere on my face, usually on the corner of my nose. They all last about a week and then go away. I have a history of bad skin, including redness around my nose and breaking out when my skin comes in contact with anything scented. I haven't changed my detergent, shampoo, soap, anything. I'm not allergic to any foods as far as I know, and I haven't been doing anything out of the ordinary. Anyone have any idea what might be causing this? It's not a major deal, just sucks when I'm wearing shorts and my legs look all blotchy.

How do I save my cat?

Anonymous — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:35:34 -0800

I'm afraid of taking my cat to the vet because of possible accusations of animal abuse. How do I diffuse this situation? My cat is around 12-13 years old. She's morbidly obese--24 pounds at last check--and prone to bouts of panic. Because of her age and weight, my family and I have avoided doing anything to scare her.

We haven't taken her to the vet in many, many years. To be honest, we probably haven't taken her to the vet since she was 3-4. She was a bit more svelte then, but much more prone to panic.

As she gained weight--probably due to overfeeding on our part--we grew concerned about scaring her too much. (Once, she clawed her way under a door three inches off the ground when she heard people entering the house three rooms away.) Because she was healthy beyond the weight, we decided not to traumatize her further by taking her the vet.

Because of her weight, she can't properly clean herself. (She's also too afraid for baths.) I brush her, but her fur still mats in places. Lately, probably due to excess shedding, her fur matted to the point where I couldn't brush it loose. I cut off the matted bits of her hair and tried to brush her and rid her of her dandruff. She looks awful--there's a huge bald spot on her back--but her fur is clean and she seems happier.

Then I noticed the lump. The lump must have been hidden deep in her fur. When I cut away some of the matted bit, I found a lump that had started to bleed. (I think it was bleeding because of overstimulation with a soft-bristle brush.) The lump isn't huge, but it's noticeable if you part the bit of fur that's left.

Now I'm terrified. I know my cat's old and obese and, well, in poor health. But I thought it was due to aging. She seems so content and happy. She lives in the kitchen and sees us every day. She's had fleas before--in fact, I'm trying to clean some fleas off of her now--that I had diagnosed by my retired vet aunt.

I'm terrified to take a morbidly obese cat that hasn't been doctored up in nearly a decade and that has matted belly fur, a huge bald spot, and a few fleas to the vet. I'm unbelievably worried about my cat--I love her to death--but I'm (understandably?) worried about being accused of animal abuse.

I have no idea what to do. After a bout of crying, I knew that I had to get some advice from AskMefi. I definitely want to take her to the vet. I guess my question is, how do I take my sickly cat to the vet without getting in (possibly) legal trouble? I intend to call my aunt for medical advice before proceeding. Beyond that, though, I'm at a loss.

I'm not the best pet owner. I admit it. I've made some stupid decisions. But I have nothing but love for my cat. I thought I was doing what was best for her. But...

:(

My throwaway account is: pleasehelpmycat at gmail dot com

Thank you. I'm a wreck right now, so I may have missed something.

Ivory skin and eyes of emerald green

Brittanie — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 03:14:35 -0800

Beautyfilter: How do I make my naturally pale skin look milky smooth? I'm a natural blonde and look good with a tan, but as I approach the end of my twenties I'm more and more concerned with sun exposure. I already wear high SPF sunscreen every day on my face, and have decided this summer to shun the sun in favor of a more natural look for the rest of my body.

However, my skin, which is very pale, always ends up looking more translucent and veiny than creamy and soft. Every little blemish and bruise shows up tenfold. I drink tons of water, exfoliate often and moisturize every day (I have dry skin) but I also have a bit of a yellow undertone, and I think sometimes I end up looking more sickly than healthy.

When I think of pretty pale blondes, I think of women like Scarlet Johansson and Cate Blanchett. What are the best (natural) ways to care for my skin to get that same soft white look?

Should I go see Dr. Zizmor, the most heavily advertised dermatologist in NYC?

tweebiscuit — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 11:18:57 -0800

I still have periodic acne breakouts at the age of 24, and now that I have health insurance I want to see a dermatologist. However, there's a million of them in NYC, and I don't have the time to shop around, so I'm considering going with NYC's most heavily advertised doctor, Dr. Zizmor. Is this a bad idea? Have you or anyone you know ever said, "Thanks, Dr. Zizmor?" (The last line, of course, is a reference to the Dr. Z ad spots that I grew up watching on Long Island during summer reruns of Perfect Strangers and Who's The Boss.)

The reason I'm cautious about picking someone out of the phone book is that, in high school, I had a dermatologist who prescribed me Accutane, an extremely powerful medication that wasn't justified in my case. (It worked, but the next doctor I had was shocked that she had given it to me.) All I want is professionalism and results.

I figure that if Zizmor has been around that long and has had so many patience, that he must be able to successfully treat a simple problem like mine. He was fined a few years ago for not performing adequate histories on some of his patients, but that might not be out of the ordinary for one of NYC's most visible doctors (in the same way that every trendy NYC restaurant has had a bad health report, etc.)

Is this a bad line of reasoning, or is Zizmor worth going to? Alternatively, if anyone can recommend a good dermatologist in NYC, I'd love to hear it.

Heal my acne cyst fast, please!

bonheur — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 22:16:26 -0800

I poked at a painful blemish on my forehead and now I have a big lump. What's the best way to fix this? I occasionally break-out, but I've never had cystic acne before. A few days ago a developed a small bump on my forehead. Of course, I idly poked and squeezed it, and now I have a rather large, dime-sized, warm, painful lump in the middle of my face. Delightful! Unlike standard-issue blemishes, there is no visible "head" to this beast, and when I did press on it, nothing came out. I won't squeeze it anymore, I've learned my lesson there. But how can I get this thing to heal as quickly as possible? Ice? Warm compresses? Acne creams? It hurts and I feel like Quasimodo. Please help!