Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with skin

Make the bumps go away

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:33:55 -0800

You are not my doctor, but you do know something about mysterious skin conditions that disappear without a trace every time I make a doctor's appointment. For about a month now, I've been getting waves of these itchy, slightly reddened, mosquito-bite-looking bumps. They range from about a quarter-inch to an inch in diameter, and from one or two at a time to clusters of dozens. They tend to show up most often at night (before I go to bed), last anywhere from a few hours to a day, then disappear completely for a day or two. When it started they were always on my legs, but lately they've been showing up on my back and chest; right now I'm pretty sure there's one in my lower lip which feels all swollen and bruised. There's no discharge or scaliness, they just look very much like huge mosquito bites (which they cannot possibly be at this time of year where I live.)

I've never had allergies or anything of the sort, haven't had any changes in diet or household cleaning products or clothing or behavior lately, am not under significant stress, and haven't found any pattern to whatever might be triggering them. There was one day when we thought my wife might be showing the same symptoms but it was mild enough that we weren't sure, and it never recurred for her.

My doctor said it might be a viral skin infection of some sort, and suggested claritin to mask the symptoms (which does seem to help a bit) but wasn't able to make a better diagnosis because by the time I schedule an appointment they've always disappeared. If I schedule yet another appointment and show up symptomless again I'm sure I'll get filed under "hypochondriac".

So I turn to you, in the faint hope that one of you will say OMG I had those exact same symptoms, and was able to _________ to make the problem go away forever. Or at least reassure me that these things aren't eventually going to migrate into my vital organs and make a heart valve fall off or pop an eyeball or something.

skin moles

neworder7 — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:02:10 -0800

How can I prevent my skin to get new moles on my face and body? I protect myself from the sun. What else can I do to prevent it happening?

This is not the tattoo I would have chosen for myself.

spacewrench — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:36:39 -0800

What might cause a straight vertical skin discoloration from nostril to lip? You are not my doctor, but a couple weeks ago, during a minor bout of common cold (probably), I noticed that a straight vertical line appeared on my upper lip, from right nostril down. It looks a bit like I haven't shaved properly, but it's not just a line of dark whisker follicles. The cold has gone away, but the line is still there. Any ideas what it might be?

The acrylic...it burns!

echolalia67 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:31:28 -0800

I'm trying to teach myself to knit/crochet and have found that one of the major barriers to learning is the yarn - acrylic yarn to be exact. It irritates my skin. Seriously, it's feels like extra-fine steel wool against my skin and the tips of my fingers are beginning to crack, something they are prone to in wet/cold weather. Since I'm new to the whole knitting/crochet thing, I don't want to invest a whole lot of money into yarn in case it turns out that I don't have the knack for it. Is there any way to make the yarn less irritating to my skin while I learn enough to see if knitting/crocheting and I are meant to be?

Avocado oil for dry skin?

thewalrus — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:50:12 -0800

Dry skin and Avocado oil: My wife has excellent results with with an Avocado oil based product designed to prevent dry and flaking skin on her face during winter. We bought a tiny bottle of it at the cosmetic department of a department store that cost 55 euros. After reading the ingredient list it seems a bit of a ripoff... So we went online and got a half litre size bottle of pure "cosmetic grade" Avocado oil on eBay from a cosmetics/oil seller with hundreds of 100% positive feedback, for less than twenty bucks. The tiny and expensive product is this:

Sans Soucis Deep Moist Depot

Reading the ingredients on the back of the bottle and the marketing copy, it says this:

"Deep Moist Depot’s unique formula allows mineral-rich algae extract and hyaluronic acid to penetrate rapidly into the skin without any added binding agents. Then, Vitamin E protects the skin against free radicals and enhances its ability to store moisture, while an organic silicon compound firms facial contours. Thermal spring water from Baden-Baden and pure avocado oil leave your skin naturally revitalized, soft, and supple"

The Sans Soucis bottle when it is unshaken appears to separate exactly like any oil and water, it's 50% avocado oil and 50% water. The vitamin E is already contained within the avocado oil, so I don't think that was an added ingredient.

If we take 250ml of the big eBay avocado oil, put it in a half empty 500 ml squeeze bottle and add 250 ml of bottled water, then keep it stored in the fridge, will we not have produced effectively the same product? Particularly I am wondering about the "hyaluronic acid". Various sources say that avocado oil is good for up to one year of storage, but any first hand experience on how long it actually lasts (at room temp or in a fridge) would be helpful too.

Make me deathly pale!

Captain Cardanthian! — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:13:25 -0800

DeathFilter: How can I make my arms, chest, and neck look paler without getting white stuff everywhere? My Halloween costume this year is Death from Sandman. I'm mostly set except that my skin is still moderately tan from summer. Is there anything I can apply that will make my skin lighter without being horribly messy? I'll be wearing a black tank top and black jeans, possibly putting on and taking off a jacket and gloves, and I have to drive to a party, so there will be a lot of opportunities for smearing/getting on everything. I'm imagining some type of powder, possibly, or a non-oily makeup that could be set or sealed--is there anything that fits that description?

I'm mainly worried about making sure my face blends with the rest of my body. Ideally the resulting skin tone would be similar to this girl's. This face/chest contrast is what I'm trying to avoid. Googling and the AskMe archives have yielded nothing. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Bonus points: best quality brand of colored hair spray?

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!

I will not eat green potatoes and ham.

Toekneesan — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:27:29 -0800

Garden/Botony/KitchenFilter: If your potatoes turn green, can you safely turn them back to brown? Some of the potatoes we grew this year were left exposed to the sun in the kitchen. Subsequently the skin has gotten kind of green. More than just a few small spots. This makes them poisonous. I'm wondering if we can root cellar them to turn them back to brown, and would that affect the amount solanine in the potatoes? Can we eat these, eventually, or should they just be thrown away?

Please help me find a good Boston-area dermatologist who can tell me within a month if this is cancer or a mild annoyance.

foxy_hedgehog — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 06:43:30 -0800

Freaky-looking unpigmented spots have appeared on my arms. Mass General Dermatology has no appointments until January. Please help me find a good dermatologist in the Cambridge/Boston area who knows the difference between "sometimes skin just looks like that" and "skin cancer." The goal: To find a good dermatologist in the Boston area who can see me within the next month to evaluate strange changes in skin color.

The details: Over the course of this summer and early fall, strange white spots appeared on both of my arms. They aren't raised or different in texture, like eczema-- they are like spots of skin that seem to be unpigmented, and I noticed them as the rest of my arms became slightly tanned. There's a larger (half-inch in diameter) one on my right arm that's especially strange. I apply sunscreen every day evenly over my arms, and I've never seen anything like this before in previous summers.

I realize that this could be anything from a newly-developed quirk of my skin, to a side effect of a medication, to some sort of vitamin deficiency. That said, given the possibility that this is something more serious, I'm still concerned and would like to get this addressed sooner than later. I always try to go with research institution-affiliated hospitals for medical treatment, but Harvard/Mass General has no openings until January.

I don't have a car and am in Cambridge. Anything there, or right over the bridge in Boston or in bike-accessible suburbs such as Belmont, Arlington, and Watertown would be especially helpful.

Thanks as always, guys.

Scratch my rash.

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:56:40 -0800

Erythema annulare centrifugum... ...sounds like the Latin motto of a fancy college, but is in fact a skin disease that, according to my dermatologist, is what is causing the periodic rashes on my upper thighs.

The good news is that I can now give a name to my previously mysterious and incredibly painful itching and swelling. The bad news is that a name doesn't mean a cure: they don't seem to know much about the underlying causes or have any treatment other than topical (generally steroidal) creams to reduce the itching and swelling when it comes up. First-round googling doesn't help much, and I'm not getting far with the medical literature.

Recognizing of course that YANMD, I ask you, fellow mf-ites, especially those who might be someone else's doctor, if you have any experience or suggestions that might point me towards a longer-term cure or relief.

Pink / Red little moles on chest?

ilovehistory — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:09:18 -0800

What are the very deep pink (almost red) mole-like dots that often appear between the breasts? Can't find the name anywhere on the internet. I'm wondering if it would be worth going to a dermatologist to get them removed. Anybody know the price for

Help me accept aging.

Anonymous — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 08:10:58 -0800

"... and loved the sorrows of your changing face." Help me accept the fact that I'm aging. I don't think of myself as a vain person, but I did, throughout my twenties, occasionally, look in the mirror and think, "Damn, how *you* doin'?" Over the last year (I'm 32), I've noticed a significant (to me) change in the way I look-- when I smile, the skin around my eyes explodes into a network of lines and wrinkles, and the bags under my eyes look darker and more foreboding. It's embarrassing that I even notice, much less think, about this stuff, but it's started to wreak havoc on my self-image. Instead of checking the mirror and feeling confident before strutting out the door, I glance in the mirror and think, "Oh no!"

I know aging is natural, and normal, etc., etc., and I *never* thought I would be someone who cared about this. All those women who inject their faces and lift their brows seemed like alien space invaders to me. Now that my own changing appearance is smacking me in the face, it's a different story.

Some possibly relevant details:
*I'm female.
*I was most recently dating someone a few years younger who told me, after we'd broken up, that he'd initially "had some reservations" about dating someone older-- and that a certain face cream I'd been using made me "look younger."
*I just moved into a new apt. with extremely harsh, unflattering bathroom lighting.
*I am regularly asked out on dates. (Two next week!) This provides some counterbalance to my diminished self-concept.

How can I accept the fact that I look different, and older, than I did, and feel confident about this? How can I relax enough to enjoy my dates next week and not worry every time I laugh (which is often) that my face is a cobweb of lost elasticity?

How do I get my skin, as a guy to look so clean and shiny?

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:09:49 -0800

Male skin filter: I want my skin to look like this. How does he get his skin to be so shiny? Photoshop? How can I get that doll-like look? I am also asian. What products do I need to use, and is there a quick and easy way way of doing so.

Bright Ink, Dark Skin

Juliet Banana — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:06:24 -0800

Is it possible to get a bright, satu rated, extr emely colorful tattoo on light brown skin? It hasn't escaped my notice that the tattoos I admire are generally on Caucasians. I've heard that you should consider tattoo ink like colored cellophane; the color of your skin will shine through. I've heard tattoo artists saying that your color options become more limited as your skin gets darker. Hence, I've kind of accepted the fact that brightly colored tattoos are out of the question for me.

I'd love someone to prove me wrong, though, with photos or anecdotes or personal experiences! I'm half Mexican and half White, with skin the approximate color of peanut butter. I would like to see examples of colorful tattoos on people in a relatively similar shade range (ex: Latinos, South Asians, Native Americans, multiracial people, any light-brown people regardless of race). I know about BMEzine, but it's total information overload. If there are certain colors that would work but others that wouldn't, I'd like to know that too; this previous thread discusses white ink, for example.

If I got inked, it would almost certainly be on the upper arm or back, as pictured. I know that the bright color in photos of tattoos is sometimes because the tattoo is very fresh, and I also know that maintaining that brightness has a lot to do with limiting sun exposure, sunscreen, regular touch-ups, etc. I just want to know: is it possible for someone with my shade of skin to get a very colorful tattoo and keep it that way with a reasonable amount of effort?

I know Metafilter "doesn't do race well." This is not a cultural question about race or identity or ethnicity, it is a scientific question about how tattoo ink appears when applied to different shades of skin. In addition, I know there are issues with tattooing over scars; that's a different can of worms, kids. Your reward for keeping discourse civil is an extra bonus NSFW colorful tattoo.

A webcam as a means for recording changes in facial appearance over time?

Anonymous — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:05:47 -0800

Using a webcam (instead of a camera) for recording changes in facial appearance over time - good or bad idea? I'm thinking about experimenting with various topical cosmetic applications and keeping a photographic record to judge what works (as well as tracking the skin effects of various food allergies, etc). I don't have a webcam; I do have a 6 mp camera which I don't use much (not a camera person).

Anyway; I'm considering spending 50-70$ for a logitech webcam to take daily facial pics - because of the relative ease in creating a daily routine, because the lighting would be consistent (as would the angle), and so on. I've never had a webcam, and it's unlikely that I'd use it much, if at all, except for this function.

Is this a foolish idea and waste of money? Should I just use the camera and approximate? Would a webcam in this price range provide good enough still photos for this purpose (ie, focus on changes in skin texture, pores, wrinkles, etc).

(I know this is a pretty superficial question, but it's been bouncing around in my head for a while and thought I'd just finally ask and see if anyone had any thoughts)

What is that facial stuff from American Psycho

Citizen Premier — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:45:04 -0800

I want to try that stuff you rub on your face and then peel off like a mask. What is it called, what does it do, and is there a cheap brand? I have flaky skin, so it would be cool if it cured that. But honestly I think it would just feel really good.

Will LED light therapy help reverse all over sun damaged skin?

Anonymous — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 06:35:33 -0800

Old sun-damaged skin all over my body--is it tilting at windmills to consider light therapy? I am older than most of you--I am 58. I used to live in Florida and I tanned a lot during my young adult years. I had always heard that sun damage was "cumlative" but I didn't really see the effects of all that tanning until last year when all my exposed skin turned wrinkly. It is kind of shocking. I feel like I only can look good now if I am covered practically head to toe. My hands are the worst, but the problem is everywhere on all exposed skin. My skin looks about 10-15 years older than I am...and I am serious that it accelerated during last year. I don't have a lot of money, but if there was any value in trying light therapy I would. In attempting to do an online search for correcting sun damage there are mountains of products and "advice" that I can't begin to determine as scam or hype. How can I find out the success rate on something like this?
http://www.light-therapy-led.com/products.htm

Recommend a professional skin care brand?

pinkbungalow — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 05:46:40 -0800

What is your favorite professional skin care line? I'm opening a studio where we will offer skin care services. I have been searching and researching and trying different lines. I am ruling out Dermalogica. What has worked for you? Nice smelling, organic, all that would be great but it has to be a line that can produce good results for my clients. I've already selected PCA, but I'd like to find another that may be a notch down in price points. I can't recommend something I don't believe in, so I'd love any suggestions.

Acne scar treatment (in Vancouver, BC)

lmm — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:55:43 -0800

Could anyone recommend a dermatologist near Vancouver, BC to deal with dense acne scarring? If you could share some first or second hand experiences of the treatment, that would be awesome too. I'm asking for someone else. I too have acne scarring from my teens on my back, but it isn't that bad (or at least I don't think so).

His however is located almost entirely on the back of his upper arms and is densely packed and dark. He says it's gotten worse over the past few years, and is looking to get the scars removed or at least lightened considerably.

A place in Maple Ridge he's talked to is asking for a $250 consultation fee which can be applied towards whatever treatment/procedure he takes up with them. I'm not sure what to think about that.

Could anyone share recommendations? Success/horror stories? (And a minor question: what sort of cost is he looking at?) Any input is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

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.

Protect that laptop. Protect that stylish image.

brenton — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:46:48 -0800

Where can I find a laptop skin for my Inspiron 1318 for less than $20? I want something to stick on my 13.3 inch laptop to give it an extra level of protection and style. I've seen lots of websites, and some incredible designs, I love this one and this one but unfortunately they're like $30. Additionally, they don't seem to specify that they're compatible with my Dell Inspiron 1318.

Has anybody seen any other good laptop skin websites out there that won't break the bank? Bonus points for sites that explicitly state exact size proportions, or specific model compatibility.

Skin behind nail receding, revealing where nails come from. Help!

toekneebullard — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:45:08 -0800

The cuticle of only one of my fingers has disappeared. It seems to be receding backwards. I've noticed this over time, but today I looked down and I can actually see the back end of my fingernail. What is going on? OK, I have not had any injuries to this nail at all. The skin behind the nail is not irritated or painful in anyway. It WOULD look like a regular old finger, if the skin just wasn't so far back on the nail.

About a week or so ago I looked at it and was a little disturbed by the fact that I didn't have a cuticle, and the skin was unusually far back, but then I forgot about it. But now it's freakishly far back.

This is only on one nail. All the rest have fine looking cuticles.

Here's a picture (it's not as gruesome as it sounds, just kinda scary looking)
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff141/toekneebullard/finger.jpg

Anyone have any idea what this is? My Google-Fu must be weak, as everything I can find doesn't describe this, or it's from after an injury.

Boil Remedy in Japan?

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:36:14 -0800

Help! I'm in Japan, and I have a painful boil on my back from several weeks of carrying around a heavy backpack. I used this and Neosporin a few years ago in a similar situation in the US, but I don't know what to look for at a drugstore here. Any ideas? (I can speak only a tiny bit of Japanese, but I can read Katakana, in case that might help)

Psoriasis advice

longsleeves — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:27:29 -0800

I have psoriasis and wonder what treatments work if you or someone you know also has it and what your experience has been. My father has plaque psoriasis and over the last eighteen months or so I have begun to develop it. I had a quick initial onset on my scalp and upper chest, which has since slowly expanded in area affected. A local dermatologist I finally consulted two weeks ago prescibed Derma-Smooth/FS, a suspension of fluocinolone acetonide in purified peanut and mineral oil. I have used the stuff and it has resulted in some clearing of the affected areas but the lesions are persistent and less noticable but no smaller, even thogh the doctor said the would begin to go away. He mentioned some other treatment that he woud use after the fluocinolone did its work.

Dad had a case that was very bad, progressing to that point that it affected large areas of his skin. He spent two weeks at a clinic in another state (The Cleveland Clinic?) for some sort of intensive treatment that failed. The concern as I understand it was that psoriasis in its more extreme manifestaions can result in skin cells replicating so fast that the body's temperature is raised by the accelerated metabolism to dangerous fevers.

Eventually Dad's psoriasis was controlled with methotrexate, which is more commonly employed as part of anti-cancer chemotherapy treatments due to its slowing of cell division. He had to get a liver biopsy before they started using it and subsequent biopsies to check for liver damage.

It worked, and the dosage was decreased over time to minimal levels to maintain the "remission."

The Dermatologist's staff had me fill out a form describing why I was consulting the doctor. By the time the doctor breezed into the examining room I was waiting in, one of about four he has, he already had his prescription pad out. From his seat abot five feet away he glanced at the red patches on my upper forehead near my hairline and said the scalp oil he was prescribing would control the codition. He didn't look at my chest and he spent less than five minutes with me.

I have a follow-up appointmet with this doctor in a few weeks. I did not remember to ask him about arthritis as part of the aouto-immune symptoms associated with psoriasis. My knees hurt.

I understand that immune suppresant chemicals are used sometimes to treat my condition, and well damn, that sounds scary.

Should I consult a rheumetologist on my own?

Any thoughts you may have or experiences you could relate awould be welcome.

Oily skin, Help!!

1Ariel1 — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:33:28 -0800

What makeup primer is good for oily/acne-prone skin? My forehead and nose seem to be oily within 3 hours after putting on makeup, it is very irritating. I have used blotting sheets in the past and actually think it makes the problem worse. The more I blotted the more oil that was produced. I started taking fish oil pills and that helped alot in the beginning but now slowly my oily skin is returning. I am also very acne-prone, most of my pimples are all concentrated on my forehead. Any other suggestions would be great!! Thanks.