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Halloween: some precautions to protect skin and eyes

25 February 20246 January 2024 by clemente.ferrara

The traditional Halloween holiday is now upon us. Everything is almost ready for Witches’ Night next October 31. Various venues have organized parties and scary masquerade parties and the little ones are getting ready to knock on doorbells to the sound of “trick or treat?” Behind this frightening yet fun holiday, however, lie quite a few dangers to the health of our bodies, especially our skin and eyes.

Watch out for the eyes

Some of the main dangers that can arise as a result of the various bizarre disguises and whimsical masks concerns the very health of our eyes. In fact, it is common during this holiday to wear colored, fluorescent contact lenses to give one’s disguise an even creepier look. In this regard, the call of the Association of Optometrists birtannica, which, through its experts, stresses the danger of these accessories, is very important. Very often contact lenses are bought on the Internet or in small gift stores and are of poor quality and therefore dangerous. This is also compounded by the lack of care given to the lenses, even if they are of good quality. In fact, it happens that we share them with other people, keep them for too long or even store them in tap water-all actions that can lead to negative consequences for our eyes to the point of even causing permanent vision problems.

“I treat patients with problems caused by lenses every year,” Badrul Hussain, an optometrist at Moorfields Eye Hospital, for example, tells the BBC-even children under 16. Not knowing the basics of contact lens wear can facilitate the risk of developing even permanent problems.”

A danger to the skin as well

Another warning comes from some U.S. agencies, including the CdC, which recommends paying special attention to the quality of cosmetics used to make disguises. It is recommended that these products be tried first on a small portion of the skin to check for allergies or any other discomfort or irritation. Also very important is to remove makeup completely before going to bed.

Another danger is the costumes themselves, especially for younger children. In fact, all disguises should be fireproof and contain no dyes that could harm health. Finally, for children who plan to knock on doors to ask for treats, it is not recommended to accept unpackaged and homemade products from strangers and to avoid eating too many sweets and thus taking in too much sugar and calories. “Parents of very young children also,” the Cdc statement further reads, “should remove any choking hazard treats, from chewing gum to hard candy to any small toys that may have been placed in the bags.

Skin, let’s treat it with care

18 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

The skin is our largest organ and the body’s first line of defense against viruses, bacteria, chemicals, pollution and environmental factors. It performs essential functions such as regulation of body temperature and sensation, regeneration and storage of nutrients in its cells that migrate into the blood vessels when needed.

Products and treatments are certainly helpful in keeping it in good condition, but what really preserves and supports its structure, health and optimal function are the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients we can provide through the foods we consume.

The most important micronutrients for healthy skin are antioxidants found in fruits, vegetables, and raw cocoa, and are part of it in addition to bioflavonoids, vitamins A, C, E, and minerals such as selenium. But for our skin also needs B vitamins, zinc, copper, silica not to forget essential fatty acids and sources of protein and vitamin D that we get from exposure to sunlight (of course not prolonged).

Antioxidant compounds help reduce the effects of environmental damage caused by sun exposure and pollution by protecting the skin from free radicals, unstable molecules that can damage cells and accelerate the appearance of signs of aging.

Be sure to enrich your diet with sources of vitamin A and carotenoids found in carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, green leafy vegetables, red peppers, tomatoes, apricots, mangoes and peaches. Vitamin A can slow skin cell turnover and increase collagen deposition, slowing its depletion associated with aging.

Vitamin C in which peppers, kiwis, strawberries, oranges, papaya, broccoli, tomatoes, peas, and cabbage are rich is known to be a powerful antioxidant that not only protects the skin from free radical damage, but is also necessary for the collagen production, a structural protein that, together with elastin and keratin, gives the skin structure and elasticity.

Almonds, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, spinach, avocados, sweet potatoes, wheat germ and green leafy vegetables, on the other hand, are sources of vitamin E, another essential nutrient for producing collagen because it acts together with vitamin C to stimulate its formation. It is also one of the main antioxidants in the skin and protects cell membranes from damage from UV rays and environmental toxins.

And another of the important antioxidants is selenium, found in brazil nuts, wheat germ, bran, brewer’s yeast, onions, and broccoli, which helps maintain skin elasticity.

Whole grains, dried fruits, oilseeds, and leafy green vegetables are all sources of B vitamins, which are crucial in fighting free radicals. B2 is very useful in dry skin, B3 stimulates collagen synthesis, helping to keep the skin hydrated and elastic, B6 regulates sebum production, and B5 and B8 are essential for skin hydration.

And some of the minerals such as zinc, copper, and silica are necessary for cell renewal, formation of skin structure, and nourishment and protection of skin cells. Legumes, whole grains, cocoa, miso, nutritional yeast, broccoli, and green beans are sources of zinc while copper can be found in sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, cashews, mushrooms, tempeh, chickpeas, lentils, walnuts, and green leafy vegetables. In contrast, bananas, oats, leeks, green beans, wheat, and brown rice are sources of silica.

One of the main components of cell membranes are essential fatty acids that keep them elastic and hydrated, reducing dryness and leaving the skin looking smoother and plumped. Chia and flax seeds, walnuts, green leafy vegetables, hemp seeds, algae and vegetable oils are rich in it. And don’t forget to include plant sources of protein in your meals such as legumes, nuts, seeds, seaweed, green leafy vegetables and whole grains. The major structural proteins in hair, skin, and nails such as collagen, elastin, and keratin all contain different combinations of amino acids, and some of these are essential, which means they must be obtained from the diet because our bodies cannot self-produce them.

All these foods that are sources of nutrients for our skin as well as being eaten with gusto can be used for DIY beauty treatments. You can make a face mask by mixing avocado pulp, cocoa powder and turmeric or papaya pulp, coconut yogurt and turmeric to moisturize, soften and make the skin glow. Create a body scrub with ground oats, olive oil and sugar or ground coffee, cocoa powder and coconut oil to give softness. And for hair care, massage in a couple of tablespoons of coconut or avocado oil, leaving overnight, then rinsing in the morning with shampoo.

Source: Crudostyle

What does the sun really do to the skin?

16 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

by Rosanna Feroldi

That the much-loved tan is not a sign of health as it has long (and perhaps still) been perceived by most, but merely the skin’s defensive reaction to the damage inflicted by the sun’s rays should be clear to everyone by now. But how informed are you really about the risks you are putting your skin (and your health in general) at when you expose yourself to ultraviolet rays (UVA and UVB), natural or artificial, without having taken the necessary precautions? Test your knowledge with
this quiz
. Most importantly, remember to always use high-quality sunscreens that are appropriate for your phototype.

Taking care of the skin at the table

16 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

Contrary to what the manufacturers of very expensive moisturizing, nourishing, toning, anti-wrinkle fluids, elixirs and creams, etc., would have us believe, the health and beauty of the skin depends only to a small extent on what we can apply to its surface and a great deal on what happens inside the body. To hydrate it, one must above all drink plenty of water. To nourish it, one must take in polyunsaturated fats and other useful lipids found in fish and nuts. To protect it from aging, you need the right amount of vitamins and minerals, of which fresh fruits and vegetables abound. Here is a
list of foods
to take every day to care for the skin “from the inside out.”

Diagnose and treat skin diseases without incising it, new technology from Canada

16 February 20246 January 2024 by Renato Torlaschi

Researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, have developed a very special microscope that has the potential ability to diagnose diseases such as skin cancer and perform extremely precise surgeries, all without incising the epidermis.

“Our technology,” explained Yimei Huang, one of the authors of the study, published in Science Advances – allows us to rapidly scan tissues, and when we see a suspicious or abnormal cell structure, we can perform ultra-precise surgery and selectively treat the unwanted or diseased structure within the tissue, without cutting the skin.”

The device is a type of multiphoton excitation microscope that allows imaging of living tissue down to about one millimeter depth using an ultrafast infrared laser beam. What distinguishes the microscope from previous technology is that it can not only digitize living tissue, but also treat it by intensifying the heat produced by the laser.

The researchers wanted to make the multiphoton microscope technology more versatile while increasing its accuracy, being able to identify what is happening under the skin from different angles.

When applied to the treatment of skin diseases, the microscope enables doctors to pinpoint the exact location of the abnormality, diagnose it and treat it immediately. It could be used to treat any structure in the body that is reached by light and requires extremely precise treatment, including nerves or blood vessels in the skin, eyes, brain, or other vital structures.

“We are able to change the path of blood vessels without affecting any of the surrounding vessels or tissues,” said Harvey Lui, another author of the study and a professor in the Department of Dermatology and Skin Sciences at the University of British Columbia – For diagnosing and analyzing diseases such as skin cancer, this could be revolutionary.”

Huang Y, Wu Z, Lui H et al. Precise closure of single blood vessels via multiphoton absorption-based photothermolysis. Sci Adv. 2019 May 15;5(5):eaan9388.

Rubbing the skin increases the risk of food allergies

17 February 20246 January 2024 by rosanna.feroldi

Logic would dictate that what triggers food allergies. was the simple ingestion of a food containing substances (usually, proteins, peptides or particular sugars) toward which the individual immune system reacts abnormally, recognizing them as potentially dangerous and activating a whole series of defense mechanisms to try to eliminate them from the body or, at least, to neutralize their action (in fact, in itself completely harmless).

In fact, when a food to which one is allergic is ingested, the immune system initiates reactive processes such as the synthesis of histamine (on which depend the onset of oozing, red patches, rashes of various types, swelling and itching in various parts of the body) and the production of immunoglobulin E (IgE, which trigger and sustain the allergic response in various organs and tissues), to the point of triggering, in the most severe cases (fortunately rare), an anaphylactic reaction, characterized by skin reactions, bronchoconstriction, angioedema (especially in the face and throat), hypotension, and anaphylactic shock with possible onset of coma, sometimes fatal.

A study recently conducted in animal models (specifically, mice) has, however, indicated thatfood allergy could be linked to or, at the very least, be made more likely not only by the ingestion of certain foods, but also by stresses on the skin, such as those typical of scratching.

In particular, it has been observed that by mimicking scratching through the application and tearing of patches from the skin of mice, it is possible to trigger/increase intestinal reactivity to food allergens on the part of the animals, making them more likely to go through the typical symptoms already mentioned after ingesting food that is in itself completely harmless.

At the origin of this effect there would be a molecular link between the skin and the intestinal epithelium: repeated skin rubbing would trigger the release of a substance called interleukin 33 (IL-33), which, together with IL-25 produced by particular cells of the intestinal epithelium (tuft cells or “tuft cells”), would go on to stimulate a subset of immune system cells called innate lymphoid cell type 2 (ILC2) cells. The latter, through the release of IL-4, would stimulate other cells of the immune system called mast cells, which, in turn, would release mediators capable of increasing intestinal permeability to food allergens and, therefore, their absorption, resulting in an increased risk of leading to systemic allergic reactions and anaphylaxis.

If this initial evidence is confirmed in humans, the newly identified allergic communication and elicitation mechanism could explain why those with atopic dermatitis (a condition associated with skin discomfort and a tendency to repeated scratching) are more likely to also develop food allergies.

Source

J-M Leyva-Castillo, C Galand, et al. Mechanical skin injury promotes food anaphylaxis by driving intestinal mast cell expansion. Immunity 2019; doi:10.1016/j.immuni.2019.03.023 (https://www.cell.com/immunity/fulltext/S1074-7613(19)30140-2)

Skin: the signs not to underestimate

15 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

If it is true that the eyes are the mirror of the soul, the skin is the mirror of the body’s state of health. For this reason, any spot, rash, dryness, discomfort, or itching of some significance that occurs for the first time without a known cause should be brought to the attention of the physician and, if necessary, treated in the manner that will be indicated. A medical examination of minutes makes it possible to initiate early in-depth investigations and therapies that help avoid unfavorable developments of a serious disease (as in the case of melanoma), suffering more than necessary (as in the case of shingles, skin herpes, or a wart), or transmitting the same disease to other people (as in the case of contagious mycoses). Here are the main skin signs that should prompt a consultation .

Swimming in the ocean alters the skin microbiome, the risk is infections

15 February 20246 January 2024 by Renato Torlaschi

Swimming in the ocean alters the microbiome skin and may increase the likelihood of infection, according to research presented at ASM Microbe 2019, the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.

“Our data,” said Marisa Chattman Nielsen, a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Irvine, and lead author of the study, “are very good. demonstrate for the first time that exposure to ocean water can alter the diversity and composition of the human skin microbiome. We have observed that while swimming, normally resident bacteria are washed away while ocean bacteria are deposited on the skin.”

The researchers found the ocean bacteria on all study participants immediately after swimming and air-drying their bodies, but also after six hours and even after one day; however, there were differences and some acquired more ocean bacteria than others or retained them longer.

This is not just curious news, because previous studies had already shown associations between ocean swimming and infections, and many U.S. beaches bordering the Pacific Ocean are washed by poor-quality water due to sewage runoff and rainwater. Recent research has shown that changes in the microbiome can increase susceptibility to infection and influence disease states. Exposure to these waters can cause gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases, ear and skin infections.

The research was conducted on nine volunteers without sunscreen, who had previously been exposed only sporadically to ocean waters, who had not bathed in the past 12 hours, and who had not taken antibiotics in the previous six months.

The most frequently detected ocean bacteria include those of the genus Vibrio; the researchers did not specify the species found, but Nielsen said, “Many Vibrio are not pathogenic, but our research shows that pathogenic species could potentially persist on the skin after swimming.”

Indeed, the fraction of Vibrio detected on human skin was more than 10 times higher than that found in ocean water samples, suggesting a specific affinity that determines its attachment to human skin.

ASM Microbe is the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, which This year it was held from June 20 to 24 in San Francisco, California.

Vitamin E: which are the benefits?

7 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

Vitamin E protects us and keeps our skin, hair and nails healthy. We probably take enough, but if it falls short of what is needed, it can put us in danger.

The benefits of retinoids against time

4 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

Retinoids are used to limit the effects of skin aging, in psoriasis and other dermatological conditions. They stimulate the production of collagen, the protein that keeps skin elastic. Here’s what you need to know.