The Skin: Our Most Complex Organ System?

Did you know that there is an organ system in our bodies that we often tend to neglect and yet it probably is the most complex organ system that we as human beings possess? Have you guessed it? Yes, it's the skin that covers your body and here are some of the more amazing facts that scientists have discovered about how your skin functions, and the many skin diseases that can affect us:

Getting (Drugs) Under Your Skin: Using Ultrasound Waves, Researchers Boost Skin's Permeability to Drugs

ScienceDaily (Sep. 14, 2012) — Using ultrasound waves, MIT engineers have found a way to enhance the permeability of skin to drugs, making transdermal drug delivery more efficient. This technology could pave the way for noninvasive drug delivery or needle-free vaccinations, according to the researchers.

Noninvasive drug delivery

Such a system could be used to deliver any type of drug that is currently given by capsule, potentially increasing the dosage that can be administered. It could also be used to deliver drugs for skin conditions such as acne or psoriasis, or to enhance the activity of transdermal patches already in use, such as nicotine patches...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120914133135.htm

What most folks seem to forget is that our skin is actually a fully functional organ system and it's much more complex than most of us could ever have imagined. Our skin is also responsible for the sensation of touch that we feel and for distinguishing between hot and cold, sharp or blunt and it also determines how we feel pain. Here is a very interesting article on itching and how our bodies react when we scratch an itch:

All Itches Are Not Equal

New research from Gil Yosipovitch, M.D., Ph.D., professor of dermatology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and a world-renowned itch expert, shows that how good scratching an itch feels is related to the itch's location.

While previous studies by Yosipovitch have shown the pleasurability of itching, analysis of itch relief at different body sites and related pleasurability had not been performed until now. The study was published online this month by the British Journal of Dermatology. Read on here...

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. (2012, January 31). "All Itches Are Not Equal." Medical News Today. Retrieved from
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240919.php

Skin diseases are also often the cause of itching so healthy skin as well as diseases of the skin can cause severe itching. Here is some good information about the causes of a rather embarrassing skin condition called anal itching:

What is anal itching?

Anal itching is the irritation of the skin at the exit of the rectum, known as the anus, accompanied by the desire to scratch. Although itching may be a reaction to chemicals in the stool, it often implies that there is inflammation of the anal area. The intensity of anal itching and the amount of inflammation increases from the direct trauma of scratching and the presence of moisture. At its most intense, anal itching causes intolerable discomfort that often is described as burning and soreness.

What causes anal itching?

Anal itching can be caused by irritating chemicals in the foods we eat, such as are found in spices, hot sauces, and peppers. Anal itching also can be caused by the irritation of continuous moisture in the anus caused by frequent liquid stools, diarrhea, or escape of small amounts of stool (incontinence). Moisture increases the possibility of infections of the anus, especially yeast, particularly in patients with diabetes mellitus or HIV.
Go here for more info:

http://www.medicinenet.com/anal_itching/article.htm

Types Of Skin Diseases

Here's a great video on skin itching:



 

JAY W. MARKS, MD

All About Warts

Warts have been around throughout the history of mankind. We accept them as part of our lives and as an irritating skin condition that can affect all of us at least once in our lifetimes. But what do we really know about these skin lesions? What causes them? And can they be effectively treated and eradicated?

There are many misconceptions about this skin condition. For example, how often have you heard someone say that you can get warts from touching a toad or a frog? Sound familiar? Very few folks out there realize that these ugly skin growths are actually caused by a slow growing virus called the HPV virus or Human Papilloma Virus. But read on below to see what the experts on this subject have to say.....

Warts Overview

Warts are small harmless tumors of the skin caused by a virus called the human papillomavirus. The appearance of warts can differ based on the type of wart and where it is located on the body. Most warts are well defined, with skin thickening. Very few go on to develop hyperplasia or malignancy (found most often with genital warts). The focus of this article is nongenital warts; when people want information about "warts," most commonly they mean nongenital warts.

Warts are common in children. Most cases occur between ages 12-16 years.
Up to 30% of warts disappear by themselves within six months. Most will disappear without any treatment within three years.

Wart Causes

Warts are caused by the DNA-containing human papillomavirus (HPV). There are at least 100 genetically different types of HPVs.

• The virus enters the skin after direct contact with recently shed viruses kept alive in warm, moist environments such as a locker room, or by direct contact with an infected person. The entry site is often an area of recent injury. The incubation time (from when the virus is contracted until a wart appears) can be one to eight months.


• Contrary to popular mythology, touching a frog will not give a person warts.

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/warts/article_em.htm

Understanding warts is one side of the story - but how can they be effectively treated? And are the treatments out there only temporary solutions or is there a permanent cure for this embarrassing skin disease. Here is some good advice from the world of medical science:

Warts: Should I Treat Warts?

Warts are usually harmless. In most cases, they go away on their own within months or years. But if they spread or cause pain, or if you don't like the way they look, you may want to treat them.

There are several ways to treat warts. For example, you can:

• Use a home treatment to soften and remove the layers of the skin that form the wart. These treatments include salicylic acid (such as Compound W and Occlusal) or tape occlusion (such as duct tape). You don't need a prescription to use these products.


• Freeze the wart with a very cold liquid that can kill the virus. This is called cryotherapy. You can first try an over-the-counter medicine to freeze your wart. Or you can have your doctor freeze it for you.


• Use a prescription medicine to stop the wart's growth, including retinoid (such as Retin-A and Avita). You can use the medicine at home, but you need a prescription. Retinoid is more commonly used to treat acne and aging skin. But it's sometimes used to treat warts.


• Have surgery that uses an intense beam (laser surgery) or an electrical current (electrosurgery) to burn off the wart. Or you can have the wart cut out (curettage).

http://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/aa5667

One treatment that has been available for many years is to treat warts with salicylic acid. This is a solution that can be applied to the surface of a wart and it slowly penetrates the wart and destroys the HPV virus and the wart lesion itself. The wart then shrivels up and can fall off or be easily removed. Salicylic acid treatments are also available for home use or as home remedies:

Click Here For Home Wart Remedies





And speaking of HPV and warts, here is an educational video with good info:



CHARLES PATRICK DAVIS