Acne is a very distressing problem faced by millions of people worldwide.

One of the main types of people that suffer are teenagers. as you enter puberty and evolve into adult hood, your body starts to produce the sex hormone androgen.

When your body reaches high levels of androgen, it also starts to produce sebum. sebum is the natural oil in the skin. These excessive levels of sebum reacts with the bacteria which lives on the dead skin cells and acne is produced.

It must be noted that acne affects people of all ages and its not uncommon for older people to have skin troubles

Acne is also the result of high levels of toxins in your body. These toxins could be fatty deposits that the body has not been able to dispose of. The liver, kidneys and bowels are the body’s organs for removing toxins. When they cannot remove these toxins your body releases them through your skin

Many people with spots feel uncomfortable and unhappy and they tend to pick the spots which makes the problem much worse.

It ends in a vicious cycle which prolongs the spots. When old spots start to clear up, new spots appear because of this.

To end the cycle you have to do the following things.

1) Stop picking them

Easier said that done i know, but this is the reason it may not be clearing up. Find something to do with your hands and keep your mind busy. Distraction is the key here. Keep practicing distraction techniques and consider going to see a hypnotist. They can do wonderful things for changing your mindset and your habits

2) Drink lots of water

Drinking lots of water will detox your body and clear up your skin. Water flushes out toxins, improves your emotional state, and helps you to think clearer. You should aim to drink 8-10 glasses of water per day. If you exercise your should drink more water to re-hydrate yourself

3) Do not smoke

Smoking fills your body with toxins, creates stress and restricts your blood flow around your body, all of these things will cause spots and acne.

4) Cut down on fatty foods

Fatty foods are hard to digest and will not help any acne problems. Eat a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables and as talked about in point two, you should drink lots of water.

5) Use a good skin cleanser

Good dermatologists recommend a good quality skin cleanser / scrub. This will help clear the dead skins cells away and prevent the bacteria from forming spots. Use a facial wash daily and a gentle scrub 1-2 times a week.

6) Cut down on sugar intake

Excess sugar in your diet will promote the growth of bacteria and acne. Make a list of all the foods and drinks your consume, that contain sugar, and work to reduce your intake

7) Hot Steam

Hot steam opens your skin pores and will help to remove the bacteria from your pores. You can use a special facial sauna or go to the gym and use their sauna. After cleansing you should splash your face with cold water to close your pores.

You may have used hydrocolloid dressings in your practice, but perhaps you are wondering if you have been using them correctly. The following guide will help you to decide which wounds hydrocolloids may be used on, and under what circumstances they should not be used.

Product Overview

Hydrocolloids are dressings composed of varying materials such as carboxymethylcellulose, pectin and gelatin. The substance that comprises the layer that comes in contact with the wound may be different, depending on the type of hydrocolloid dressing. What they all have in common is that they provide a moist healing environment that is conducive to autolytic debridement and the formation of granulation tissue. These dressing come in many different shapes and sizes and may be found in paste, powder and wafer form.

Indications

• Pressure ulcers
• Partial and full-thickness wounds
• Necrotic wounds or wounds with slough
• Wounds with light to moderate drainage (exudate)

Contraindications

• Wounds with heavy exudate
• Wounds containing sinus tracts
• Wounds with fragile skin surrounding the wound
• Wounds with exposed structures (i.e. bones or tendons)\

Advantages

• May be used as either a primary or a secondary dressing
• Do not allow bacteria to enter the wound
• Encourage autolytic debridement
• Variety of shapes and sizes allow you to choose one which adheres well to the wound being treated
• Slight to moderate absorptive properties
• Minimal skin trauma
• Minimal disruption of healing
• Allow wound visualization (if transparent)
• Can be used in conjunction with compression products

Disadvantages

• May leave a sticky residue on the wound edges, or may leave a residue in the wound itself
• Opaque hydrocolloids make wound assessment difficult
• Heavily draining wounds may cause dressing to become dislodged
• Occlusive nature of these dressings minimizes gas exchange between the wound and the environment
• Edges of the dressing may curl
• Can injure fragile skin when removing the dressing

At woundeducators.com, we understand that life is hectic, and keeping up to date on all the latest industry news can be difficult. This is why we have dedicated ourselves to becoming the one resource that you can turn to in order to keep you up to speed in the rapidly developing field of wound care management. If you are interested in becoming a certified wound care specialist, visit us at?WoundEducators.com to find out more about how you can advance your career, earn more money and enjoy greater job opportunities.

Source:

Hess, C. (2002). Clinical Guide: Wound Care. Fourth Edition. Springhouse, PA: Springhouse Corporation.

Doctors are only as good as their equipment allows. Today, new research into medical equipment is not only improving the effectiveness of medical procedures every day, but also changing the way we think about health and medicine. Here are 5 of the most important and promising advancements in medical equipment today.

1. Smartphone Ultrasound Imaging

With the help of a $100,000 grant from Microsoft, computer scientists at Washington University have combined USB-based ultrasound probe technology with smart phone technology. The result is a portable medical imaging device small enough to fit in your palm. One of the goals of the research team is to train people in developing countries to use the portable probe to gather patient data, which can then be sent to specialists’ half-way around the world for study and quick diagnosis.

2. New Prostate Treatment Method: Bubbles

Traditional treatment of prostate growths involves inserting a metal tool into the prostate and scraping away malignant cells lining the walls. At the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, a team of urologists have developed a more effective and less invasive method, using incredibly focused ultrasound pulses. The pulses create microscopic bubbles out of dissolved gas in prostate tissue. When these bubbles collapse, they release acoustic shock waves that, over thousands of repetitions, liquefy prostate growths. This is the first time that cavitation has been controlled well enough to be used as a tool at such microscopic level.

3. Treating Tumors with Microwaves

Liver cancer is becoming more common in the U.S. Traditional treatment involves either transplant or open surgery. But at UC San Diego’s Medical Center, a new tool is being used to remove liver tumors: microwave ablation. The procedure involves accessing the liver via a small skin incision and piercing the cancerous tumor with a thin antenna that emits microwaves at temperatures above 60 degrees Celsius, causing cellular death in the tumor usually after 10 minutes.

4. Gamma Camera

New high-resolution gamma cameras are allowing doctors to detect breast cancer more effectively than with traditional mammograms or clinical exams. This new method is called breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI). But the possible uses of gamma imaging are not limited to breast cancer only. High-resolution gamma cameras are becoming one of the most important tools for early detection of many different types of cancers.

5. First Steps toward Robotic Surgeries

Medical equipment is supposed to help human beings perform medical procedures. But the day may not be far when human hands are not needed at all during surgeries. Unassisted, robot-performed surgeries are a possibility that engineers at Duke University are working to make reality. Using a basic, tabletop robot, 3-D ultrasound technology and an artificial intelligence program, researchers were able to create a robot that could perform many basic tasks required during surgeries on its own. More research and development is needed before surgery robots become viably usable, but the first steps have been taken.