Title: Tween: Child Development
Category: Health and Living
Created: 11/18/2009 10:41:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 11/18/2009 10:41:12 AM

J Indian Med Assoc. 2009 Apr; 107(4): 219-22
Biswas S, Mondal KK, Dutta RN, Sarkar DK

A randomised study was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of four topical medications individually and in combination to treat grade I acne vulgaris which is characterised by mild lesions (< 10 in one side of face) consisting of predominantly comedones with occasional pustules in oily skin. Maintaining the inclusion and exclusion criteria 100 patients were selected and divided into 5 groups to receive different topical drugs at random basis in the dermatology OPD. Topical medication given to them is mentioned below against each group: Group I–retinonic acid, group II–benzoyl peroxide, group III–clindamycin, group IV–cleanser and group V–all the four medications. The patients were observed for reduction in number of comedones, suppression of papulopustules with healing rate, effects on facial skin, and rate of recurrence. Results were observed according to the groups. In group I old acne was reduced in size and gradually cleared off (80%). Recurrence was few with appearance of new microcomedones which were cleared off within short time. Skin became smoother and fresh. Texture became lighter in colour. In group II whiteheads were reduced at about 70% in number. Rate of recurrence was normal. Skin became rough and dry. In group III pustular acne healed better and faster. In group IV acne of oily skin healed better and faster. Rate of recurrence was normal. Skin became fresh and oil-free. In group V reduction of lesions was very much significant (90%) with quick healing rate of the comedones. Recurrence was normal but delayed. Skin became smoother, finer and fresher. So, combination therapy is better. Cleanser is always helpful even without medications.

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Keep your young looking skin

Anti aging skin cream products are commonplace in health and beauty suppliers, drug stores, department stores, supermarkets, even state fairs and booths at the local farmers market. They are comprised of active and inactive ingredients that are combined into a form that is meant to be appealing to the consumer in look, feel, aroma, and effectiveness. Active ingredients comprise a small percentage of the overall chemical makeup but they are the engines that “make it go” to improve your skin. Inert ingredients might include scents and colorings to make the treatment more appealing while being applied.

Many of the most popular product lines feature an anti aging formula. These are engineered to rejuvenate or regenerate a person’s skin to look more smooth and youthful. Though primarily targeted towards women, age defying skin care products for men are also gaining a niche in the cosmetics market.

A typical active ingredient in an anti aging skin cream is some type of an exfoliate, a compound that helps remove dead cells from the surface of the skin through either chemical or mechanical means. Skin cells are naturally shed approximately once per month, but as you age your skin becomes less resilient and surface cells are damaged more easily by environmental factors such as sunlight. These damaged cells stay on the skin during until they are replaced. While present, damaged cells emphasize the skin’s imperfections and give an overall dullness to your skin tone.

Skin care products that contain exfoliates as part of their anti aging formula can include scrubs, moisturizers, peels, masks, washes, soaps, and exfoliating pads. Gentle products designed for use on the face make up the majority of the exfoliate market. “Rougher” exfoliating products also exist for use on less sensitive areas of your body, such as hands, elbows, feet, etc.

Too much of any good thing can be a bad thing, and this is no less true for your skin care. Overly frequent or harsh treatment can damage your epidermis and lead to soreness, acne, or possibly an allergic reaction. Read the label of any product for recommended use and then follow the directions. Also be sure to check the ingredient list for items that you know may cause you to react adversely.

Anti wrinkle creams are another form of skin care product aimed at giving you a more youthful appearance. While not a “face lift in a bottle” the anti aging formula found in many of these recipes can visibly lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on your skin. Retinol, hydroxyl acids, and tea extracts are common ingredient choices for promoting smoother skin.

Some skin care treatments are only readily available through a dermatologist. Microderm abrasion, where your skin is effectively sandblasted with fine particles, is a popular intensive treatment that is usually not performed at home. But there are many other types of products to choose, like a pumpkin papaya face mask or a moisturizing anti aging skin cream, that don’t require the talents of a cosmetic professional, only a willing consumer.

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Title: Stem Cells May Be Used as Skin Grafts
Category: Health News
Created: 11/20/2009 11:01:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 11/20/2009 11:01:19 AM

Zhongguo Ji Sheng Chong Xue Yu Ji Sheng Chong Bing Za Zhi. 2009 Jun; 27(3): 271-3
Cao YS, You QX, Wang L, Lan HB, Xu J, Zhang XH, Yang H, Xiong YJ, Tian XF

A survey indicated that the prevalence of Demodex infection among 512 college students in Tangshan was 36.3% (186/512), that of males and females was 39.3% (81/206) and 34.3% (105/306) respectively (P>0.05). The infection of Demodex folliculorum accounted for 82.3% (153/186), followed by D. brevis (7.5%, 14/186) and mixed infection (10.2%, 19/186). The prevalence was 47.0% (93/198) in subjects with oily skin, 26.6% (37/139) in those with dry skin, and 33.9% (56/165) in mixed-type skin (P<0.05). Subjects with facial diseases (62.0%, 75/121), such as rosacea and acne, were more likely to be infected with Demodex than those with healthy skin (27.6%, 80/290) (P<0.05). Prevalence in those lived in humid environment (67.9%, 95/140) was higher than those lived in the desiceating environment (24.5%, 91/372) (P<0.05).

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Keep your young looking skin

Anti aging skin cream products are commonplace in health and beauty suppliers, drug stores, department stores, supermarkets, even state fairs and booths at the local farmers market. They are comprised of active and inactive ingredients that are combined into a form that is meant to be appealing to the consumer in look, feel, aroma, and effectiveness. Active ingredients comprise a small percentage of the overall chemical makeup but they are the engines that “make it go” to improve your skin. Inert ingredients might include scents and colorings to make the treatment more appealing while being applied.

Many of the most popular product lines feature an anti aging formula. These are engineered to rejuvenate or regenerate a person’s skin to look more smooth and youthful. Though primarily targeted towards women, age defying skin care products for men are also gaining a niche in the cosmetics market.

A typical active ingredient in an anti aging skin cream is some type of an exfoliate, a compound that helps remove dead cells from the surface of the skin through either chemical or mechanical means. Skin cells are naturally shed approximately once per month, but as you age your skin becomes less resilient and surface cells are damaged more easily by environmental factors such as sunlight. These damaged cells stay on the skin during until they are replaced. While present, damaged cells emphasize the skin’s imperfections and give an overall dullness to your skin tone.

Skin care products that contain exfoliates as part of their anti aging formula can include scrubs, moisturizers, peels, masks, washes, soaps, and exfoliating pads. Gentle products designed for use on the face make up the majority of the exfoliate market. “Rougher” exfoliating products also exist for use on less sensitive areas of your body, such as hands, elbows, feet, etc.

Too much of any good thing can be a bad thing, and this is no less true for your skin care. Overly frequent or harsh treatment can damage your epidermis and lead to soreness, acne, or possibly an allergic reaction. Read the label of any product for recommended use and then follow the directions. Also be sure to check the ingredient list for items that you know may cause you to react adversely.

Anti wrinkle creams are another form of skin care product aimed at giving you a more youthful appearance. While not a “face lift in a bottle” the anti aging formula found in many of these recipes can visibly lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on your skin. Retinol, hydroxyl acids, and tea extracts are common ingredient choices for promoting smoother skin.

Some skin care treatments are only readily available through a dermatologist. Microderm abrasion, where your skin is effectively sandblasted with fine particles, is a popular intensive treatment that is usually not performed at home. But there are many other types of products to choose, like a pumpkin papaya face mask or a moisturizing anti aging skin cream, that don’t require the talents of a cosmetic professional, only a willing consumer.

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Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol. 2008 May; 30(4): 277-85
Ali J, Akhtar N, Sultana Y, Baboota S, Ahuja A

The aim of this study was to investigate and evaluate a microemulsion gel-based system of babchi oil (Psoralea corylifolia) for the treatment of psoriasis, which could provide improved permeation of the drug through the skin and increased patient compliance. Babchi oil is used because its chief constituent psoralen is a photoactive furocoumarin that binds to DNA when exposed to UV light to form photoproducts with pyrimidine base. This action inhibits DNA synthesis and causes decrease in cell proliferation. Moreover, babchi oil, in addition to providing psoralen, also acts as an oily phase for microemulsion system. The presence of surfactant and cosurfactant increases the permeation. On the basis of qualitative and quantitative estimation of all eight brands of babchi oil, Bakuchi Tail was selected for microemulsion formulation. Microemulsions were prepared by aqueous phase-titration method. Pseudoternary phase diagrams were constructed for the identification of microemulsion existence zones. Prepared microemulsions were subjected to different thermodynamic stability tests and characterized for droplet size, viscosity and refractive index. In vitro skin permeation of babchi oil through rat abdominal skin was determined by the Franz diffusion cell. The in vitro skin permeation profile of formulation F2, which consisted of 1.67% v/v of babchi oil, 8.33% v/v of oleic acid, S(mix) 55% v/v of Tween 80 Transcutol-P (S/Co ratio 1:1) and 35% v/v of distilled water, was significant when compared with other microemulsion formulations (p < 0.05). Formulation F2 was converted into microemulsion gel by adding 1% Carbopol-940 and coded as MGF2. Formulation MGF2 was selected for its in vivo antiinflammatory effects determined by footpad edema. The results suggested that microemulsion gel is a potential vehicle for improved topical delivery of psoralen and that microemulsion gels are potential vehicles for improved topical delivery of babchi oil.

J Zhejiang Univ Sci B. 2009 Jan; 10(1): 57-66
Wang YN, Fang H, Zhu WF

OBJECTIVE: To investigate cutaneous aging patterns of residents in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, and their contributing factors. METHODS: Eight hundred and forty-eight Hangzhou residents received the survey between March 2004 and September 2004. RESULTS: Facial wrinkling first occurred at 21 years of age and skin elasticity began to lose at 22 years of age. In middle-aged and old people, facial wrinkling and looseness escalated with the increase of ultraviolet (UV)-exposure time, indicating the accelerating effect of a higher accumulative dose of UV radiation on skin aging. Only Fitzpatrick types II, III and IV were found in the skin phototypes of residents in Hangzhou area, and Fitzpatrick type II seemed to be much more subject to severe wrinkling, elasticity destruction and skin tumors than types III and IV. The oily skin was more protected against wrinkling and facial looseness than dry skin. However, as to concomitant cutaneous diseases, no difference was found among different skin types. CONCLUSION: Age, solar-exposure time, Fitzpatrick type and skin type are the associated forces in promoting skin aging, and emotional factor seems to be another independent risk factor. The age of 49 years and 2 h/d of solar-exposure time seem to be the turning points responsible for dramatic changes of cutaneous appearance in the process of skin aging in Southeast China.

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Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Apr; 89(4): 1246-55
Hughes MC, Williams GM, Fourtanier A, Green AC

BACKGROUND: Actinic keratoses (AKs) are premalignant actinic tumors of the skin. Evaluation of the role of diet in their development is lacking. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to determine whether intake of certain food groups or dietary patterns retard the occurrence of AKs over a 4.5-y period. DESIGN: In a community-based study of skin cancer in Queensland, Australia, food intake of 1119 adults was assessed in 1992, 1994, and 1996 by using a validated food-frequency questionnaire. Dermatologists counted prevalent AKs during full-body skin examinations in 1992 and 1996. The relative ratio (RR) of AK counts in 1996 relative to 1992 was compared across increasing intakes of 26 food groups, and for 3 dietary patterns identified by principal components analysis, with the use of generalized linear models with negative binomial distribution, allowing for repeated measures. All analyses were adjusted for confounding factors, including skin color and sun exposure indexes. RESULTS: AK acquisition decreased by 28% (RR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.55, 0.95) among the highest consumers of oily fish (average of one serving every 5 d) compared with those with minimal intake. Similarly, the rate of acquisition of AKs was reduced by 27% (RR: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.54, 0.99) in those with the highest consumption of wine (average of half a glass a day in this study population). There was no consistent association of dietary pattern with AK acquisition. CONCLUSION: Moderate intake of oily fish and of wine may decrease the acquisition of AKs and thus complement sun protection measures in the control of actinic skin tumors.

J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2009 Apr; 23(4): 376-81
Misery L, Boussetta S, Nocera T, Perez-Cullell N, Taieb C

INTRODUCTION: Sensitive skin appears as a very frequent condition, but there is no comparative data between countries. OBJECTIVES: To perform an epidemiological approach to skin sensitivity in different European countries. METHODS: An opinion poll was conducted in eight European countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. This sample (4506 persons) was drawn from a representative sample of each population aged 15 years or older. RESULTS: Sensitive or very sensitive skin was declared by 38.4% and slightly or not sensitive skin by 61.6%. Women declared more sensitive skin than men. A dermatological disease was declared by 31.2% of people with very sensitive skin, 17.6% of those with sensitive skin, 8.7% of those with slightly sensitive skin and 3.7% of those who do not have sensitive skin. A history of childhood atopic dermatitis was more frequent in patients with sensitive or very sensitive skin. The interviewees who declared that they had dry or oily skin also reported significantly more frequently sensitive or very sensitive skin than those with normal skin. Sensitive and very sensitive skins were clearly more frequent in Italy and France. DISCUSSION: This study is the first study that compares skin sensitivity in European countries. Prevalence is high, but significant differences are noted between these countries. Dermatological antecedents (or treatments?) could be involved in the occurrence of skin sensitivity.

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