Category Archives: Uncategorized

By Liondale | May 24, 2016

Today, cellulite plagues 90% of American women – but there are tribes with women completely free of cellulite, even at age 60 with multiple children. What is cellulite, and why do some cultures have more or less of it? Is it a modern problem? Learn the history, causes, and cures for cellulite in this article:

The History of Cellulite

To this day, no historians, anthropologists, or physicians are certain of the origins of cellulite. However, there is scant evidence for it existing much before the past 150 years in a majority of the female population. Ancient medical texts, literature, and artwork all depict women with smooth skin and no blemishes.

Before the 20th-century cellulite only appeared sparsely in art depicting thick goddesses or women of high social status. Overall, the majority of women in art and photography, until recently, were cellulite free. In the 1920s, American Photographer Arthur Albert took 4,000 photographs of women of varying body types, and those images also reveal that the women of that time period had little to no cellulite.

This may incline one to believe that simply diet and exercise are the main culprits, which is candidly not the case. Overweight women of the past often were without cellulite, as seen in Arthur Albert’s photographs. Respectively, today many women of healthy weight and even athletic women often have cellulite.

What is Cellulite?

This may incline one to believe that simply diet and exercise are the main culprits, which is candidly not the case. Overweight women of the past often were without cellulite, as seen in Arthur Albert’s photographs. Respectively, today many women of healthy weight and even athletic women often have cellulite.

It is also a myth that cellulite is merely fat: we now know that cellulite is the abnormal appearance of fat cells caused by poor circulation and lymph drainage, resulting in the degeneration of connective tissues that hold fat and skin cells in the normal position.

Tribes Without Cellulite in the Modern World

There are populations that exist today with virtually no cellulite. One example is the indigenous Shipibo women of Peru, who exhibit no cellulite even past age 60 or after childbirth.

Some important differences in the lifestyles of the Shipibo and western women include lifestyle and diet. These women do not lead a sedentary lifestyle: they are active most of the day, and they eat nearly all-organic diets high in yam and yucca. Plants in the yam and yucca family contain plenty of phytoestrogens, which mimic the effects of naturally occurring estrogen in the body. Decreasing estrogen levels are known to damage the integrity of the skin, and this is how cellulite is formed; this is also why many American women experience an increase in cellulite after menopause.

Vitamins and Deficiencies

In addition, with their diverse diets, they get on average more vitamin A, C, and magnesium, which are crucial in maintaining skin health⁴. These vitamins have been studied extensively for their role in wrinkle reduction and for their anti-aging properties but are rarely studied in their effect on cellulite. This is likely due to the general lack of understanding surrounding cellulite: that cellulite is actually a result of the degeneration of connective skin tissues.¹

Additionally, these indigenous tribes’ diets are higher in vitamins due to their agriculture practices. Pesticides, monocultures, and other poor land practices used by the majority of America’s agriculture cause a decrease in the nutrients in crops and soil. Americans are deficient in many of the essential nutrients that prevent and reduce cellulite.

In fact, vitamin deficiencies in America are staggering. According to the United States Department of Agriculture:

• only 46% of the population consumes adequate levels of vitamin A
• only 51% have sufficient vitamin C intake
• Only 43% of all Americans ingest adequate levels of magnesium,⁶ which is a mineral vital to over 300 bodily functions including the collagen synthesis process⁷

Why do American women have more cellulite?

Causes of Cellulite

It is possible that the increase in meat and processed food consumption lead to diets with fewer vegetables, therefore leading to critical deficiencies as discussed above. Since 1961, meat consumption has been on the rise in Americans who consume twice as much meat as Europeans.

Worse, meat in the United States comes from animals commonly fed with hormones. Consuming this meat can cause hormone imbalances  which is another cause of cellulite. This is also why, as mentioned above, it can help to increase consumption of phytoestrogen-rich foods such as yam and yucca.

Another cause of cellulite could be due to the fact that modern agricultural practices in the United States: with the increase in pesticide use and the depletion of nutrients in the soil from poor land practices, it takes more of a particular vegetable to get the same nutritional benefits that previous generations received.

Also, nearly all food consumed by South American tribes who exhibit no cellulite is organic. Studies have proven that organic food has significantly higher levels of vitamins, particularly vitamin C and magnesium.

In conclusion, these tribes not only have a high vitamin diet due to the different organic foods they consume but also the vegetables they are consuming are of higher quality than their western counterparts through their farming practices.

Sedentary lives

Finally, Americans’ lives are far more sedentary than these indigenous tribes. The Shipibo women are physically active all day working in fields, caring for children, walking, and maintaining their households. Technology and modern appliances that help with workloads are non-existent and therefore the Shipibo women are much more active that their American counterparts.

So, proper diet and exercise are known to help prevent cellulite (though, it cannot reduce or eliminate cellulite after it has occured).

Yes: Cellulite is a Modern Problem, But One that We Can Cure

Cellulite is relatively modern medical condition, but because of this, we understand better than ever how to prevent and treat cellulite.

A few ways to start reducing cellulite on your own include:

• Increasing your vitamin A and C intake, as well as your magnesium consumption. Sweet Potatoes, red peppers, and spinach have the highest levels of vitamins A, C, and magnesium respectively
• When buying vegetables, keep in mind organic options will have significantly higher levels of beneficial vitamins
• Exercising, like diet, is always a beneficial activity. Strength training in particular that targets the legs and glutes are ideal for combating cellulite (a few exercise ideas can be found here)
• Consume more foods with phytoestrogens, such as yucca or yams
• Another important factor to check is your hormone levels. Hormone imbalances can certainly cause cellulite, but also a host of other serious symptoms including hypothyroidism, fatigue, and fibrocystic breast. Schedule a visit with your doctor to be sure your estrogen levels are where they should be

To discuss your Cellulite Chicago treatment with a Board Certified Dermatologist or a Licensed Healthcare Professional please make an online appointment or call 773-281-9200 today.

To view the source article on LIONDALE click here.

by FOX29 – PHILADELPHIA (WTXF)
Posted: Apr 28 2016 10:59PM EDT   Updated: Apr 28 2016 10:59PM EDT

We all do it. Some of us more than others.

Sweating’s a natural thing, but excessive sweating can be embarrassing and even stop you from living your life to its fullest.

Now, there’s a way to ditch your deodorants and your antiperspirants, for good.

Sweating is just part of being human, regulating your body’s temperature and keeping you cool. But, for some people it gets in the way of everyday life.

“I’ve tried everything from Drysol which is a prescription antiperspirant which really irritates the skin. It’s not so fun. It works. I’ve also tried Botox which is great and works but is temporary,” Christine Sharkey explained.

Christine has pulled out all the stops to just stop sweating.
“Once I hit puberty I felt like I always sweat a little too much,” Christine added.
“For the longest time, Botox was our only real good treatment for excessive sweating. But that was needles in the underarms. Some people would get needles in their hands if they were sweating,” plastic surgeon Dr. Louis Bucky said, “And you had to do it over and over again.” “And you had to do it over all over again.”

Enter MiraDry. One and done technology.

Dr. Louis Bucky says 80% of people can trash their deodorants and antiperspirants after just one treatment.
“We’re selectively microwaving the sweat glands—heating them up to a point where they’re not functional anymore,” Dr. Bucky explained.

Lidocaine injections numb the area while a template maps it out so the energy targets each spot precisely, with no overlap, and nothing missed. It takes about 30 minutes a side, and for women especially, this comes with one big extra. No more hair. It’s a two-fer.

Dr. Jonas Nelson is a University of Pennsylvania plastic surgery resident who just underwent the procedure. He’s one of the 20% that might have to do it twice to completely eradicate his underarm sweat.

“Just targeting those glands that tend to sweat a little bit more than others when you’re not working out or your just doing your normal everyday activities just really makes sense,” Dr. Nelson said, “You’re just going to sweat normally everywhere else and not sweat in those under arm areas.”

“We get responses back like ‘You’ve changed my life. Game changer, you know? And it’s very rewarding,” Dr. Bucky explained.

“To not worry about ‘Oh do I have deodorant with me?’ Or, you know, kind of always checking. It’s great,” added Christine.

Source: FOX 29
http://www.fox29.com/news/134291512-story

By Lisette Hilton – Dermatology Times

Smart skin that acts like the real thing

Using household items, engineers in Saudi Arabia have created a recyclable paper-based smart skin, capable of detecting temperature, humidity, pH, pressure, touch, flow, motion and proximity at 13 cm, according to a new study in Advanced Materials Technologies.

The study’s senior and corresponding author Muhammad Mustafa Hussain, Ph.D., says this is the first time a singular platform shows multi-sensory functionalities close to that of natural skin.

A model of a paper skin with an array of 6 x 6 sensors which can sense pressure, proximity, temperature, strain, pH, flow and humidity. This sensor array is made with recyclable household materials.
Photo: Muhammad Mustafa Hussain, Ph.D.

Dr. Hussain, associate professor of the electrical engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, tells Dermatology Times that the development of artificial skin is an important goal in skin care, especially for wounded war, vehicle injury and acid victims. Since skin is mesoporous and covers a larger surface area, the artificial technology needs not only necessary sensory capabilities, but also should be made from affordable materials and by appropriate electronic device engineering to integrate sensory functionalities.

“In that sense, our demonstration shows the proper integration strategy for multi-sensory skin type platform creation, which can sense simultaneously and in an affordable manner,” Dr. Hussain says. “I believe that there will be more advent in this area based on our work and, soon enough, artificial skin mimicking natural skin will be developed, which can be connected to our neural system. Dermatologists can guide us (engineers) to innovate and to develop right ‘skin.’”

They made the smart skin from recyclable materials, including aluminum foil, carbon paper, sponge and more—materials manufactured cheaply and at high volumes, according to Dr. Hussain.

“The integrated strategy we have developed can make an absolutely manufactureable version [of the smart skin] in two years,” Dr. Hussain says. “A major challenge would be neural connectivity …. We also envision and have been working on adding capabilities like drug delivery in this ‘skin’ which can personalize medication.”

Researched and tested at Tel Hashomer Sheba Medical Center, Keytruda fights tumors using the body’s natural immune system

By AP and Raoul Wootliff – Times of Israel

Former President Jimmy Carter discusses his cancer diagnosis during a press conference at the Carter Center on August 20, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images/AFP)

Researched in Israel by Professor Jacob Schachter of the Ella Institute for melanoma treatment and research at the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Keytruda is part of a promising new class of drugs called immunotherapies, which harness the body’s immune system to help fight cancer. The US-based Merck pharmaceutical company’s injectable biotech drug works by blocking a protein found in certain tumors called PD-1, which inhibits the body’s natural response to cancer cells.

Carter, 91, announced Sunday that doctors found no evidence of the four lesions discovered on his brain last summer and no signs of new cancer growth. He revealed in August, 2015 that he had been diagnosed with melanoma and had begun treatment, including surgery to remove part of his liver, targeted radiation therapy and doses of a recently approved drug to help his immune system seek out any new cancer cells.

“I will continue to receive regular 3-week immunotherapy treatments of pembrolizumab,” he said. That drug goes by the name Keytruda commercially.

This undated product image provided by Merck & Co., Inc. shows packaging for its Keytruda cancer drug. The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014 said it has granted accelerated approval to Keytruda, for treating melanoma that’s spread or can’t be surgically removed, in patients previously treated with another drug. (AP Photo/Merck & Co., Inc.)

“For today, the news cannot be better,” said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society. “Circumstances may change over time or he may be in a situation where it does not recur for many years or at all.”

Carter said he will continue to receive Keytruda every three weeks in order to prevent the growth of further tumors.

Melanoma specialists credit the drug for improving treatment of the disease without the side effects of traditional chemotherapy drugs that can cause hair loss and other symptoms, said Dr. Douglas Johnson, a melanoma specialist at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center who is not involved with Carter’s treatment.

The drugs also have shown promise as a “long-lasting” treatment, but doctors continue to learn more as the drugs are used outside of clinical trials, he said.

“So many cancer treatments can be effective in the short-term, causing tumors to shrink,” he said. “Immune therapy, in at least a subset of patients, has truly long-lasting responses.”

Carter has said he experienced no side effects during treatment, a positive sign for his doctors, said Dr. Keith Flaherty, a melanoma specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies who is not involved in Carter’s treatment.

“If a patient breaks the right way, the likelihood that he will do well in the short term is extremely high,” Flaherty said. “There have been instances of relapse two to three years in while using immunotherapy treatment, but you’d say there is a good reason to be quite optimistic. At President Carter’s age, it’s very likely he’s going to enjoy an excellent quality of life.”

But doctors caution that they are still learning about the long-term effect of Keytruda and similar drugs, which have only received approval for wide patient use in the last five years.

“President Carter’s doctors certainly will continue close surveillance as they would for any patient in this situation,” Lichtenfeld said. “One hopes that by using immunotherapy the body can respond to whatever happens but cancer cells are clever and can develop workarounds for the various treatments.”

Doctors will continue to scan Carter’s brain and the rest of his body to ensure the disease hasn’t spread, Johnson said. The scans typically are done every three months, for a year or two after tests show no signs of cancer growth, he said.

Carter’s unexpected comments Sunday came first at the small church where he frequently teaches Sunday school lessons in his hometown of Plains, Georgia.

“And when I went this week, they didn’t find any cancer at all,” Carter told the congregation, prompting gasps and applause as he smiled slightly. “So I have good news.”

As word spread from Maranatha Baptist Church, Carter issued a brief statement confirming the scan showed no signs of the four lesions that doctors discovered this summer on his brain or new cancer growth.

Carter has remained active during treatment, including a home-building project with Habitat for Humanity and work at The Carter Center, the human rights organization he founded after leaving the White House.

By Randy Dotinga – Dermatology Times

Uniquely tailored strategies improve diagnosis and treatment

Beware of the rare, ask questions of the littlest patients, and make sure to treat children as individuals with unique needs. These are the messages from dermatologists who spoke to colleagues about the special challenges of treating skin conditions in children, especially those who are far from their teen years.

“Most dermatologists are very cautious with kids and probably not as familiar with treating them,” says Leslie Castelo-Soccio, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of pediatrics and dermatology at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who spoke during a session about children and skin disease at the 73rd annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (San Francisco, 2015).

For example, phototherapy is often a beneficial treatment for kids with conditions like eczema, psoriasis and vitiligo. It’s typically used for inflammatory conditions when patients have failed topical and systemic therapy, Dr. Castelo-Soccio says. But many dermatologists won’t try the treatment on children under 18 even if they have the equipment, she says, despite studies that suggest early treatment is crucial for vitiligo in particular.

In fact, “children tolerate it beautifully,” she says. “We’ve treated kids as young as 16 months up to teenagers and early adults.”

She cautions dermatologists to consider the ages of children undergoing the treatment. Older children over 4 or 5 years old can handle going into the closet-like space of a light box on their own for a matter of seconds or minutes, she says.

But younger children won’t tolerate being alone in a light box, so Dr. Castelo-Soccio will open the device and let the light emanate into the room. A parent stays with the child but is covered for protection from the light.

“You partner with parents to get the child through the treatment, and you learn strategies of distraction like talking, singing and visualization that you don’t need with adults,” she says.

Important cautions

“You want to be very careful with the energy and the amount of the time that a patient is in the light box,” she says. Side effects include pink skin and burning. Cold sores, which are especially common in the summer, can be activated by light, she says.

An increased risk of skin cancer is also a concern. While the light rays in phototherapy are different from sun rays, they are potentially damaging and do pose an unknown long-term risk.

“We think it’s safe,” she says, “but there are no long-term studies for kids who have had therapy when they’re 40, 50, 60 years old.”

Insurance typically covers the treatments, which are often time-consuming and repetitive. According to Dr. Castelo-Soccio, two to three treatments a week may be required for four to five months.

“Distance and interference with school or other activities is one reason compliance isn’t great,” she says. “If you carefully select the patients and parents, that’s not as much of an issue. You tell them what we’re expecting, and that this is the time commitment,” she says.

The good news, she says, is that re-pigmentation is possible for vitiligo, and eczema and psoriasis may improve or go into remission.

“Not every patient responds. We’d stop the therapy if we’re not seeing any response after 40 treatments. But overall we’ve been very pleased with the response in the children we’re treating,” she says.

Drug reactions

Jim Treat, M.D., an associate professor of pediatrics and dermatology and fellowship director of pediatric dermatology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told the audience at the American Academy of Dermatology about the challenges of treating life-threatening cutaneous drug reactions and infections. These conditions are rare, he says.

Many patients get rashes from medications, he says, but it’s especially dangerous when they develop with fever.

“If you don’t suspect a systemic reaction, it can brew for a while and hurt the patient,” Dr. Treat says.

Indeed, dermatologists may miss the wider picture when they don’t ask rash patients about other symptoms, and the patients don’t bring it up.

“It’s not up to the patient to know what to tell you,” he says. “You need to ask, and the most important question is: Is there a fever? Systemic drug reactions almost always come with a fever, and it can be a sign of systemic inflammation from the drug rash.”

A wide variety of drugs can lead to skin-related reactions. Antibiotics can cause acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP). Sulfa medications, antibiotics (including minocycline), HIV medications, anticonvulsants and others can cause DRESS (drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms), which is also known as drug hypersensitivity syndrome (DHS) and drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome (DIHS).

Minocycline causes severe drug reactions so Dr. Treat doesn’t use it as a first-line acne treatment (“that’s certainly controversial,” he says). When he does prescribe it, he tells patients to stop using the drug to let him know immediately if they have a fever or rash within the first couple months of treatment.

When diagnosing children, Dr. Treat says it’s important to ask them how they feel instead of just relying on their parents because Mom and Dad may not know a child has a fever or is feeling ill, especially teenagers. It’s also crucial to check labs if you suspect a systemic reaction, he says.

According to him, patients should be considered for hospital admission if they suffer from serious complications like abnormal vital signs or labs, high fever, hypotension and tachycardia.

However, if caught early, dermatologists may be able to handle DRESS or AGEP without a hospital admission. Stevens Johnson Syndrome, a rare reaction, always requires admission due to the need for multispecialty care and wound care, he says. Dr. Treat adds that standard care for DRESS includes withdrawal of the drug in question and treatment with systemic steroids for a few weeks if not a couple months.

An editorial in the December 2015 issue of  JAMA Dermatology: “Skin Cancer Risk in Gay and Bisexual Men: A Call to Action” emphasizes the increased usage of indoor tanning and consequent higher rates of skin cancer by sexual minority men (gay and bisexual).
Sexual minority men reported a 12 month frequency of indoor tanning of 5.1 to 7.4% compared to 1.5 to 1.6% for heterosexual men.
In 2009 the International Agency of Research on Cancer assigned Indoor Tanning as a  Group 1 Carcinogen.
Sexual minority men also reported higher rates of non melanoma skin cancer.
Interestingly, sexual minority women  tanned indoors less frequently than heterosexual women and also reported less non melanoma skin cancer than heterosexual women did.
The editorial ends by stating that skin cancer risk reduction in sexual minority men is “an area in urgent need of research”.

THIS ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM  THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE.

Peanut exposure prior to age one may reduce the incidence of peanut allergy. In countries with western diets there is a growing incidence of allergic diseases.
In 2000, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that peanuts should be avoided prior to age 3. Unexpectedly though, the incidence of peanut allergy more than doubled from 2000 to 2008.
A randomized, controlled study was conducted in the U K. It involved 640  high risk infants  (with severe eczema and egg allergy) that were given peanuts in their diet at age 4-11 months. The incidence of peanut allergy was reduced by 80%. The American Academy of Pediatrics now  recommends peanuts to be started early in the diet of high risk infants.

By Lisette Hilton – from Dermatology Times

A state-by-state wrinkle ranking shows where residents’ skin is most and least prone to wrinkles. According to this second annual ranking by RoC Skincare, New York is the most wrinkle-prone state, while Alaska seems to offer the best environment and lifestyle for youthful skin.

You might not think that a dermatologist would be asking about daily stress levels, but they influence one’s skin and his or her propensity for wrinkles, which is what we see so clearly in RoC’s Wrinkle Ranking.

Wrinkle Ranking Methods

To determine where the 50 states and District of Columbia fall in the ranking, researcher Bert Sperling performed a state-by-state assessment analyzing influences that could increase or decrease wrinkle risk. Sperling owns the research firm Sperling’s Best Places and has a website www.bestplaces.net.

“… We reviewed existing scientific research on skin damage and disease. We used the findings of existing research, in combination with our own research, to build … a metaanalysis model. We also used the existing research to determine the weightings of the different risk factors,” Sperling tells Cosmetic Surgery Times.

The factors that emerged as most important for the wrinkle ranking: UV exposure (determined by cloud cover, latitude and elevation); racial and ethnic demographics; extreme temperatures (high and low); commute time; and smoking incidence.

The resulting Wrinkle Index is a measure of each state’s vulnerability to skin damage and premature aging, according to a RoC press release.

Unexpected Findings

The Big Apple claimed the top ranking for residents’ high stress, including scores for being “dissatisfied with life” and “lacking emotional support,” as well as for having the second-longest commute times.

At #23, the District of Columbia has the lowest skin cancer rate, but high scores for ozone pollution, lengthy commutes, long work week and binge drinking, according to the release.

Surprisingly, where the sun shines most isn’t necessary were people are at the highest risk for wrinkling. Hawaii came in at #47, Florida at #32 and California at #36. Hawaii, Mississippi (ranked #31), and Louisiana (ranked #29) have the lowest rates of skin cancer.

Unhealthy eating and a high percentage of smokers boosted rankings for West Virginia (ranked #3), Tennessee (ranked #8) and Kentucky (ranked #7).

What surprised the researcher and derm?

Sperling says he found ethnicity/race is one of the key factors associated with skin damage.

“Some racial and ethnic groups (Northern European, in particular) are far more at risk to skin damage,” he says.

Another interesting finding, according to Sperling: “Driving or riding in a car can be hazardous, even with the windows rolled up. There is a significant amount of UV radiation which penetrates the glass, which accumulates over the years of daily commuting.”

Dr. Jaliman says she was surprised that Colorado made the top ten list of most wrinkle-prone states, given that it’s always listed as one of the best places in America to live.

“I was also surprised that cloudy and mild Oregon, with one of the fewest sunny days, has one of the highest melanoma rates in the country (it also had one of the highest stress factors),” she says.

Putting this information to practice

Sperling says the ranking not only informs people how where they live might impact their risk for wrinkles, but it also is a call for prevention — especially in states where risk is high.

“Counseling would be important, reviewing the patient’s ancestry and lifestyle (work/recreation habits),” Sperling says. “It’s not just the sun, but how our body reacts to it. Florida has a large Hispanic population, which is less sensitive to the effects of the sun. Also, it is hot, but also more humid than arid climates.”

Ranked States: 1-50

1 New York
2 Pennsylvania
3 West Virginia
4 Colorado
5 Massachusetts
6 New Hampshire
7 Kentucky
8 Tennessee
9 Maryland
10 Ohio
11 Michigan
12 New Jersey
13 Indiana
14 Oklahoma
15 Missouri
16 Arizona
17 Rhode Island
18 Nevada
19 Virginia
20 Wyoming
21 Alabama
22 Connecticut
23 District of Columbia
24 Delaware
25 Illinois
26 New Mexico
27 Georgia
28 Utah
29 Louisiana
30 Maine
31 Mississippi
32 Florida
33 Kansas
34 North Carolina
35 Arkansas
36 California
37 Vermont
38 Texas
39 Nebraska
40 South Carolina
41 South Dakota
42 Wisconsin
43 Iowa
44 Idaho
45 North Dakota
46 Minnesota
47 Hawaii
48 Montana
49 Washington
50 Oregon
51 Alaska