Skin Disorders
Although skin benefits from maintaining good nutrition, circulation, and external care, there are situations where your skin may have a disorder that good skin care can’t prevent.
Many skin disorders are caused by underlying medical disorders and diseases, including:
- diabetes
- liver disease
- heart disease
- lupus
- blood vessel diseases, such as arteriosclerosis
- stress
- and obesity
Interestingly, skin disorders are common among the elderly, so it is often difficult to tell normal aging changes from those related to a skin disorder. More than 90% of the elderly have some type of skin disorder.
As the skin is the largest organ in the body, any disease that affects the body is very likely to have symptoms showing on the skin. Some dermatologic diseases are caused by medical diseases, and when the diseases are not treated the skin component of the disease can get worse. A good example of this is diabetes. If the diabetes is well controlled there are usually relatively few problems with the skin. However, if the diabetes is uncontrolled, any of these dermatologic problems can result:
- Diabetic dermopathy – brown spots/scars on shins, sometimes preceded by red or blistering spots
- Gangrene – tissue death as a result of the blockage of blood vessels in the feet
- Diabetic neuropathy – nerve damage in the feet, causing skin sores, ulcers, foot drop and lack of sensation or feeling in the feet
- Skin Infections – styes, boils, cellulitis, necrotizing fasciitis, fungal infections
- Necrobiosis Lipoidica – skin lesions on shin with reddish brown borders and a yellowish centre
- Acanthosis nigricans – dark velvety thickening of the skin folds in armpits, upper back, neck and groin
- Xanthomas and Xanthelasma – yellow firm nodules around bony elbows, knees, and heels, as a result of fat deposits in the skin from high cholesterol
There are more defined and distinct diseases involving the skin than there are for any other organ in the body. At present there are over 1200. We at the Skin Care Centre treat them all. Here are 17 of the most common skin disorders
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