Dermatology

Skin Itching

An itch is a sensation felt on the skin that causes a person to scratch that area and is often uncomfortable, causing distress. Scratching can sometimes break the skin and result in an infection. Itching can be due to many causes ranging from dry skin to medications to cancer. A major chemical causing itching is histamine, a molecule released by mast cells in the skin. Common causes for itching include skin conditions (such as eczema or atopic dermatitis), mosquito bites, allergic reactions, Hodgkin’s disease, jaundice and certain medications.

Sunburn

A sunburn is a burn to living tissue such as skin produced by overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, commonly from the sun's rays. Exposure of the skin to lesser amounts of UV will often produce a suntan. Usual mild symptoms in humans are red or reddish skin that is hot to the touch, general fatigue and mild dizziness. An excess of UV-radiation can be life-threatening.

Warts

A horny projection on the skin usually of the extremities produced by proliferation of the skin papillae and caused by a papillomavirus.

Wounds

During the course of daily activities, people often inadvertently injure themselves, resulting in bleeding and scarring. The healing process largely occurs on its own with the help of white blood cells and clotting factors in the blood, but sometimes, if the wound is large enough, external help is needed to ensure proper closure of the wound. Topical creams are sometimes used to aid in maintaining moisture as well as cleanliness in the skin during the healing process.