Managing Chronic Skin Conditions

Chronic skin conditions can be embarrassing and uncomfortable. You may be able to manage a minor chronic skin condition on your own. For other chronic skin conditions, you can benefit from the skills and knowledge of a dermatologist.

What You Need To Know About Skin Conditions

Many skin conditions like sunburn and acne can come and go. In many cases, you can manage them with a little extra care including:

• Applying topical creams and lotions to reduce redness, burn, and itching
• Keeping the area clean and dry
• Avoiding wearing makeup while your skin is affected

A chronic skin condition is a skin problem you learn to live with and manage. Some of the most common chronic skin conditions include:

• Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is a condition caused by exposure to an allergy or toxic chemicals
• Psoriasis, which is an autoimmune condition in which too many skin cells are produced too quickly
• Rosacea, which is caused by damaged blood vessels on the surface of your skin
• Sun damage, which is caused by excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun
• Skin cancer, which causes cancerous changes to squamous or basal skin cells, or melanocytes, the skin cells responsible for skin color

There are many factors that can trigger an outbreak of a chronic skin condition. If you have eczema, psoriasis, or rosacea you should avoid:

• Stress
• Smoking
• Drinking alcohol
• Consuming caffeine
• Excessive sun exposure
• Excessive wind exposure
• Contact with abrasive agents
• Contact with toxic substances

If you are dealing with sun damage or skin cancer, it’s critical to apply sunscreen whenever you go outside, even in winter. You should use sunscreen with at least a sun protection factor or SPF of 30, or an SPF of at least 50 if you are at high risk.

If you are at high risk of skin cancer, you should visit your dermatologist regularly for a skin check. You should also self-check your skin at least once a week. You need to look for:

• Large moles, with a diameter over 6 millimeters
• Poorly defined moles, with ragged, irregular borders
• Moles that have changed in size, shape, or color

Want To Know More?

If you are dealing with a chronic skin condition, your dermatologist can help with management and treatment, so you can look and feel your best. Talk with your dermatologist today to learn more about managing chronic skin conditions and how your dermatologist can help.