Skin Health

Does stress cause acne and eczema to flare up? Does it cause dark circles and pigmentation to appear? Yes, stress does all that and a lot more. Dermatologist Dr. Vinu Kripalani recognizes the mind-skin connection and recommends tips to reduce stress and make your skin glow skin naturally.    What is stress? Stress is caused when the pressure on the individual exceeds their coping mechanism. It is the mental/emotional response to adverse or demanding circumstances. Skin can react in…

When actors go through phases of rapid weight gain to rapid weight loss in preparation for film roles, many eyebrows are often raised among health professionals. Dr Shital Raval lists out reasons why it is medically dangerous and unhealthy of such yo-yoing. Imagine going from 68 kg to 93 kg in six months and then back again to original size. Well...That’s what actor Aamir Khan did recently oscillating from rapid weight gain to rapid weight loss. While Khan’s bulging - thinning programme…

Allergies are the most common cause of skin problems. They vary in symptoms and severity - from mild to life threatening. Dr. Shital Patel gives an overview of skin allergies to help you identify and treat common skin problems. 1.    What is an allergy? An allergy is a hypersensitive immune response by the body towards any substance that may have entered or come in contact with the body. Any such substance that causes an allergic reaction is called an Allergen. Common symptoms…

For 20 years Ravi Agarwal* battled with severe Psoriasis that changed his personality from an extrovert, confident person to a withdrawn, edgy individual. Read about his tormenting journey, his lifestyle modifications and his medicines that helped him control and, finally, clear those dreadful itchy, scaly, red patches in some parts of his body. I was first diagnosed with Psoriasis in 1996. It started with a small white, scaly patch on my thigh. Initially, I dismissed…

Did you know that what you eat affects how you look? Nutritionist Kohila Govindaraju spells out the role of nutrients and a healthy and balanced diet in your skin looking healthy and radiant.  Healthy skin diet should be designed to supply your body with all the essential building materials to make your skin look soft and gorgeous. The skin becomes beautiful only if the body could digest the food, transport the nutrients to the whole body and detox naturally. With the right skin materials…

says Dermatologist Dr Subhro Bhattacharjee as he takes a look at chronic skin ailments, the treatment that should be extended in such cases and how to manage side effects of steroids  How high would you say is the percentage of people with skin ailments? Is it on the rise or not? According to data in 2013, skin ailments is about 10 per cent, but, it also depends on the environment, socio-economic conditions, the general health of the population, etc.. Awareness about skin ailments has…

One of the biggest misconceptions in society about vitiligo, a skin disorder in which white patches appear on the skin in different parts of the body, is that it is a type of leprosy and contagious. Dermatologist Dr Jawahar Mansukhani dispels these myths by stressing that vitiligo is NOT contagious and cannot be contracted from another person. What is Vitiligo? Vitiligo is a chronic skin disorder in which white patches appear on the skin in different parts of the body. This…

Did you know an individual gains an average of 2-5 Kgs in winter? Winter is a season of indulgences pushing us often to have food loaded with calories. Dietician and diabetes educator, Ujjwala Baxi tells us how to enjoy the winter without gaining weight. Come winter, the season of mist and mellow fruitfulness, and we tend to gear up for both warm clothes as well as those mouthwatering season-specials that make every nippy evening worth its while. We throw our calorie-consciousness to the winds…

Is stress causing your eczema flare-up? Dr Gita Mathai suggests remedies for different triggers What is eczema? The name ‘eczema’ covers a broad spectrum of skin diseases all of which are characterised by itchy, red, crusting and scaling. The skin eventually becomes thickened and hyper pigmented.  What are the types of eczema? Atopic dermatitis is the commonest type of eczema. It is caused by various allergies. It affects 20% of children worldwide. Children can ‘outgrow’ eczema, it can…

Skin allergies affect a large percentage of people and can be difficult to deal with. Learn about Skin allergies, types of skin allergies and how to test for it. An allergy is an abnormal reaction or increased sensitivity to certain substances. The allergic individual produces symptoms when exposed to these substances, which are harmless to non-allergic people. Normally, the body's defence system fights against foreign bodies. In most allergic reactions, it is a false alarm which induces the…