Our skin, the largest organ in our body, is what protects our bodies from the outside. Our skin is essential for our bodies as it:

Protects us from microorganisms.
Protects us from the elements.
Regulates our body’s temperature.
Helps us feel sensations such as touch, cold, and heat.
The skin can be susceptible to many kinds of adverse conditions, such as:

Rashes – Skin irritations that cause changes in the skin’s appearance.
Dermatitis – Inflammation of the skin.
Eczema – Skin inflammation causing a rash that itches.
Acne – This is one of the most common skin conditions affecting people.
Dandruff – A scaly skin condition that affects the scalp.
Cellulitis – A painful skin rash due to inflammation of the dermis and subcutaneous tissue, caused by an infection.
Melanoma – A very dangerous form of skin cancer.
It has been found that our skin is what communicates to us when something is wrong with another part of our body. From examining things like breakouts of a rash or warts etc, a doctor can tell if something may be wrong with the rest of your body. This is called holistic skin mapping.

Holistic skin mapping is essentially trying to figure out what your skin is trying to tell you about your body. With this method, you can identify the source of the skin issue you are having and treat it directly, rather than doing guesswork on what the cause may be.

Holistic skin mapping is a very ancient technique, used over 5,000 years ago by the Chinese. This technique of face reading was known to the Chinese as ‘mien shiang’. They used changes on the skin of a person’s face to diagnose and treat health conditions. Certain organs such as the small intestine, bladder, heart, liver, kidneys, stomach, large intestine, lungs, and reproductive system are reflected on the skin of a person’s face.

Areas of the face that reflects different organs and their issues are:

Forehead – Digestive system.
Temple – Kidney, and bladder.
Eyebrows – Liver.
Eyes – Bodily fluids.
Nose – The heart.
Cheeks – Stomach, spleen, and respiratory system.
Mouth – Stomach and colon.
Chin – Hormones and reproductive system.
These days, dermatologists use modern technology for skin mapping, in order to diagnose and treat skin issues and their underlying problems. Skin mapping is available at any skin cancer clinic in Melbourne, or in other areas, and can easily be done via an appointment.

So what are the 3 main types of skin conditions that are treated through holistic skin mapping?

Acne – Acne has been found to be a detox reaction of the body. Since the face is connected to many different internal organs, you can tell where these toxins are coming from by the location of the acne. For example, acne on the forehead could mean that candida toxins are showing up in the large intestine.
Rosacea – Redness on the face is considered to be an indication of inflammation of the digestive tract. Certain conditions such as candida, unstable bowel syndrome, and gluten sensitivity can cause your face to become red in the areas that mirror those organs. For example, the nose being red may be caused by an inflammation of the oesophagus.
Blackheads – Blackheads result from mucus being produced and expelled out of the skin’s pores, and are generally found in the area of the face that reflects the digestive system.
If you are having any skin problems, it is always best to do a skin check in Melbourne or from a skin clinic close to you. While there are many aestheticians who can do skin mapping as well, it is advisable to consult a dermatologist at a skin cancer clinic in Melbourne, or elsewhere, with regard to skin conditions, as they will not only be able to identify the root cause of your problem but give you the right treatment for it.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends washing your hands with soap and water whenever possible, hand sanitizer can be an addition to this or when washing with soap isn’t an option.

How does it work?

When hand rub sanitizers were first introduced, there was little research to support how efficient they are and what they did or didn’t do. More research needs to be done however scientists are learning more with time.

The primary ingredient in hand sanitizer is isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), a similar form of alcohol (ethanol or n-propanol), or an amalgamation of them. Alcohols have long been famous for killing microbes by dissolving their protective outer layer of proteins and destroying their metabolism.

According to the CDC, hand sanitizers are capable of killing some germs as effectively as washing your hands with soap and water, unless your hands are extremely dirty or greasy.

As we know that every coin has a flip side, same is the case with hand sanitizers. They can kill a majority of germs but there are some exceptions like :

Cryptosporidium
Clostridium difficile
Norovirus

What to look out for?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that you should opt for sanitizers that have at least 60% alcohol content. Usually, most products contain between 60-95% of alcohol, but don’t assume that the higher the percentage means that it is more effective. For the hand sanitizer to work effectively, it needs to have some water. Some products that are available claim to sanitize your hands but contain too little alcohol or none at all. These products will not offer the protection you need from germs.

How to use hand sanitizers?

When hand sanitizer does work efficiently, their effectiveness is based on numerous factors which are:

How much you use it
Follow a proper technique
Consistency

A hand sanitizer liquid can come in handy when you are using public transportation, came in contact with someone and shook their hands or touched an animal, after you have touched a random object, and so on.

When not to use hand sanitizer?

You should not use hand sanitizer when you can easily opt for soap and water. Some of the situations where you can’t use them are:

Washing hands is convenient
Your hands are extremely dirty or greasy
You have chemicals on your hands
You were exposed to infectious agents that are not capable enough to be killed by hand sanitizer
You’re in a high-infection situation
Is hand sanitizer bad for your health?
No such survey has posed the fact that hand sanitizers are harmful to your health. Although, if you use it too often, the alcohol in it can cause minor skin irritation. So give your hands some breather from it.

What is the best procedure that you should follow when using a hand sanitizer?

To get the best results from hand sanitizer, take one or two squirts or pumps and rub your hands together. Spread it through front and back, between your fingers, around and under your nails. Moreover, it is advisable to opt for sanitizers that hold the moisturizing power of Aloe Vera and Glycerine like Safekind. It is one of the best hand sanitizer brands in the market. They provide instant protection, anytime and anywhere.

You can’t replace hand sanitizer with cleaning products

According to the Food and Drug Administration, disinfectant sprays and antibacterial cleaning wipes should never replace hand sanitizers. Their job is to clean hard and nonporous surfaces, and not human skin.

In the end, for the safety of yourself and others, wash your hands vigorously after using the restroom or after you are done preparing food.

More than one million new skin cancer patients are reported globally every year, which means that this is not a problem that is isolated in only certain areas of the world.

There are different types of skin cancer, such as:

Basal Cell Carcinoma.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
Melanoma.
Out of these, Basal Cell Carcinoma is one of the most commonly found types of skin cancer, affecting many people every year. Melanoma on the other hand is one of the most dangerous as it can spread to other parts of the body.

Because of the high risk of skin cancer for Australians, doctors recommend that everyone performs a self-check of the skin on a regular basis. In addition, it is also recommended that people seek professional help and get a skin cancer check in Melbourne, or through a clinic close to them, on a regular basis. A doctor may request a skin check every 6 months or so, and perhaps at closer intervals if they think there is a serious risk. This skin check is carried out by medical professionals at a skin cancer clinic in Melbourne or in other cities and is a very easy and painless test that involves checking the body for spots, moles or lumps that seem suspicious. Some tests include photographic testing of the spots so that they can be recorded and compared later at subsequent visits to see if the spots have changed in size, shape or colour over time, which would indicate that the person may have skin cancer.

If a skin check shows some suspicious spots, then a doctor will suggest a biopsy in order to confirm if it is cancer or not. A very small piece of the suspected skin area is sent for a biopsy. If a biopsy confirms that a person has skin cancer, the next stage is to decide on the best possible course of treatment.

While newer technologies and methods of treatment are being clinically tested at trials every day, at the moment there are 8 different types of conventional therapies used for the treatment of skin cancer. The method decided by the doctor will depend on the size of the tumour, as well as how far it has developed and its level of metastasis (how much it has spread to other areas of the body).

Even after treatment, follow up tests will usually be carried out by doctors to confirm if any further treatment is necessary. It should also be noted that certain cancer treatments can have some mild to severe side effects such as skin irritations, hair loss, and changes to skin colour, and the more prolonged the treatment, the worse the side effects could be.

The conventional treatment methods carried out for skin cancer are:

Surgery – There are several different types of surgery that may be carried out depending on the development stage of cancer and its size. These include:
Excision – Cutting out the tumour together with some normal tissue surrounding it.
Mohs surgery – The tumour is cut out in thin layers.
Shave excision – The affected area is shaved off the surface of the skin.
Curettage and Electrodesiccation – Tumour is cut out using a curette.
Cryosurgery – Freeze and destroy the abnormal tissue.
Laser surgery – Cutting the tumour using a laser beam.
Dermabrasion – Removing the top layer of skin.

Radiation Therapy – Radiation Therapy uses high energy x-rays and other types of radiation to destroy cancer cells. It can also be used to stop cancer cell growth.
Chemotherapy – This method uses drugs to either kill the cancer cells or stop them from dividing.
Photodynamic Therapy – This method uses a drug and a laser light to kill cancer cells. The drug used remains inactive until it is exposed to the light. It is either injected into the vein or put on the skin.
Immunotherapy – This method uses a patient’s own immune system to attack cancer cells.
Targeted Therapy – This process identifies and attacks specific cells using drugs and other substances.
Chemical Peel – This procedure uses a chemical solution that is applied to the skin to dissolve the top layers of the skin cells. It is used to improve the way certain skin conditions look.
Other Drug Therapy – Retinoid, Diclofenac and Ingenol are used to treat certain types of cancer cells.
More information on these treatments can be found at a skin cancer clinic in Melbourne or in any other city.

Many skin clinics in Melbourne and around the country promote ways and means of keeping your skin healthy and looking good, as well as providing skin treatment in Melbourne, and elsewhere, to address certain conditions of the skin, such as acne, eczema, and skin cancer.

In addition to being your body’s protector, did you know that there are many interesting facts about your skin that you may not know? For example, did you know that,

Your skin is the largest organ in your body.
An average person has three hundred million skin cells.
Your skin renews every 28 days (like a snake that sheds its skin!).
The skin sheds 30,000-40,000 dead cells every minute, and dead cells amount to about one billion tonnes of dust in the Earth’s atmosphere.
There are over 1,000 species of bacteria on your skin.
Your skin has at least 5 different types of receptors that respond to sensations such as pain and touch.
Changes in your skin may be signs of more underlying serious conditions in your health.
Your skin has varying levels of thickness, and the thickest part of your skin is on your feet.
Your skin ages at 20 years (oh no!!!).
Your skin has three different layers, namely the epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis.
The skin helps regulate your body’s temperature.
Your skin constitutes 15% of your total body weight.
Your skin can respond negatively to stress.
An average adult’s skin can stretch out to 21 square feet.
Your skin can expend as much as three gallons of sweat in a day!
The skin on your legs may be the driest part of your body.