Boils are an affliction characterised by a localised infection, deep in the skin. It starts out as a tender, reddened area and develops, with time, into an area that is firm and hard. Eventually the centre of the hardened area will soften and become filled with white blood cells that the body sends to the site and fight the infection. The collection of white blood cells, bacteria and proteins is

Hives appear on the skin as red, raises, itchy rashes that are sometimes triggered by allergens. When the body is faced with an allergic reaction, the body releases a protein called histamine. When histamine is released, our capillaries leak fluid; the leaked fluid is what accumulates in the skin and promotes the rash. Hives, are also commonly referred to as uticaria, welts, or nettle rash. Uticaria can be triggered by:

Heat rash or miliaria, also referred to as sweat rash or prickly heat, typically occurs in hot and humid conditions or during the summer season. Although it can affect people of any age, it is more commonly seen in infants and children, probably owing to the fact that their sweat glands are still not fully developed at this age. Heat rashes may occur due to excessive heat from high environmental

Herpes is a contagious disease caused by the herpes simplex virus Type 1 and Type 2. The Type 1 virus also causes cold sores on the mouth, face and lips as well as on the genitals. The Type 2 virus, most commonly promotes the formation of sores on the genitals. Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease, but it can also be spread from a cold sore on the face

Pimples plague many adolescents and adults, causing uneven skin coloration, pigmentation, scars and even lowered self-esteem. Pimples are formed when hairs, sebum and skin cells group together and form a plug. This forms the ideal breeding ground for bacteria, and soon after, the area becomes swollen or inflamed, and as the plug disintegrates it forms an unattractive pimple. There are many different types of pimples, and the most common types

A bee sting strictly means a sting from a bee (honey bee, bumblebee, sweat bee etc). In the vernacular it can mean a sting of a bee, wasp, hornet, or yellowjacket. The insects that are most likely to cause medical problems are bees (including the domestic honey bee, its Africanized “killer bee” race, and the bumble bee), wasps which include the paper wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets, and ants including

Sun burned skin is painful–when people are exposed to the sun for extended periods of time without sunscreen or moisturisers with high SPF content, it is extremely likely that they will become sun burned. Sun screen protects the skin from the harmful UV rays emitted from the sun; when we neglect to use proper protection on our skin against these dangerous emissions we damage our skin to harmful extremities. However,

Warts are common benign afflictions, however, as the term benign suggests, warts don’t indicate a serious health problem. They can be painful, and are a nuisance and this is why persons with warts are concerned about having them removed. Warts are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV), which renders warts a viral infection and makes it contagious. Warts can be removed by professional MDs through a process of either

Dandruff is an irritation, resulting in the flaking and itching of the scalp. Those afflicted with dandruff will experience flaky, small white scales falling into their faces and onto their shoulders and eyebrows. Dandruff can stem from multiple sources, the most common being the over growth of the naturally occurring malassezia furfur fungus. Other contributors include

The skin can come under a variety of ailments due to poor lifestyle choices and genetic makeup. For some, using harsh, commercially made products to alleviate skin ailments procures more ill than good. Some treatments are simply too harsh for some skin types, and in those cases, natural remedies are always better suited