Dealing with Blepharitis

Over the last few years I have suffered on and off with Blepharitis. Blepharitis is when the rims of the eyelids become inflamed. This can make your eyes red, irritated and itchy. Dandruff-like crusts can appear on your eyelashes. It can be caused by bacterial infection or can be a complication of skin conditions such as seborrhoeic dermatitis (a skin condition that can cause itchy rashes on the skin and scalp). When seborrhoeic dermatitis affects the scalp, it's called dandruff. Another associated skin condition is rosacea, which causes the face to appear red and blotchy which is wear mine comes from.

Blepharitis is a chronic condition, meaning that once it develops you'll probably have repeated episodes. There is no cure. It is estimated that blepharitis is responsible for 5% of all eye problems that are reported to GPs. It is more common in older adults, but can develop at any age.However, there are a range of treatments that can control the symptoms. It is important that you clean your eyelids every day, whether or not you are experiencing any symptoms. You should consider it part of your daily routine, like showering or brushing your teeth. Effective eye hygiene will reduce both the severity and frequency of symptoms.

You should apply a warm compress (cloths or cotton wool warmed with hot water) to your closed eyelids for five to ten minutes. Gently rub the compress over your closed eyelids for two to three minutes, and then repeat. This will help loosen any crusting. Then gently clean your eyelids with a cotton bud. Using warm water with a small amount of baby shampoo, or sodium bicarbonate (a teaspoon dissolved in a cup of water) is recommended. You should always use a mirror when cleaning your eyelids as this will prevent any possible damage to your eyes.

I know from my own experience that if I keep to an eye routine then I keep mine at bay or under control, and if I use certain eye make-up especially eye-liner or waterproof mascara that I remove it throughly and not use it everyday as my eyes start to go itchy and sore.

To find out more then have a look at our site www.pureandgentle.com where we are building a directory of skin condition what they mean and symptoms.

Skin Self Examination – why are they so important!

Skin Self Examination are so important with 200 of new cases every day of skin cancer being diagonised in the UK. My family was one of them 4 years ago. Both my husband and myself have a number of moles, I’m very fair skinned and never go brown very easily. I can remember going on holiday with girlfriends and they only had to look at the sun to go brown while I would go pink and then slightly coloured and that was it. We all do stupid things when we are young we all think we are invincible and it will never happen to me attitude (that’s normal). But as we get older we realise that we are not and things can happen when you least expect it.

That’s what happen to my husband a mole turned black, so luckily he was wise enough to go and see his GP who refered him to a dermatologist. At his appointment he was full checked and she said that the black mole was nothing to worry about but she would just remove it. But another mole she found she was not happy with and removed it straight away and it was sent off for biopsy and within a few days we got the dreaded news that it was a aggressive maligant melanoma. He was rushed back in and operated on within a week and had a large part of skin removed around where the cancer was. The next few weeks we went through hell and back, he went through so many tests MRI scans, blood test, you name it he had it. Thank god he had looked and examined his skin otherwise I might have been telling you the worst.

Checking your skin regularly for signs of any changes, anything that looks abnormal, or any new skin growth, is important to your health – and could even save your life. Doctors recommend doing a skin self-exam at least once a month, primarily looking for changes in the skin that could be signs of skin cancer. After all, who is more familiar with your body than you are – and who better to know what looks right, and what doesn’t? If there is anything that you are not happy with then go to your GP and get it checked out.

Start by finding a place that is bright enough with good lighting, and stand in front of a full-length mirror. Then start with your head and work down, looking for the following:

*New moles, growths, lesions or blemishes
*Any growth, particularly a mole, which has changed in size, texture or colour. That includes moles that are asymmetrical, have uneven edges, or have changed in appearance
*Any type of lesions that refuse to heal
*Any type of growth at all that looks different from other ones on your skin

When performing a skin self-exam, be sure to look at your entire body, including your back, arms, legs – even between your toes! If there are hard-to-see areas, ask a spouse. Some people are more at risk for skin cancer than others. If you fall into this category, you may want to keep a journal of your skin exams, writing down what you see to make it easier to keep track of changes. People who are most at risk are those who:

*Have a history of skin cancer in their family
*Are older
*Have a weakened immune system
*Have had excessive exposure from ultra-violet (UV) rays, either from the sun or tanning beds
*Have had skin cancer already in the past
*Are Caucasian, especially with fair skin, red or blonde hair, and burn easily – although people from all ethnic groups can get skin cancer

From my families experience we have all changed our attitude to the sun, the damage is most likely to happen when we are children or young adults so make them aware too of the danger of the sun. Let them play outside the sun has benefits too, but at certain times of the day and make them wear t-shirts, suncreams, hats etc. I have spent the last four years researching sun creams and what effect sunexposure has on your skin which is now all on my website www.pureandgentle.com I will over the coming months write some blogs about staying safe in the sun which I hope you will find helpful.