Navigating Healthcare: A Guide to Modern Medicine and Wellness

Monthly Archives: January 2016

How to Care for the Biggest Organ in Your Body

You read that right… your skin is not only an organ, it’s the biggest organ in your body. Face it… your skin is everywhere! Regardless of your shape or size, your skin is huge. In fact, at this very moment, you’ve got about 19 million skin cells… per square inch … which equals about 20 feet of skin! And all those varied areas of skin all over your body can make it tough to care for, especially considering the fact that the skin in different areas of your body gets different types of exposures. That means that each area’s skin requires different types of care. Think about it. The skin on your face is vastly different from, say, the skin on your feet, isn’t it? Just one reason is because the skin on your face is constantly exposed to the world, whereas the skin on your feet isn’t. Another reason is because the skin on your feet gets a whole different kind of beating compared to that of your face. So what do you do to care for the various areas of skin located all over your body? Here are some tips from dermatologists about how to care for the many different types of skin your body contains.

How to Prevent Sun Damage in Winter

Sun Damage in WinterEveryone loves the magic and allure of a winter wonderland, with its Christmas sparkle and rich, crystal beauty. But nobody loves what winter’s harsh winds and dry air can do to their skin. First, there are those harmful UV rays. Did you know they can age you faster than just about everything else? This is a fact, which is why you not only need sunscreen on those days you head out for a sunny day at the beach; you also need it through the winter to minimize the sun’s effects, especially for skin cancer prevention. Then there’s the cold. Those frosty winds whipping around your face and other skin surfaces can dry out your skin, leaving it rough and scaly. And, finally, because of all those frigid temps, you’re likely turning up the heat inside your home, which is like adding insult to injury on your poor skin cells. And there you have it… the perfect combination for turning soft, supple skin into a veritable alligator bag. Following are some tips from dermatologists in New Jersey on how to prevent sun damage to skin in winter.

Are Q-Tips Safe?

Are Q-Tips SafeNaturally, cleaning your ears is important, not just for proper hearing, but also for preventing infection.  Because the ear canal is susceptible to all manner of dirt, bacteria, and viruses that can wreak havoc with your health, it’s vital to keep the areas inside the ear clean and free of debris. But it’s not enough just to clean your ears. It’s also important to keep them free from moisture. If you’re a swimmer, you likely know about a medical condition known as swim ear or swimmer’s ear, which is an infection caused by excessive moisture within the outer ear canal. Unfortunately, though, swimmers aren’t the only ones who can get swim ear. In fact, anyone can contract it, and of swim ear causes there are many, including showering, ear buds, and even the use of Q-Tips. Swim ear drops are effective at helping to clear up swimmer’s ear infections, but isn’t it better not to get an infection in the first place? That’s why it’s important to know the right way to clean your ears and the wrong way. Though Q-tips and other cotton swab products are effective and useful for other endeavors, healthcare professionals strongly recommend against their use for the cleaning of the ear canal.