Medical Services Archives

What is impetigo? Impetigo is a very contagious skin infection. It commonly affects children between the ages of two and six, although it’s possible for older children and adults to get impetigo. What causes impetigo? A bacterial infection causes impetigo. Bacteria enter the skin through a scrape, cut, or insect bite and cause an impetigo infection in the skin’s top...

Ingrown nails occur when a nail grows into rather than over the surrounding flesh. Ingrown nails occur most often in the big toe. Ingrown nails are a common condition that can become extremely painful and could become infected unless proper treatment is sought. The overwhelming majority of ingrown nail cases are due to improper footwear, specifically, cramped shoes with insufficient...

What is lupus? Lupus is a long-term disease that can affect any area of the body. As an autoimmune disease, Lupus causes your immune system to attack healthy tissue in the body, resulting in pain, widespread inflammation, and tissue damage. Lupus affects many different systems of the body, including the skin, blood vessels, joints, lungs, heart, and kidneys. What causes...

Is Melanoma Cancer? Melanoma is the most dangerous and deadliest form of skin cancer. It begins in cells called melanocytes, which produce the pigment that gives skin its color. In comparison with other types of skin cancer, melanoma occurs less commonly, but it's considered more serious. It can quickly spread throughout the body if melanoma treatment isn't started early. Your...

Melasma appears on the face as sections of tan or dark skin not consistent with the patient’s normal skin color. Melasma usually appears slowly and is thought to be the result of sensitivity to hormonal changes. The dark facial patches are irregularly shaped and have no symptoms beyond their appearance. There are no long-term physiological effects of melasma; however, melasma...

Mohs surgery is the most effective treatment for the most common non-melanoma skin cancer such as basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma. The Mohs procedure involves surgically removing skin cancer layer by layer and examining the tissue under a microscope until healthy, cancer-free tissue around the tumour is reached (called clear margins). Each Forefront Dermatology Mohs surgeon is specially trained...

What Are Moles? Moles, also called nevi, are an extremely common type of skin growth. They can develop anywhere on the body and are typically brown in color, although they can also appear black, tan, pink, blue, or red. Most moles have an oval or round shape, and they commonly develop during childhood or adolescence. It's normal for some moles...

A chemical agent that reacts to light is applied to the growths and absorbed by the abnormal cells. Hours later, those medicated areas are activated by a strong light and the treatment selectively destroys abnormal cells while causing minimal damage to normal tissue. This treatment is best for pre-cancerous and some types of superficial skin cancers.

What Is Psoriasis? Psoriasis is a common skin condition that leads to patches of dry, scaly, itchy skin. It isn't contagious and can't be spread from person to person. What Are Psoriasis Symptoms? Psoriasis symptoms can vary for each person and depend on the specific type. Most people with this condition have red, inflamed patches of skin that are covered...

What Is Ringworm? Ringworm is a common skin condition that appears as an itchy, circular rash. Despite the name, no worms are involved – ringworm gets its name from its circular shape. What Causes Ringworm? Ringworm is caused by a fungal infection that spreads in various ways. You can catch ringworm if you touch another person or animal (primarily cats,...

What Is Rosacea? Rosacea is a chronic skin condition that typically affects the face and sometimes the eyes. It's common to mistake this inflammatory skin problem as acne, an allergic reaction, or eczema because of the redness and acne-like bumps it causes on the skin. What Does Rosacea Skin Look Like? Rosacea causes your face and neck to blush or...

What Are Scabies? Scabies is a common, highly contagious skin condition that affects millions of people each year. Scabies is an infestation of the skin caused by a microscopic bug called the human itch mite. This tiny mite burrows into the outer layers of skin where it lays eggs. The body develops an allergic reaction to the mites, causing a...

Are you suffering from scleroderma? Scleroderma is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects your skin, connective tissues, muscles, bones, blood vessels, joints, and organs. It occurs when the immune system triggers your body to produce too much collagen. Collagen is a protein that strengthens skin and provides firmness and elasticity. When you have scleroderma, it causes your skin to become...

This technique is usually reserved for small lesions generally not on the face. Local anesthesia is administered, the growth is gently scraped off with a tool with a sharp, ring-shaped tip, and then the tumor site is burned with a small needle.