Skin: From acne to zoster Skin: From acne to zoster (November 12, 2004)

Going behind common skin ailments

Q: I'm a teenager suffering from acne. What causes it, and how can I get rid of it?

A: Acne is one of the tribulations of both adolescents and adults that can be triggered by hormones, stress and heredity. It is a very common problem among adolescents in particular, affecting about 90 percent of them.

There are over-the-counter treatments as well as prescriptions that can effectively treat varying degrees of acne. Benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid are the active ingredients to look for in non-prescription products. The sooner acne is treated, the better the results.

Q: Why does my skin get itchy every autumn?

A: As temperatures go down, moisture in the air drops. Heaters also go on, and this dries out skin. Dryness itself can itch and make you more prone to eczema.

Keep your skin moisturized daily and consider a humidifier at home to counteract the drying effect of heaters. Use mild, non-drying soaps. Long showers, bubble baths and hot tubs can also dry out your skin.

Q: What is shingles, and why does it hurt so much?

A: Shingles, or herpes zoster, is caused by the chicken-pox virus, not anxiety as is commonly believed. It usually results from reactivation of the chicken-pox virus that remained in your body since you had chicken pox, no matter how long ago.

The shingles rash begins as red patches that develop blisters, frequently on one side of the body. Shingles is a viral infection of a nerve so it's painful because the virus moves along the nerve to the skin, causing inflammation and damage to the nerve. Some complications from shingles can be serious, so see your doctor for prevention and appropriate medical treatment.

-- Responses provided by Jennifer Chan, M.D. of Dermatology at Camino Medical Group

Have a medical question? E-mail it to Cynthia Greaves at greavec@caminomedical.org.

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