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10 Bizarre Things You Should Know About Your Skin

Do you know what is the largest organ of the human body? Yes, it is the skin, and it weighs approximately 15% of our total body weight. Learning more about your skin’s particularities is highly important for a healthy body, so let’s dive right in!

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The skin is an organ because it consists of several tissues and cells of different and specific functions. It is an organ of protection, first and foremost, and it changes depending on age, internal health, and external factors. Due to its specificity across different areas of the same body, the skin is a sensitive, ever-changing organ. Since the skin around the eyes is made of a thinner layer of the epidermis, it needs different care than the skin on your legs, for example.

The structure of the skin

There are three main types of layers of the skin: epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous layer. The epidermis, the outer layer, contains cells that produce the pigment (color/nuance of the skin), and they protect the immune system.

The dermis, the middle layer, contains connective tissue, capillaries, nerve tissue, and hair follicles. It also contains the sweat glands, and the body oil glands (sebum). The subcutaneous layer is the innermost layer of the skin and contains the large blood vessels, nerves, fat and connective tissues. It regulates body temperature and protects the internal organs and muscles from damaging impacts. It also produces the hormone called leptin which stabilizes the metabolism. Now that we understand how important the skin is for our survival, let’s see what are the negative factors that affect the health of the skin, and therefore, our general health.

Internal negative factors
The internal factors that can influence the health and aspect of your skin are genetics, hormones, and disease such as diabetes. Genes determine our skin type and aging process, so we cannot do much about it, except reduce the factors that would worsen our genes’ predisposition. Genes can influence our cell regeneration and biological aging; they can also determine how our sebum and sweat glands function.

Change of hormones can cause acne, especially during teenage years, or during menstruation in women. Female estrogen decreases after menopause, so the natural moisturizing function of the skin also decreases.

Some grave internal diseases can manifest at the skin level such as diabetes, cancer, and most commonly liver issues – intoxication, or bile malfunctioning. Liver issues manifest either as skin rashes or yellowish pigmentation of the skin. Hence, in many cultures, there is an old mentality that glowing, smooth skin indicates an internal healthy body. What you eat is what you are, and shown on the skin, so healthy, and vitamin-rich diets are a must for healthier skin. Other internal factors that can affect the skin are severe medical treatments such as chemotherapy. There are also viruses that affect the skin by eruption such as varicella and variola viruses.

External negative factors
External negative factors are the most known by people, because we hear about them in TV commercials, and they are highly visible at the skin level. The most common negative external factors for the skin are:

Sunburn/UV radiation
Excessive spray or artificial tan
Drastic change in temperature
Chemical products
Excessive washing
Smoking
Common skin conditions

Depressed because of acne, or depigmentation? You should know that acne and depigmentation are one of the most common skin conditions. Acne affects more than 50 million Americans annually, according to American Academy of Dermatology Association statistics. Atopic dermatitis will affect 1 in 10 people during their lifetime. 50 million men and 30 million women are affected by hair loss, according to Medline Plus, National Library of Medicine. Rosacea or redness of facial skin affects up to 16 million Americans, mostly over the age of 30. Vitiligo, another very common disease, manifesting as depigmentation or white patches on the skin surface, affects over 70 million people globally. All these skin conditions are often related to external negative factors and improper nutritional care.

The skin is a sensitive and complex organ that requires intensive care. It’s a wonderful part of our body and it is hiding even more miracles.

10 Bizarre Things You Should Know About Your Skin
It renews itself every 28 days;
Approximately 50% of the dust in your home is dead skin;
Body hair growth rate is 2 to 6 years;
The thickest skin is on the sole of your feet;
The thinnest skin is on the eyelids;
We lose around 20 – 100 hairs daily;
Scars don’t have hair and sweat glands;
Sweat doesn’t smell, but the bacteria in it does.
The skin has its own 1000 species of bacteria;
Babies develop their skin tone in 6 months.
The human body deserves care and respect, including the skin. This means that we need to be careful about what we eat and what we expose ourselves to, from a stressful environment to weather conditions. Don’t forget that health care is a modus vivendi.

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The best mouthwash for tooth pain

Are you looking for the best mouthwash to alleviate tooth pain? Wondering if it needs to be a prescription based rinse or could it be a home remedy one? Keep reading to find out!

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There are many different types of mouth rinses available but some are prescription only while others are considered home remedies since the ingredients to make them can be acquired easily at your local pharmacy or supermarket.

The prescription mouth rinse:

The only prescription mouthwash that your dentist will ever prescribe you would be chlorhexidine or more commonly know by its brand name, Peridex. You cannot pick this up at the pharmacy all on your own but you would require a prescription from a medical professional.

How to use chlorhexidine rinse:

Pour 15mL into a cup.
Rinse with the solution for up to two minutes.
Spit out back out and don’t eat for an hour.
You may repeat for up to two times a day, once in the morning and once at night time.
Please do not use for longer than two weeks because it can start to stain your teeth brown if you use it for a long period of time.
The prescription mouth rinse, chlorhexidine works wonders on fighting gum infections and tooth pain caused by gum conditions but the downside is the staining and there is also the fact that you need a prescription for it. If you are unable to make it to the dentist then your only other option would be a home remedy mouth rinse.

Home remedy mouth rinses:

Salt water rinse. This is the most easily accessible home remedy rinse because everyone has salt and water in their house. This is best used for gum swelling because it helps to decrease bleeding. It helps the most when used the next day after a tooth extraction because it helps to control the inflammation and also to flush out food debris from the socket.
Coconut oil. Individuals who are very holistic, prefer to use coconut oil to rinse with, in lieu of Listerine or the antibiotic prescription rinse, chlorhexidine. We have seen results for this that work very well but the only downside is that you do need to rinse for about fifteen to twenty minutes with it each session. Some people may be turned off by the fact that you have to swish it in your mouth for so long. The plus side is that at least your mouth will feel super fresh. How this mouth inse works is that it brings the pH of your mouth back up to a neutral level.
Oregano oil. In case you did not know, oregano has high antibacterial and anti inflammatory effects. Due to this fact, it has prompted people to try to use the extracted oil to fight tooth pain. How do you use it? You can pour the concentrate onto a Q-tip and rub it around the tooth that is feeling pain or you can mix it with some water and use it as a mouthwash. Either way will work!
Listerine. This is a classic mouthwash that everyone knows about. It kills over 99% of germs and does a fantastic job at fighting plaque and bad breath. There has been a trend lately about moving away from alcoholic mouthwashes but you’re in luck because Listerine has been making a version that is alcohol free so we would recommend that. You can also easily purchase this at your local supermarket or pharmacy. All you need to do is just rinse for thirty seconds, which is a lot faster than the coconut oil pulling technique.
All of these mouth rinses will work to a certain extent but mostly only on very mild tooth pain. If your toothache is very severe, there is no mouth wash in the world that can alleviate that pain. The only one who can do that would be your dentist!

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What You should Know about Urogynaecological Health

What is urogynaecology? We explore common urogynaecology problems women face and potential treatment options for each of these disorders.

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Urogynaecology focuses on pelvic floor disorders.

Pelvic floor function, anatomy, and function are all affected by the pelvic floor in women. The pelvic floor supports organs such as uterus, bladder, rectum, and vagina.

Most women are at risk for developing pelvic floor problems at various stages of their lives when their pelvic floor is weakened and damaged by pregnancy, childbirth, ageing, and menopause. The health effects of pelvic floor disorders if left untreated can be quite significant.

It is important to note that many women can suffer from different types of pelvic floor disorders at different stages of their lives, or more than 1 type of pelvic floor disorders at any 1 time. A urogynecologist is a more qualified specialist who has specific expertise in diagnosis, investigation, and treatment of women’s pelvic floor disorders than a general gynecologist.

Common pelvic floor disorders include:

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP)
It refers to a drooping of the uterus, the bladder, or the rectum into and beyond the vaginal opening. The condition affects one in three women who have had children. It is more common in older women. One in 10 women will require surgery in their lifetimes.

It is primarily caused by weakened pelvic floor muscles caused by damage sustained during pregnancy and childbirth, as well as by aging and menopause. Chronic strain on pelvic floor muscles can also cause POP, as can obesity, coughing, constipation, and jobs that require heavy lifting or long hours. POP is characterized by feeling a lump in the vagina, or a heavy dragging sensation, bleeding after menopause, urinary issues, constipation, or painful sex.

POP can be treated non-surgically or surgically. You can perform Kegel exercises to strengthen weak pelvic floor muscles, make lifestyle changes, and use vaginal pessaries (which are soft, removable devices that are inserted into your vagina to support your prolapsed organs) as non-surgical alternatives. An urogynaecologist will perform surgery for pelvic organ prolapse based on the severity of the condition, your age, general health, medical conditions, surgical history and sexual activity.

Urinary incontinence
Under various circumstances, one leaks urine involuntarily. The urge to go to the toilet may arise when you are physically exerting yourself e.g. laughing, coughing, sneezing, running, jumping, or when you feel the urge but are unable to make it there in time. The problem can occur at any age, including in young women, during pregnancy and after childbirth, all the way up to women going through menopause.

Incontinence is caused by weakened pelvic floor muscles (damage sustained during pregnancy and childbirth, weakening from aging and menopause, obesity), weakened bladder muscles (from aging and nerve damage), and medications. Coffee, certain illnesses, and smoking make urinary incontinence worse.

Often, treating urinary incontinence involves conservative lifestyle changes such as managing weight, eating a healthy diet, adjusting fluid intake, cutting back on caffeine, doing bladder exercises, taking scheduled bathroom breaks, avoiding constipation, and Kegel exercises. Your urogynecologist may recommend surgery in certain cases.

Overactive bladder (OAB)
It happens when you feel the urge to urinate and need to visit the toilet frequently. This occurs at night while you are sleeping, and is known as nocturia. You may find that your life revolves around the toilet as this can be disruptive to your work and social life.

OAB is caused by the bladder muscles trying to empty urine that isn’t there. An infection of the urinary tract (UTI) can often cause this. Alternatively, it may result from nerve damage caused by old age, diabetes, stroke, dementia, etc. Medications and caffeine may also contribute.

Changing one’s lifestyle is the first-line treatment for OAB, like treating urinary incontinence. It is usually necessary to prescribe medications for OAB in addition to the lifestyle changes mentioned above. By relaxing your bladder muscles, you can increase the time between passing urine. Additionally, Botox injections into the bladder (which are done under general or local anesthesia) and nerve stimulation are 2nd line invasive options. They are only given to women who have not improved after trying all other measures, and usually need to be repeated six months later.

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