Saturday, September 15, 2012

Health Threats You Can't Ignore!

Usually when you get a nosebleed or a pimple your first instinct is to head to the doctor's office. Most of the time, it's not something to worry about. Sometimes something that seems small is an indication of something bigger going on. These are "third-tier" complaints that just might be trying to warn you about a first-tier problem.

Pimple - Acne is the Trojan Horse of health. A bump that at first glance looks like a normal pimple may actually be a basal-cell carcinoma, a slow-growing form of skin cancer. So what's the difference between the two? The typical basal-cell carcinoma has a pearly appearance when shining light on it, and tiny blood vessels can be seen entering the nodule at the base, says Edward McClay, M.D. If you have a pimple that won't go away, have a dermatologist check it out. Don't pop it, it could spread. A BCC is 95 percent treatable when caught early.

The typical method of removal is scalpel and/or burning. This can leave scarring, so consider getting zapped with a continuous-wave Nd:Yag laser. Researchers in Egypt treated 37 patients with this device. 36 were completely cured and showed no signs of scarring. Also, make sure to keep slathering on sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher and using 100% UV protection sunglasses; BCC rates in eyelids have doubled in recent years.


Source: Men's Health

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