5 Most Common Skin Problems (And What Causes Them)

As your first layer of protection, your skin puts up with a lot. As any Myrtle Beach family doctor will tell you, your skin works hard to ward off the chemicals, pollutants, and allergens that surround us every day. While your body is constantly working to protect your health, it’s also up to you to take the steps needed to keep your skin healthy – preventing blemishes, infections, and skin cancer – through simple everyday practices and completing an annual exam. Your family doctor can detect signs of any of the most common skin problems.

Melanoma/Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is the number one cancer in the United States, with roughly 9,500 people being diagnosed with the disease every day. The leading cause of melanoma: overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. Family doctors have warned us for years to lather on the sunscreen, but even one sunburn every two years nearly triples your risk of getting melanoma skin cancer. May is skin cancer prevention month, set you appointment now to visit your primary care physician for a routine screening.

Acne

At least half of American adults suffer with acne to some extent. Many people believe skin blemishes disappear with adolescence, but that simply isn’t the case. While skin is more prone to breakouts during the teen years (thanks to constantly changing hormones), your Myrtle Beach family doctor will tell you that acne is a real problem, even for adults. Even with pristine skin care and a nutritious diet, blemishes can still flare up. Excess oil production, hair follicles becoming clogged by dead skin cells, bacteria and hyper-hormone activity causes acne. Using a gentle cleanser and topical treatment helps most patients, but if your problem persists, visit your family doctor or a dermatologist.

Rosacea

Rosacea is an inflammatory skin disease that affects women three times more often than men. It appears as red, flaky patches on different parts of the body. If left untreated by your family doctor, the skin disease can worsen. Take a note of what causes flare ups. Certain foods, stress, and cosmetics are all popular causes of active rosacea.

Eczema

More than 31 million Americans suffer from eczema. Your Myrtle Beach family doctor will urge you to avoid scratching the affected areas, as scratching can cause discomfort through inflammation, cracking or scaling. Stress and dry climates cause eczema. Topical steroid creams are available, but it’s also a good idea to consider practices that keep you calm to help avoid stress (linked to eczema breakouts). Natural treatments like acupuncture, a massage, or acupressure treatments can help minimize your eczema.

Wrinkles

As we age, skin becomes thinner, drier and less elastic. While aging is a natural process that often brings on wrinkles in the skin, our daily habits can do the same. Too much sun exposure without the proper protection doesn’t just highly increase our risk of skin cancer, but it also causes our skin to wrinkle and become leathery. Smoking – another cancer risk – also causes heavy wrinkles in the skin. Talk to your family doctor about how to quit smoking if you’re concerned you can’t stop “cold turkey.”

It’s not impossible to create skin you love when you understand what causes some of the most common skin problems. Get screened for skin cancer, use SPF daily, and speak with your family doctor if any area of your skin looks unusual or shows signs of changing over time.