Skin Disorders

What Is Vitamin C? Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid or ascorbate, is an essential water soluble vitamin. Fresh supplies of vitamin C are required every day to perform vital roles throughout the body among which are the production of ...

What Is Dermatitis Herpetiformis? Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is an autoimmune extremely itchy, painful bullous skin rash (blistering eruptions) arising from the underlying dermis layer of skin as a consequence of gluten sensitivity. Dermatitis herpetiformis is characterized by multiple intensely itchy, ...

What Is Dermatomyositis? Dermatomyositis is a rare autoimmune systemic disease of the connective tissue that is characterized by inflammatory and debilitating degenerative changes in the muscles and in the skin.  Dermatomyositis results in symmetric, proximal muscle weakness of limbs (upper arms and ...

What Are Low Plasma Proteins? Low plasma proteins found in blood indicates an abnormal blood level. Plasma proteins are any of the proteins that constitute about 6% to 7% of the blood plasma in the body. They include albumin, fibrinogen, ...

What Is Vitamin B3 (Niacin)? Niacin is an essential water-soluble B vitamin that is required by all cells of the body. During digestion of food containing it, niacin (the form in food) is changed in the small intestines to the active form niacinamide (niacin ...

What Is Iron? Iron is an essential mineral that is required for normal body function. Almost two-thirds of iron in the body is found in hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to tissues. Smaller amounts of ...

What Is Eczema? Eczema, or atopic dermatitis, is a chronic recurring inflammatory skin disorder characterized by itching, eczematous plaques and a defective epidermal barrier (surface layer of skin cells) that fails to hold moisture, with affected areas becoming dry then inflamed. ...

What Is Sarcoidosis? Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease characterized by hard granulomas and inflammation of the alveoli in lungs that occurrs in 80% of patients. Alveoli are the tiny one cell thick round structures that are clustered at the ...

What Is Vitiligo? Vitiligo is a pigmentation disorder of the skin characterized by permanent loss of melanocytes in defined areas and, in some patients, antibodies to melanin. Vitiligo has significant psychological impact if occurring before adulthood.1 Q: What are melanocytes? A: ...

 What Is Psoriasis? Psoriasis is a chronic, autommune relapsing skin disorder characterized by scaling, erythema (redness), and less commonly, pustulation.1  The body surface area affected and the degree to which psoriasis is a problem varies considerably among patients and over time.2 Often ...

What Is Chronic Urticaria? Urticaria is an immune based skin disorder characterized by multiple eruptions of well-demarcated edematous, intensely pruritic (itchy) plaques that may be small or reach the diameter of many centimeters with surrounding erythema (redness) each lasting less ...

What Is Seborrhea Dermatitis? Seborrhea dermatitis is a recurring inflammatory disorder of sebaceous glands characterized by scaly patches of skin, often with bumps. Seborrhea dermatitis results from the body’s inflammatory reaction to invasion by pityrosporum yeast that naturally inhabits the ...

What Is Scleroderma? Scleroderma is a chronic skin manifestation of progressive systemic sclerosis characterized by generalized thickened, edematous skin firmly bound to subcutaneous tissue which causes limited movement. Systemic sclerosis a connective tissue disease that involves destructive changes in the ...

What Is Prurigo Nodularis (Hyde’s Prurigo)? Prurigo nodularis is a chronic dermatitis characterized by hard, dry, deep seated, intensely itchy papules (small bumps like pimples) and/or nodules (large bumps) that erupt most commonly on the arms, legs, and back. Papules ...

What Is Dermatitis Herpetiformis In Childhood? Dermatitis herpetiformis in childhood is an inflammatory skin manifestation of celiac disease in which immunoglobulin A (IgA) autoantibodies target components of the skin, leading to blister formation caused by ingestion of gluten in the diet.   Dermatitis ...