TREATABLE SKIN CONDITIONS
Telangiectasia/broken blood vessels/red thread veins
(reticular widenings of small blood vessels in the skin, commonly known as spider veins).
They look like little lines of blood that get bigger and darker over time. Commonly found on the cheeks, nose, upper chest, and upper back.
Cracked or dilated capillaries can occur at any time in life, often due to:
exposure to heat, sunlight, hormonal changes, physical trauma and medication, or maybe lifestyle related. It creates a cosmetic problem, as the capillaries dilate very close to the skin's surface.
This treatment uses diathermy or a mixture to create thermocoagulation, which effectively reduces the visibility of unsightly telangiectasias.
This treatment is not suitable for people taking blood thinners or suffering from a blood disorder.
Treatment can also be used for telangiectasia in the legs.
Teleangiectasia Angioma/Spider Nevus Veins
A collection of vessels often surrounds a centrally dilated vessel-"blood-spots".
Commonly found on the cheeks, nose, under the eyes, upper chest, and back of the hand.
Causes include: trauma, extreme temperatures, pressure, and pregnancy.
This condition usually requires an average of one or two treatment sessions.
Campbell De Morgan / Cherry Angioma / Blood Spots
These are vascular spots, similar to small, bright red blood spots, which are flat or raised and can be found anywhere on the face or body. They usually first appear on the abdomen of people in their 30s.
This treatment is not suitable for people taking blood thinners or suffering from a blood disorder.
Milia
Small white cysts that contain retention of keratin and sebaceous material in the sebaceous tubercle, eccrine sweat duct, or the sebaceous collar surrounding vellus hair.
They can appear between the eyelashes, on the eyelid itself, around the cheeks, or anywhere on the face or neck with dry skin. They tend to enlarge, harden (keratinise the contents), and then become noticeable to the eye and cosmetically unattractive. Their exact cause is unknown, although they are often related to a diet with high cholesterol, excess vitamin C, or the use of too much moisturising cream, and may also be related to dry skin or areas that are not exfoliated.
They can be easily treated with advanced electrolysis techniques using diathermy (AC), which gently dries them, allowing the hard, calloused centre to be broken down and then absorbed into the skin after the treatment. It is a much gentler way to treat them, rather than removing them with a micro lance that can damage the skin. Some people may only suffer from one, while others may proliferate up to 40-60 of them at a time.
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Mild keratosis
Oval, slightly raised, textured lesions, usually coloured or pale, commonly found on the body and/or face.
Stucco Keratosis
Dry and raised, similar to Keratiosis (above).
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Sebaceous cysts/disorders of the sebaceous glands
A sebaceous cyst or (steatoma) is a retention of keratin below the surface of the skin trapped in the sebaceous sac that is made up of skin cells. They are painless, grow slowly and look like firm, round, fleshy lumps. They can be found on the face, chest, scalp, back, armpits, as well as around the vagina or other parts of the genitals. Cysts move under the skin and vary in size from the size of a pea to the size of an egg. Sebaceous cysts often arise from swollen hair follicles, blocked glands, injuries to the skin, and higher levels of testosterone in the body.
Keratin is a powerful protein found naturally in the body, and is the main component of skin, hair, nails and teeth. If the cyst is small, the gentlest and least invasive method is electrolysis, which has proven to be very effective. An electrolysis needle is inserted into the sebaceous cyst and an A/C diathermic current is applied. The heat softens the content of the cyst, and a dense cheese-like material can be extracted immediately from it.
Treatment will reduce the size of the cysts, but a second treatment is often required depending on size etc. If the sebaceous sac remains, they can refill and may need removing by a doctor.
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Papillomas/fibrous epithelial polyps/skin tags
Skin tags are benign and often found on fibrous skin.
They are an overgrowth of epidermal cells. They are soft and writhing. They vary in size, shape, and colour, and are often darkly pigmented. They can be tiny pea-sized spots or even larger. They can be single or multiple. It occurs in areas of friction, around the neck, armpits, or the line of the bra, and can also occur during pregnancy. They can be easily treated with diathermy for immediate results by applying heat directly to the skin's earring stem. They are removed immediately and usually do not require further treatment.
Warts
These are benign tumours of the epidermis that are contagious (human papillomavirus)
Warts may develop singly or in clusters, and may disappear on their own.
Common on the hands, knees, and fingers, and is easy to heal without messy "freeze" treatments.
Because they are viruses, there are different types of warts.
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Common warts
They appear as a raised, rough epidermal tumour. It is most commonly found on the face, the backs of the hands, and the wrists.
Flat Warts
They are flat warts, often centred on the face and body, often around the abdomen.
Smooth, pearly, or brown in colour.
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Plantar warts (Veruka)
These are known as warts, which appear on the soles of the feet, and have thickened hard skin with small black dots in the centre. It can be multiple or single, and walking on it can be painful.
They can be treated with a thin probe and diathermy inserted into the root of the verruca, cutting off the blood supply, making it impossible for the verruca to survive. This method is more effective than freezing verrucas. Warts often require more than one treatment for a successful outcome, depending on how large the wart is and how long it lasts. Hygiene must be of the utmost importance to avoid cross contamination. If left untreated, they can still spread.
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Seborrheic warts/seborrhoeic keratosis/benign skin tumours
Seborrheic keratosis belongs to the wart family, but they are different because they are not contagious. They are benign, often hereditary, and usually occur in middle age.
They can be found on the face and body. They appear flat or have a dry, scaly, rough appearance.
They are usually brown due to melanin, and to the untrained eye, they can be mistaken for moles. The colour may vary from pale brown to black. They vary in size and can be up to two inches in diameter. They can be easily and effectively removed with diathermy (AC), but the duration of the procedure varies depending on the size and age of the wart.
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Dermatosis Papulosa Nigra
This condition is similar to seborrhoeic keratosis, but specific to black skin, and develops during adolescence. They are smooth, dome-shaped, pigmented brown to black, and are found on the cheeks, neck, and upper chest. These are generally very common disorders, and can be seen on the face of the famous American actor Morgan Freeman. They can be treated very easily and effectively with diathermy and advanced electrolysis techniques.
Age Spots / Sun Spots / Liver Spots
Age spots are caused by a build-up of a yellow pigment called lipofuscin, made by ageing cells that produce collagen. They occur in people over the age of 50 and are often found on the face, arms and hands. Pigmentation marks can appear in any area exposed to sunlight, including the arms and legs.
Both types are a harmless collection of flat pigment cells that accumulate in the superficial layers of the epidermis. To be successful and permanently removed, they need to be treated early in their growth, before they penetrate the dermis tissue. If they reach the layer of the dermis, they will become permanent, but there may still be a chance of a reduction in size and colour.
Using a very fine electrolysis and diathermic current (AC) needle, a small portion of the age spot is lifted from the tissue underneath and the colour underneath is observed. If the small exposed area is lighter in colour, removal may be successful. If the pigment under the small, raised portion is the same colour as the pigmentation mark, the pigment has penetrated deep into the dermis and treatment may not be successful. This treatment is not suitable for people taking blood thinners or suffering from a blood disorder.
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Moles
They are easy to treat, but instead of "removing", we "visibly reduce the appearance" of the mole, but before that can be done, any hair present must be permanently removed.
Mole hair is easily treated with advanced electrolysis techniques. It is generally deep-terminal hair with a very rich blood and nerve supply. Repeated treatments are required, as is regular electrolysis hair removal. You can use blend or diathermy electrolysis to remove hair.
To reduce a mole, a number of techniques are used, all of which use diathermy (AC)
The first treatment will visibly reduce the mole by up to three-quarters of its size, and the second follow-up treatment can smooth it so that it lies flat against the skin.
It can never be guaranteed that the colour of the treated mole will exactly match the natural colour of the skin, but if the mole is much darker at the beginning of the treatment, it will certainly be lighter in colour.
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Xanthoma
These are fat deposits under the skin with a diameter of 6 mm to more than 7 cm. They are associated with the symptoms of metabolic disorders, such as diabetes and high cholesterol.
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Xanthelasma Palpebera
This is the typical type found on the eyelids, and is in the form of flat, yellowish growths near the nose. They are painless and can be successfully treated with diathermy.
They decrease in size and appearance, but the yellowish colour remains. More than one treatment may be required.
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Syringoma
Syringomas are benign tumours of the eccrine glands that look like flattened lumps or plaques near the eye socket, especially under the eye. These are non-infectious facades of flesh-coloured skin.
Their diameter is 1 to 3 mm, and they are firm to the touch. They can be easily treated with diathermy and advanced electrolysis techniques.
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Molluscum Contagiosum
It is a common condition of small warts, such as pearly, white, or slightly pink nodules or papules on the skin, each round, firm, and approximately 1-5mm in diameter. It is a contagious virus, and typically, each mollusc lasts about 6-12 weeks before crusting and then disappearing.
New ones usually appear as old ones disappear because the virus can spread to other areas of the skin, and it can take several months, and it can take 12-18 months for the last one to completely disappear. Diathermy electrolysis can be successfully used to remove any mollusc.