Excessive sweating, also known as hyperhidrosis, can be an annoying, embarrassing condition to deal with. Perspiring is normal, but hyperhidrosis is characterized by excessive sweating when your body doesn’t need to be cooled down.

One of the most common ways to tell whether you have hyperhidrosis is if one or two areas of your body are very sweaty, but the rest of your body is dry. Some common areas to experience hyperhidrosisinclude your head, feet, palms of your hands, and your underarms.

If you are experiencing excessive sweating, there are ways to minimize the impact. Consider trying these easy remedies:

• Changing to antiperspirant, not deodorant
• Using armpit shields to help absorb perspiration
• Wearing loose clothing made of natural fibers like cotton
• Changing your socks at least twice during the day
• Wearing black and white clothing to reduce signs of sweating
• Limiting or avoiding alcohol and spicy foods because they can worsen sweating

For moderate to severe cases of hyperhidrosis that aren’t managed well with conservative home therapies, it’s best to visit your dermatologist. There are several effective treatments for excessive sweating your dermatologist may recommend, including:

• Prescription antiperspirant products containing aluminum chloride
• Iontophoresis, which uses a weak electrical current to block the sweat glands from producing sweat; treatments are completely pain-free and take 20 to 30 minutes per treatment. 2 to 4 treatments per week are recommended with maintenance treatments every 1 to 4 weeks.
• Botox injections, which help to reduce sweating; injections of botox are given into areas affected. Botox typically requires 15 to 20 injections and takes 30 to 45 minutes. The effects of injections can last for a few months and Botox treatment can be repeated if necessary.

Excessive sweating can disrupt your life, hampering your self-confidence. You can get relief from excessive sweating from your dermatologist. To find out more about treatment for excessive sweating, and other medical and cosmetic skincare treatments, talk with your dermatologist today!

Do you have itchy, scaly rashes? If so, you could have eczema, a common skin condition that could be effectively treated by your dermatologist. Eczema is also called atopic dermatitis, and it can be caused by environmental factors, such as exposure to harsh chemicals. Dry skin can also affect your skin’s ability to form a barrier to allergens, which can lead to eczema. Another common cause of eczema is genetics. If someone in your family suffers from eczema, it increases your chances of developing eczema as well. Immune system problems can also cause eczema.

Both adults and children can develop eczema, however, children are most often affected, especially before they reach the age of five. Eczema develops into a chronic skin condition, with intermittent flare-ups. These flare-ups can often be accompanied by hay fever or asthma.

There are many common signs and symptoms of eczema, including:

• Reddish-brown patches on your feet, hands, ankles, knees, chest, elbows, face, and scalp
• Chronic, severe itching which often worsens at night
• Inflamed, raw, red, sensitive, and swollen skin
• Dry, cracked, scaly skin patches on various areas of your body
• Bumps appearing on your skin which drain fluid and crust over later

For mild cases of eczema, there are a few simple home remedies you can try, including:

• Taking over-the-counter antihistamine medications
• Smoothing calamine or other anti-itch lotion over your skin
• Applying moisturizer when you take a shower
• Applying cool, wet dressings and bandages to affected areas
• Taking a warm baking soda or oatmeal bath
• Placing a humidifier in your home to moisten dry air
• Wearing breathable, cool, cotton clothing

For moderate to severe cases of eczema, you should visit your dermatologist. There are several effective professional treatments your dermatologist may recommend, such as:

• Prescription-strength oral and topical medications to stop itching
• Antibiotic medications to eliminate any underlying infection
• Oral or injectable anti-inflammatory medications to reduce swelling and pain
• Corticosteroid dressings to reduce inflammation
• Natural light or ultraviolet therapy to reduce or eliminate skin patches

You don’t have to suffer with eczema when relief is just a phone call away. Learn more about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of eczema by calling your dermatologist today!

Vitiligo is a skin condition that affects more than 200,000 men and women in the United States each year, with half of those affected noticing symptoms before age 20. Although the exact cause of vitiligo is unknown, it is thought to be an auto-immune condition. In fact, it often occurs in combination with other auto-immune conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis. Additionally, the condition is directly linked to hereditary causes in about one-third of cases.

When you have vitiligo, you will have patches of white skin, caused by loss of melanocytes, the skin cells responsible for skin color. It can start on the feet, hands, or face, and become progressive over other areas of the body. The condition can cause problems with your skin, eyes, inner ear, hairs, and mucous membranes, causing white blotches in these areas.

Vitiligo cannot be cured, however, your dermatologist can help treat its symptoms and minimize its impact on your life. Treatment for this condition generally aims to restore normal skin color by repigmenting the skin. New melanocytes may be transferred from other areas of the body, including the base of hair follicles, or the edge of the affected area. Repigmentation is a gradual process that can take months to years.

Other treatments for vitiligo include prescription steroid creams or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory creams, These creams are applied twice each day and begin to show results in three-to-six months.

Lasers are also an effective treatment to promote repigmentation of the skin. The Excimer laser is a common tool that uses ultraviolet B light. A series of laser sessions is required with touch-up maintenance sessions later on.

Vitiligo can also be treated with some cosmetics to create a more uniform skin color and hide white patches. Sunless tanning products can also help darken the white patches, creating a more harmonious skin color. For extensive areas of pigmentation loss, depigmentation therapy might be recommended to bleach out all pigmented skin, producing an even skin tone.

If you have been struggling with vitiligo, call your dermatologist today to learn about your treatment options!

We all would like to find that magical solution that would keep us looking young forever. Of course, while we certainly haven’t found the Fountain of Youth just yet, advancements in cosmetic dermatology are coming impressively close. If you are looking for a fast, simple, and non-invasive way to smooth away facial lines and wrinkles, talk with our dermatologist about whether Botox could give you the results you want.

What is Botox?

Botox is a purified, medical-grade neurotoxin that is injected directly into muscle groups of the face. When Botox is injected into the muscles, it reduces the brain-sent signals that cause the muscles to contract. As a result, this cosmetic treatment prevents muscle contractions, thus temporarily reducing the appearance of dynamic lines and wrinkles.

Botox can be used to smooth away wrinkles between the brows, on the foreheads, around the eyes (crow’s feet), and the mouth (“laugh lines”). In fact, any lines or wrinkles that are accentuated when you frown or smile can often be treated with Botox.

What is it like to get Botox treatment?

Botox is non-invasive and doesn’t require surgery or other aggressive techniques. It only takes our skin doctor a couple of minutes to administer Botox, and these thin needles are well-tolerated by our patients.

Additionally, there is absolutely no downtime associated with receiving Botox, allowing many patients to come in for treatment and return right back to work and their daily routine immediately after. It only takes about 10 minutes to administer Botox and side effects are minimal.

What kind of results should I expect with Botox?

You won’t see results immediately, as it will take the body time to respond to treatment. Most people will see results within 3-4 days and results can last anywhere from 4-6 months. If you’re happy with your results and wish they would last longer, then you can talk with your cosmetic dermatologist about how often you should come in for maintenance treatments.

Whether you have questions about receiving Botox treatment or if you want to find out if you are the ideal candidate for treatment, don’t hesitate to call your dermatologist’s office today to schedule a consultation.

Dr. Linda Banta at Stone Oak Dermatology offers chemical peels to help patients achieve younger and more radiant skin. Chemical peels are safe and non-invasive procedures that improve your skin. They can:

• soften fine lines and wrinkles
• reduce pigmentation
• reduce acne scars
• improve the skin's clarity, color and texture

What types of chemical peels are available?

There are several types of chemical peels and dermatologists recommend a series of 3 to 6 peels for optimal results. Here are a few chemical peels offered:

Illuminize Peel tackles mild skin imperfections. The Illuminize Peel minimizes irritation while rejuvenating skin. The peel, if used in a series, can exfoliate deeper skin layers, resulting in better toned and brighter skin.

Your San Antonio dermatologist also offers the Vitalize Peel, one of the more powerful, non-damaging chemical peels. The formula consists of several peeling agents. The effects are apparent after just one peel. You'll notice dramatic results after more than one peel like the elimination of wrinkles, sun damage, age spots, freckles, hyper-pigmentation, acne, acne scars and fine lines.

The third peel offered is Rejuvenize Peel. This peel has a combination of peeling agents with an anti-irritant enhancer that helps exfoliate the uppermost damaged layers of the skin. You'll start to notice fresher and healthier skin. The powerful peel treats sun damage, melasma, pigmentary changes and acne scarring with minimal downtime.

Are you interested in revitalizing your skin? Do you want younger, brighter skin? At Stone Oak Dermatology, there's a chemical peel for every skin type. Don't hesitate to call our San Antonio, TX, dermatologist Dr. Linda Banta to find out more about chemical peels. Call (210) 494-0504 today.