Student Health 101 General Health
A Reference Guide to Student Health

Skin Conditions

Acne
Acne is one of the most common skin problems in teens and young adults. Acne can occur anywhere on your body, but is most common on the face, shoulders, chest and back. A whitehead is the result of a hair follicle becoming plugged with oil and skin cells. If the plug reaches the skin surface it can turn black resulting in a blackhead. If the wall of the hair follicle breaks it can cause inflammation and swelling resulting in a red bump known as a pimple. Acne can be made worse by stress, oil-based makeup, suntan oil and certain hair gels. Pimples can be more common prior to a woman’s menstrual period. Contrary to popular belief acne is not caused by dirt, fatty foods such as chocolate or french fries or sexual activity.

TREATMENT

Home Care

Clean your face twice a day. Do not over scrub your skin. Wash with warm water and a mild soap or facial cleansers. Use soaps and cleansers the are “oil-free.”
Do not squeeze or pop your pimples. This can lead to infection or even scarring.
Non-prescription medications such as those that contain benzoyl peroxide can be very effective. Apply a thin layer to your skin at bedtime about a half hour after washing your face. It may cause redness, drying, and skin irritation. This is a normal reaction.

Professional Care
Seek medical attention if:

Your acne does not improve in 2 months with home care.
You develop red, painful nodules under your skin (cystic acne).
You develop scarring from your acne.

PREVENTION

Use only water-based, oil-free makeup (non-comedogenic).
Use only oil-free sunscreens.
Avoid right headbands, or hats that rub against your skin.
Avoid stress.

Blisters
Blisters are clear, fluid or blood-filled sacks on the skin. They can arise from illness or burns, but the majority result from prolonged pressure on, or rubbing of, the skin.

TREATMENT

Home Care

Protect the blister from further rubbing
Leave the blister alone if it has not broken. Most heal best when left without special treatment.
Wash the blister frequently with soap and water if it has broken. Do not remove the flap of skin covering the top of the blister unless it is very dirty. Apply a nonprescription antibiotic ointment, followed by a bandage. Do not use alcohol or iodine.

PREVENTION

Wear protective gloves when performing repeated chores with your hands, such as hammering.
Wear properly fitting shoes that do not rub your feet.
Avoid excessive time in the sun and wear a sunscreen with SPF 15 or greater.

Canker Sores
Canker sores, also called aphthous ulcers, are shallow, painful sores that form on the inside of the mouth. Though physicians don’t fully understand what causes them, injuries to the inside of the mouth, infection and stress are a few possible contributing factors. Usually, canker sores heal in 10 to 14 days. Although painful, canker sores are harmless.

TREATMENT

Home Care
Unfortunately, there are no proven treatments to reduce the duration of canker sores. However, there are some measures you can take to relieve pain:

Take Advil® or Tylenol®.
Avoid foods known to increase pain such as salty foods, citrus fruits, hard-edged foods (such as potato chips), and caffeinated beverages.
Apply a nonprescription medication designed to protect the sore

Professional Care
Seek medical attention if:

The sore does not heal in 14 days
You have so many sores that you are unable to eat or drink because of the pain

PREVENTION
Although nothing can entirely prevent canker sores, the following measures may help:

Avoid injury to the inside of your mouth by chewing food slowly and using a soft-bristled toothbrush.
Avoid tobacco products
Reduce stress, eat healthy foods, and exercise to strengthen your immune system.

Cold Sores
Cold sores, also called cold blisters or fever blisters, are small and red or clear. They usually appear on the lip and outer edge of the mouth. More rarely, they may also appear on the genitals or in the eye. Generally, they dry up within seven days and a scab forms. A virus called herpes simplex 1 (HSV-1) causes them. Like the chickenpox virus, the cold-sore virus can remain in your body long after the fi rst infection. Unlike the chickenpox virus, however, you may get cold sores many times in your life.

TREATMENT

Home Care

Take Tylenol® to help reduce pain.
Apply ice to the area for 15 to 30 minutes, three to four times a day to help reduce pain and swelling.
Avoid touching the blisters or picking at the scabs.
Wash your hands often.
Apply Vaseline®, or another lip protector such as Blistex®.

Professional Care
Seek medical attention if:

Blisters appear near or in your eye or on your genitals
Outbreaks recur frequently or the sores last longer than two to three weeks (Your physician may be able to prescribe an anti-viral medication that may reduce the length of your symptoms.)

PREVENTION

Reduce stress, eat healthy foods, and exercise to strengthen your immune system.
Avoid direct skin-to-skin contact, such as in kissing, with someone who has cold sores.
Protect your lips when you go outdoors by using a sunscreen with SPF 15 or greater.

Hives
Hives, also called urticaria, are itchy, red raised welts. They range in size, can disappear and reappear at random, and last anywhere from a few minutes up to years, in some cases. Hives are not contagious. They are usually caused by an allergic reaction to things such as medicine, food, pet, and insect bites. Infections or exposure to heat or cold may also cause hives. In many cases, no cause can be found.

TREATMENT

Home Care

Take cool water baths or oatmeal baths to reduce itching.
Avoid rubbing or scratching hives, as this can release more histamine(the substance in the blood that causes hives).
Take an oral antihistamine such as Benadryl® or Chlor-Trimeton®. You may need multiple doses before the hives completely resolve.

Professional Care
Seek immediate medical attention if:

You develop difficulty breathing, wheezing, chest pain, or swelling of the face, lips, and tongue
Your hives persist more than 48 hours with home treatment
You develop hives after starting any new medication

PREVENTION

Avoid substances that cause you to develop hives.
Take an antihistamine, such as Benadryl®, one hour prior to contact with substances that cause hives if you can’t avoid exposure.

Ingrown Toenails
When a toenail is ingrown, the side of the nail grows down and into the skin, causing swelling, redness, and pain. The major cause of an ingrown nail is improperly cut nails or shoes that are too tight.

TREATMENT

Home Care

Soak your foot in warm soapy water for 15 to 30 minutes to soften the skin around the nail.
Place a small piece of cotton ball under the ingrown portion of the nail.

Professional Care
Seek medical attention if:

The area becomes more painful
Drainage or increased redness occur
You are diabetic or have circulatory problems

PREVENTION

Trim the nails straight across the top. Avoid trimming or peeling nails down into the corner.
Wear shoes that are roomy in the toe-box region.

Lice
Lice are tiny, white, wingless insects. Head lice live in the hair of the head, body lice live on clothing, and public lice (also called crabs) live in the groin and underarms. Lice lay eggs called nits that stick to the hair very close to the scalp. They feed by biting the skin and sucking blood, which can cause itching.

Lice are spread through close physical contact with the head, clothing, bedding, combs, or even stuffed animals of an infected person.

TREATMENT

Home Care

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on over-the-counter medicines such as Rid® and Nix®.
Wash all clothing, sheets, and pillowcases in hot water. Iron, dry-clean, or put items that can’t be washed in an airtight plastic bag for two weeks.
Soak combs and brushes in rubbing alcohol for one hour.
Vacuum all carpets, furniture, and car seats.
Contact your school and notify them of your infection.
Do not use kerosene to kill lice.

Professional Care
Seek medical attention if:

You do not respond to over-the-counter medications
You have an underlying medical problem such as seizures

PREVENTION

Avoid contact with others until you are treated, if you have lice.
Seek prompt diagnosis and treatment to decrease spread.

Poison Oak/Ivy/Sumac
In the United States, poison oak, poison ivy, and poison sumac are some of the leading causes of rashes. The rash is an allergic contact dermatitis that occurs after contact with the plant itself, with clothing or pets with recent plant contact, or even with the smoke of burning plants. The rash usually develops one to two days after exposure and is characterized by redness, swelling, blisters, and itching.

TREATMENT

Home Care

Apply calamine lotion or an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream.
Take a lukewarm bath and over-the-counter antihistamine, such as Benadryl®, to relieve itching.

Professional Care
Seek medical attention if:

The rash is present on the face, mouth, eyes, or genitals, or involves a large body area
The rash does not improve within a few days

PREVENTION

Familiarize yourself with the appearance of poison oak, poison ivy, and poison sumac plants.
Poison ivy and poison oak plants both have three leafl ets per stem.
Remove all clothing if you have had contact with these plants. Wash well with soap and water.

Scabies
Scabies mites are tiny insects that dig tunnels under the skin and lay eggs, leaving small raised bumps that can itch intensely. They are usually found on the wrists and ankles or between the fingers and toes.

TREATMENT

Professional Care
Seek medical attention if:

Call your physician if you think you may have scabies. Other skin problems can look like scabies, so your physician should make the diagnosis.
Apply the medicine your caregiver prescribes to your entire body and leave on overnight if you have scabies. Take a shower to wash off the medicine in the morning. You may require repeated treatment in 7 to 14 days.
Wash all clothing, towels, and bedding in hot water and dry them in a hot dryer.
Notify those with whom you have come into close contact of your condition so they can check themselves.

PREVENTION

Avoid direct contact, sleeping in the same bed, or sharing towels and clothing with an infected individual.

Sunburn
Sunburn is damage to the skin caused by ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun or tanning beds. Sunburn may occur on cloudy days and even in colder temperatures when UV light reflects off snow and water. Most sunburns are first-degree burns, which involve only the outer layer of skin and result in pain and redness. More severe sunburns can cause the skin to blister and may result in symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, nausea, and vomiting. Although it is more common in light-skinned individuals, those with darker skin can also experience sunburn.

TREATMENT

Home Care

Get out of the sun if you have symptoms of sunburn.
Drink at least six to eight glasses of water per day.
Take cool baths and apply aloe-vera lotion to soothe to the skin. Skin peeling is a normal part of the healing process.
Take Tylenol® or Advil® to lessen pain, swelling, and fever.

Professional Care
Seek medical attention for any of the following:

Signs of heat exhaustion, such as dizziness, headache, nausea, or confusion
A severe, blistering burn covering more than 20% of your body
A fever greater than 102ºF (38.9ºC)

PREVENTION

Apply a sunscreen with SPF 15 or greater to all exposed areas, at least 30 minutes before going outdoors.
Reapply sunscreen at least every two hours while outdoors.
Stay indoors between 10 A.M. and 3 P.M., when the sun is most intense
Wear loose, light-colored shirts with sleeves, pants, and shoes if you burn easily. Shade the face with a wide-brimmed hat.
Wear UV-protective sunglasses.
Drink plenty of water, as sweating helps cool the skin.
Ask your physician if any of your medications may make you more sensitive to the sun.

Student Health 101 General Health A Reference Guide to Student Health

Skin Conditions

Student Health 101 General Health
A Reference Guide to Student Health