Leg swelling can be scary. One leg swollen can be a sign of deep vein thrombosis, a potentially life-threatening condition caused by a blood clot. But there are dozens of other possible reasons for swollen legs—everything from sitting too long in economy class to serious heart or kidney problems.  If your legs, ankles or feet have started to look like sausages, learn some of the main causes of leg swelling and when to see a doctor. A vein doctor can provide an accurate diagnosis and offer treatments for vein-related leg swelling.  Common causes of leg swelling The list of potential c ..read more

You faithfully slather on moisturizer morning and night, but you still have tight skin that feels parched and may be flaky or itchy. What’s the deal? If the mystery of “Why is my skin so dry even when I moisturize?” has you stumped, discover some common reasons why moisturizer doesn’t work and how to fix dry skin for more than a few minutes at a time.  Your moisturizer is too light Frequently, the reason a moisturizer doesn’t work is that it’s the wrong product for your skin type. Light moisturizers and lotions typically contain a lot of water. That means they have less of the lipids (fat ..read more

Stress and hand eczema deliver a one-two punch: Not only can stress trigger hand eczema flares in some people, but dealing with everyday life when you have itchy, red, blistering, cracked skin can cause stress, which—you guessed it—can make eczema on the hands worse. So how do you treat stress-related eczema on the hands?  You may be able to tame flares by using an over-the-counter hand eczema cream or hydrocortisone cream, or even taking oral antihistamines. But if stress or anxiety sends your eczema into overdrive, you’ll want to add some stress reduction techniques to your eczema treat ..read more

Your nails may hold subtle clues to your overall health. So, what does it mean if you have fingernail ridges? They’re not uncommon, especially with age, and usually, they’re nothing to worry about. Occasionally, however, vertical ridges on nails can be a sign of an underlying medical issue, as can deeper horizontal ridges on nails. What exactly do ridges indicate? Read on for answers and to learn how to get rid of ridges on nails. Why do my nails have ridges? The causes of vertical and horizontal fingernail ridges are different, so check out the possible causes for the type of ridges you have ..read more

Acne is an equal opportunity annoyance: Wherever you have oil glands, you can get breakouts. Pimples on your arms, however, might be some other skin condition masquerading as acne. If you want to know how to get rid of arm acne, first make certain that’s what you’re dealing with. Your dermatologist can tell you for sure.  Arm “pimples”: What else could they be? Sometimes, arm acne really is acne. But often, what looks like acne on arms is one of these three problems instead. Keratosis pilaris If your arms look like the skin of a plucked chicken, you could have keratosis pilaris (KP), also ..read more

If your legs feel heavy, walking can seem like wading through glue, and even simple activities can be a slog. One common reason for heavy legs is poor leg circulation caused by chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). Heaviness in legs, especially the lower legs and ankles, is a classic sign of CVI, which also causes varicose veins.  If you’re tired of living with heavy, aching legs and fatigue, leg vein treatment can “lighten the load” and put a new spring in your step.   Leg vein problems typically don’t go away on their own, and over time they get worse, not better. The sooner you ..read more

If clusters of small red or white bumps are making your skin look like freshly plucked poultry flesh and feel like sandpaper, you’re probably wondering how to get rid of keratosis pilaris, aka chicken skin. Chicken skin on the arms can banish short-sleeved shirts and sleeveless tops to the back of the drawer, and bumps on the butt cheeks or face can be even more embarrassing. In most cases, keratosis pilaris treatment is simple.  “The condition is harmless and may eventually resolve on its own,” said Stephanie McNamara, MD, a dermatologist at Riverchase Dermatology. “But if it bothers you ..read more

Skin tags are incredibly common and completely harmless. There’s no need to remove these fleshy little growths that protrude or hang from the skin—but plenty of people prefer to get rid of them, either because they rub against their clothes or they simply look unattractive. Want to know how to get rid of skin tags? Rule number one: Don’t try to do it yourself. There are good reasons to leave skin tag removal to a dermatologist.  What are skin tags? Skin tags (medical term: acrochordons) are soft, noncancerous tumors made up of collagen fibers, nerve cells and small blood vessels wrapped i ..read more

The gender divide is real. Case in point: Men are less likely to wear sunscreen than women and more likely to believe in the concept of healthy tans. Chances are, they’re also less concerned about melanoma prevention. Yet according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, melanoma hits males harder than females. Consider these eye-opening statistics about skin cancer in men: Starting at age 50, men are more likely than women to develop melanoma. Melanoma accounts for 6% of cases of new skin cancer in men compared to 4% in women. Melanoma survival rates are considerably lower for men. For example, males ..read more

Most people get the occasional bout of dry, itchy skin, and it’s often nothing a good moisturizer can’t fix. But if patches of dry, red, inflamed skin keep coming and going, a chronic skin condition such as eczema or psoriasis may be to blame. How can you tell if it’s eczema vs. psoriasis? Surely there are dead giveaways that it’s one or the other? Not necessarily. “While there are some clues that can help set them apart, the difference between eczema and psoriasis is more subtle than many people realize,” said Robert Snyder, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and internist at Riverchase Derm ..read more