Skin Conditions | dramaticcontexts

Skin Conditions.

Here I have chosen to look at some skin conditions that you can have from birth or can develop as you grown older. I have researched this even though I am only sculpting for an aged make-up it is good to design/understand what it would look like as a prosthetic piece, these conditions may leave scarring or lumps that I would need to be aware of as to sculpt them into my plasterline. I also think this is a vital part of ageing as out skin is the most noticable organ and documenting our physical changes or being aware of what will happen is helping me to imagine myself older, ready for designing.

Acne Vulgaris.

- Oily skin, papules, pustles, cyts and scars are all features of this skin condition

- This is common in adolesents however if it leaves scarring this may still be visiable on older skin

Acne Rosacea.

- Skin has redness in the cheeks and nose

- Capillaries may be dialated

- Unknown cause but drinking alcohol, heat, stress and even spicy food may make the condition worse

- It can be a conditon at any age

Bruising.

- A bruise is created when a part of the body is struck and the muscle fibers and connective tissue underneath are crushed but the skin doesn't break. It is when the blood from broken capillaries near the skin's surface escape by leaking out under the skin. With no place to go, the blood gets trapped, forming a red or purplish mark that's tender when you touch it

- Stages of a bruise:

Stage 1-When you first get a bruise, it's red as the blood appears under the skin.

Step 2- Within 1 or 2 days, the hemoglobin (an iron-containing substance that carries oxygen) in the blood changes and your bruise turns bluish-purple or even blackish.

Step 3- After 5 to 10 days, the bruise turns greenish or yellowish.

Step 4- After 10 or 14 days, it turns yellowish-brown or light brown.

Step 5- After 2 weeks the bruises have normally disappeared.

- Elderly skin brusies easier than younger and can last longer as the healing process is slower for older people

- Only a tempoary condition

Eczema.

- Area of dry skin that may be red, cracked or scaly

- This is a condition you can develop as a child, adolesent, or adult you can also grow out of it however in most cases it is for life

Psoriasis.

- Red patches of skin that are covered in white skin scales

- Commonly found on the knees and elbows

- Stress can aggrivate this condition however it is casued by a keratin fault in the skin

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Figure 2.1

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Stretch Marks.

Stretch marks are cause by stretching of the skin they can be stripes or streaks in the skin, this is because the collagen production has been disrupted which creates the connective tissue. they are often a different colour such as red or purpley and can be cause by growing fast, gaining weight, pregnancy of body building. It has been described that 'they often feel "empty" and soft to the touch.' (Debreceni, 2013, p 62) The are commonly found on breasts, upper and under arms, thighs, hips and bums.

Age spots.

These are known as age spots, liver spots (they do not have any relation to the liver) or solar lentigo, they are found on skin that has been exposed to the sun, normally on the hands, forearms, shoulders and the face as these are the most areas to be exposed to the sun but they don't normally appear until after the age of 40. The spots are areas of skin where the pigment has changed due to growing older or exposure to the skin/UV light. However the surrounding skin is thinner, translucent looking that may appear dry and rough.

Freckles and Moles.

Freckles are tan/light brown spots of melanim pigment in the skin they vary in size however they tend to be small and round. They are most commonly found on light complextions on theface however they can also appear on the body, however it is something you tend to grow into before puberty, it is very rare that they are on infants. As you age they tend to fade however this is not the case if you have very fair skin that doesnt produce alot of melanim.

Figure 2.2

Varicose & Spider Veins.

These types of veins can be found anywhere on the body however varicose veins are most common on the legs they are 3mm plus in size and are found more in females. Varicose veins are veins that have become twisted, bulging, and enlarged and are hereditary. (Debreceni, 2013, p63)

Spider veins are most common around the nose, cheeks and chin that are small dilated blood vessles near the surface.

Birthmarks.

Birthmarks are pigment lesions on the skin - abnormal tissue usually casued by disease or trauma - that forms before birth. Some types of birthmarks even seem to run in families. Varieties of birthmarks are (debreceni, 2013, p 64):

Storke bite/Angels kiss - Pink

- Irregualr and flat but less than 3cm diameter

- Common on the top lip, head or neck

- can fade and dissappear after 12 months

Mongolian blue spot - bluey bruise like look

- Irregular and flat no bigger than 4cm

- Lower back and bum

- Common on dark skinned people

- Can fade in time

Strawberry mark (Hemangioma)- Red

- Raised and lumpy

- Any part on the body

- Normally completely gone by the age of 10

Cafe au lait macule - Light brown

- Oval

- Any part of the body

- Don't fade

Congenital melanocytic nevus - Light brown

- Normally flat but larger ones can be raised

- Range from 1/2 inche to 11 inches

- Any where on the body

Port wine stain - Pale pink at birth turning to a deep wine red as they age

- Irregualr shapes

- Larger than 4 inches

- Often on the face

- Do not fade

Scars.

Scars are caused by an injury that has healed, where fibrous tissue replaces normal skin, however very small cuts are the exception they will no scar. The more damage done by the wound the bigger the scar will be.

Scar Tissue is quiet different from the skin tissue it replaces. For example, hair follicles do not grow back in scar tissue, so this information is necessary in creating a scar effect as part of a makeup design. (Debreceni, 2013, p65)

There are two types of abnormal scars.

Hypertrophic - raised red lump in the shape of th wound but will improve over time

Keloid - raised above the skin and they can grow indefinitely

These types of scars are more common on younger dark skin people. However keloids are normally on the should or chest. Scars can sit sunken into the skin, this is where the underlying fat or structure is not longer there these tend to be cause by ache or chicken pox.