Melasma

Melasma is a condition that produces dark skin discoloration that appears on sun-exposed areas of the face, and most commonly affects the color on the apples of the cheeks, the mid forehead, jawline and areas around the mouth. Melasma is a very common skin disorder, and though it can affect anyone, young women with brownish skin tones are the greatest at risk.

Rosacea and Birthmarks

Rosacea is a skin disease that causes redness and pimples on your face, especially targeting the nose, cheeks, chin, and forehead. Most call this condition “adult acne” since it looks very similar to acne and temporarily disappears and comes back. However, Rosacea is different from acne because it can cause burning and soreness around the eyes. Rosacea most commonly appears in people who have light or fair skin, but generally is a condition that is passed down in the family. Rosacea often breaks out when something causes the blood vessels in the face to expand, causing the redness of the face. Common triggers of rosacea include excessive sun and wind exposure, hot weather, stress, alcohol, and exercise. Exposing your skin to extreme temperature changes can also irritate the condition and trigger Rosacea.

Nevus (Moles)

Male pattern hair loss typically induces the problem of a receding hairline also which then leads to more balding to the top of the head. Without hair restoration methods like Propecia, hair loss is eminent as it is a progressive occurrence.

A nevus will appear as dark-colored patch with any of the following characteristics:

* Brown to blue-black color
* Contain hair
* Skin surface may be smooth to irregular or wart-like
* Borders of these lesions are regular or uneven

They are commonly found on the upper or lower parts of the back or the abdomen. They may also be found on the arms, legs and elsewhere on the body, including the palms, soles, and even the mucous membranes and the mouth.
Treatment consists of frequent examination to check for skin cancers and even surgery to remove the nevus if becomes a health hazard. Dr. Umar uses the Lutronic VRM III Spectra laser to remove the nevus from the skin.

Acne

As a board-certified dermatologist and fellowship-trained cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Umar would evaluate your condition and customize the most effective treatment for you. He would advise the best option for you, or a combination of treatments.

Apart from the conventional topical and oral treatment modalities, Dr. Umar employs the use of light treatment technologies (e.g. Clear Light-100) to treat your acne, while at the same time rejuvenating your skin.

Seborrheic Dermatitis

Seborrheic dermatitis is a common skin disorder that can be easily treated. This condition causes a red, scaly, itchy rash that most commonly develops on the scalp, sides of the nose, eyebrows, ears, eyelids, and middle of the chest. When it affects the scalp, it is called “dandruff.” However, dandruff is different from seborrhea because it causes scaling on the scalp but does not induce redness. Patients with seborrhea may later develop seborrheic dermatitis, which causes both redness and scaling. Seborrheic Dermatitis occurs when the body’s natural oil glands begin to produce too much oil, also known as sebum. While for some people, this just results in oily skin, but people who suffer from seborrheic dermatitis have not only the problem with the oily skin, but also an issue with the pityrosporum yeast that begins to grow in the sebum, and this can be further complicated by the presence of bacteria. While this fact has not been fully proven, it is known that when the abundance of sebum is mixed with the unnatural yeast growth, your body creates an ideal surface for seborrheic dermatitis to set in.

Seborrheic dermatitis affects millions of people in the United States alone. Fortunately, this skin condition is more embarrassing than it is a health risk for many people, and it is easily treated. While there is no cure for seborrheic dermatitis, one can learn more about it and lessen the effects, discomfort and embarrassment. If you have seborrhea because of an underlying medical problem, the seborrhea may go away when the medical problem is treated. Improving the condition can be done with gentle washing, avoiding the use of harsh or perfumed soaps that can further irritate the oil glands. For most people, however, seborrhea is a lifetime problem that can be controlled with good hygiene and by using the right preparation. If you are bothered by the seborrhea skin condition, contact a dermatologist for treatment advice and consultation.

Actinic Keratoses

Precancer of the skin typically are always a form of condition known as actinic keratosis (AKs) lesion, i.e., the main precancer that may lead to squamous-cell carcinoma. More than 10 million Americans are estimated to have AKs. A precancerous lesion is a change in some areas of your skin that carries the risk of turning into skin cancer. Precancer is a condition that tends to become malignant but does not necessarily do so; in fact, studies indicate that about one in twenty will develop into skin cancer, which can be alarming to patients who have large numbers of precancers. The actinic keratosis is the precancer that may lead to squamous-cell carcinoma, a potentially deadly tumor. These precancerous lesions can have several causes, such as UV radiation, genetics, exposure to such cancer-causing substances (carcinogens) as arsenic, tar or x-ray radiation.

Repeated, prolonged sun exposure causes skin damage, especially to fair-skinned persons. Sun-damaged skin becomes dry and wrinkled and may form rough, scaly spots which characterize actinic keratoses. It is important that anyone with AKs be under a dermatologist’s care. AKs are considered the earliest stage in the development of skin cancer and have the potential to progress to squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer that can be fatal. Anyone who develops AKs has extensive sun-damaged skin. This makes one more susceptible to other forms of skin cancer, including melanoma.

Pre-cancers:

Years of sun exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light can cause dry, scaly, rough-textured patches or lesions that form on the outermost layer of the skin Actinic Keratoses to develop. These lesions typically range in color from skin-toned to reddish brown and in size from that of a pinhead to larger than a quarter. This condition develops in the skin cells called the “keratinocytes,” which are the tough-walled cells that make up 90% of the epidermis, the outermost layer of skin, and give the skin its texture. They are also called solar keratosis, sun spots, or precancerous spots. Years of sun exposure cause these cells to change in size, shape, and the way they are organized. Cellular damage can even extend to the dermis, the layer of skin beneath the epidermis. One often sees several actinic keratoses show up at the same time. Actinic keratoses are most likely to appear on sun exposed areas such as the face, ears, bald scalp, neck, backs of hands and forearms, and lips. Actinic Keratosis can be the potential first step in the development of skin cancer, and, therefore, is a precursor of cancer or a precancer.

Apart from the usual dermatologist treatment protocols that include: 5-FU, liquid nitrogen, Aldara, etc., Dr. Umar can treat this condition using photodynamic treatment with his CLEAR LIGHT-100 and photosensitizers. The result is the elimination of pre-cancers as well as the rejuvenation of your skin.

Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a common skin disease that affects the life cycle of skin cells by making the skin cells grow too quickly. The body does not shed these excess skin cells, so the cells build up rapidly on the surface of the skin, forming scales and itchy, dry, red patches and lesions. Psoriasis patches can range from a few spots of dandruff-like scaling to major eruptions that cover large areas. Mild cases of psoriasis may be a nuisance. But more severe cases can be painful, disfiguring and disabling. There are five types of psoriasis: Plaque, guttate, pustular, inverse, and erythrodermic. About 80% of people living with psoriasis have plaque psoriasis. Plaque psoriasis causes patches of thick, scaly skin that may be white, silvery, or red. These patches can develop anywhere on the skin, with the most common areas being the elbows, knees, lower back, and scalp.

Psoriasis is a persistent, long-lasting, chronic disease. Faulty signals in the immune system cause new skin cells to form in days rather than weeks. In other words, the cause of psoriasis is related to the immune system, and more specifically, a type of white blood cell called a T lymphocyte or T cell. T cells travel throughout the body to detect and fight off foreign substances, such as viruses or bacteria. However, if you have psoriasis, the T cells attack healthy skin cells by mistake as if to heal a wound or to fight an infection. The reason T cells trigger this reaction seems to lie in our DNA. People who develop psoriasis inherit genes that cause the condition.

Many people find psoriasis to be just a nuisance, but for many others, it can be disfiguring and disabling–affecting their daily lives, especially for someone with arthritis. Most importantly, the inconvenience of having the condition is probably mostly due to the unpredictable nature of psoriasis. Psoriasis is a chronic medical condition. Some people have frequent flare-ups that occur weekly or monthly, while others have occasional flare-ups. No cure exists, but psoriasis treatments may offer significant relief. Lifestyle measures, such as using a nonprescription cortisone cream and exposing your skin to small amounts of natural sunlight, can improve your psoriasis symptoms.

Other services

As a Board Certified Dermatologist, Dr. Umar uses the latest and most effective treatment for all your skin, hair and nail conditions. Contact Dr. Umar for all your medical and surgical dermatologic needs.

Problems easily treated include::

* Skin cancers and pre cancers
* Benign skin growths
* Birthmarks and moles
* Psoriasis
* Acne
* Seborrhea