What Is Giant Cell Arteritis? Skin and Scalp Symptoms, Risks & Treatment Options
What Is Giant Cell Arteritis? Skin and Scalp Symptoms, Risks & Treatment Options Giant cell arteritis, also called temporal arteritis, is an inflammatory disease of medium and large arteries supplying the scalp, temples, jaw, eyes, brain, aorta, and sometimes limb arteries. Swelling within the artery wall narrows the vessel and threatens blood flow. It is […]
What Is Geographic Tongue? Tongue Patch Changes, Causes & Treatment Options
What Is Geographic Tongue? Tongue Patch Changes, Causes & Treatment Options Geographic tongue, also called benign migratory glossitis, is a harmless inflammatory tongue-surface condition that creates smooth red or pink patches where filiform papillae temporarily disappear or flatten. Pale white, cream, yellowish, or grey borders can give the tongue a map-like appearance. The patches may […]
What Are Genital Warts? Skin Growths, HPV Causes & Treatment Options
What Are Genital Warts? Skin Growths, HPV Causes & Treatment Options Genital warts are benign skin or mucosal growths caused by certain types of human papillomavirus, or HPV. They may appear as one bump, several grouped bumps, flat patches, stalk-like growths, or cauliflower-like clusters around genital or anal skin. The growths are often painless, and […]
What Is Genital Herpes? Skin Symptoms, Spread & Treatment Options
What Is Genital Herpes? Skin Symptoms, Spread & Treatment Options Genital herpes is a lifelong viral infection of the genital or anal region caused by herpes simplex virus type 1 or type 2. HSV-2 is strongly associated with recurrent genital infection, while HSV-1 can reach genital skin through oral-genital contact. Many infections are mild, unrecognised, […]
What Is Gangrene? Skin Tissue Death, Causes & Emergency Treatment
What Is Gangrene? Skin Tissue Death, Causes & Emergency Treatment Gangrene is the death of body tissue caused by critically reduced blood flow, a serious infection, or both. It often affects toes, feet, fingers, and limbs, but it can also damage muscle, internal organs, or genital and perineal tissue. Dead tissue cannot return to normal. […]
What Is Frostbite? Cold Skin Injury, Stages & Treatment Options
What Is Frostbite? Cold Skin Injury, Stages & Treatment Options Frostbite is an injury that happens when skin and underlying tissues freeze after severe cold exposure, most often affecting the fingers, toes, ears, nose, cheeks, and chin. Numbness can hide worsening damage. Frostnip may resolve without permanent injury, but suspected superficial or deep frostbite needs […]
What Are Fordyce Spots? Visible Oil Glands, Causes & Treatment Options
What Are Fordyce Spots? Visible Oil Glands, Causes & Treatment Options Fordyce spots are visible sebaceous, or oil-producing, glands that appear on thin or hairless areas such as the lips, inside the mouth, or genital skin. They are a harmless normal anatomical variation. They are not an infection, skin disease, or STI and are not […]
What Is Folliculitis? Hair Follicle Inflammation, Causes & Treatment Options
What Is Folliculitis? Hair Follicle Inflammation, Causes & Treatment Options Folliculitis is inflammation of one or more hair follicles that can cause small red, skin-coloured, itchy, tender, burning, crusted, or pus-filled bumps on hair-bearing skin. It is not one single infection. Infection, shaving, friction, occlusion, sweat, products, medicines, and inflammatory disorders can produce similar follicular […]
What Is a Fissure? Skin Crack, Causes & Treatment Options
What Is a Fissure? Skin Crack, Causes & Treatment Options A skin fissure is a crack or split in the skin that forms when the outer barrier becomes too dry, thick, inflamed, stretched, softened by moisture, or damaged. The crack may be shallow or deep, painful, stinging, and sometimes bleeding. A fissure is a lesion […]
What Is a Fibrous Papule? Facial Bump Appearance, Causes & Removal Options
What Is a Fibrous Papule? Facial Bump Appearance, Causes & Removal Options A fibrous papule is a small benign facial bump made of fibrous tissue, collagen, fibroblast cells, and small blood vessels. Also called a solitary angiofibroma, it most often appears on or around the nose and usually remains stable and painless. This page covers […]