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Also known as Chloasma, Melasma is a condition where there is hyperpigmentation of the skin (dark discolouration). It usually shows on the face, especially around the cheek area but can show over the whole face at times. It is also a condition which affects mainly females with South Eastern Asian genetics, but it can affect anyone including males. 

What is the difference between Melasma and Chloasma?

Chloasma is when the discolouration is caused by pregnancy.

What triggers Melasma?

The primary trigger of Melasma is hormones. In particular, an imbalance between Progesterone and Estrogen. 

Stress (a primary and secondary trigger) can aggravate the condition as well as other conditions which cause hormonal imbalance (for example, pregnancy). 

How do we treat Melasma?

The first step is to see what your hormone levels are through a saliva test. We can then work on balancing your hormones. 

For topical support (on the affected area) we use a natural exfoliator made with fruit peel along with other natural products. 

Nutritional support is important if you are under long term stress (have something to ‘push’ through) or are pregnant.

Can it be cured?

In some cases we can reverse Melasma, but this depends on individual circumstances like age and general health. In most cases we can stop it from progressing or reduce the presentation.

Support
If you would like natural support for Melasma, visit https://www.aurorahealingcodes.com/  to book your appointment.

Rosacea is often thought of as an appearance problem, where the person is red in the face. While this is not untrue, most people do not realise that, when aggravated, it causes eye-sight problems, pain and irritation and face deformity. It also does not just ‘appear’ out of nowhere and the primary cause needs to be addressed if the person wishes to recover.

Four types of Rosacea

There are four different kinds of Rosacea. This doesn’t mean there are four separate types of Rosacea, more that one Rosacea episode can lead into a more aggravated form. 

The first stage is where everything is quite red and the face has capillaries (tiny blood vessels) that are quite noticeable. Many people feel embarrassed about this and with this the face flushes very easily. This is called Erythematotelangiectatic Rosacea (a mouthful to pronounce!).

The next stage is Papilla Pustular Rosacea, where the skin presents with elevations, called papules. This can be quite agitating as the skin is already irritated and burning from the first stage. This often gets confused with Acne. The difference is the papules which form in acne contain pus whereas the Rosacea papules are generally just raised bumps.

Phymatous Rosacea is when the nose starts to enlarge and the person starts to get an out-of-shape, contorted nose. This can become quite evident, further adding to embarrassment.

The last stage is where the ocular comes into play and is usually the most aggravating phase. Ocular refers to the eye and with Ocular Rosacea the eyelid becomes droopy, the eyes become very red and eyesight is affected. 

What causes Rosacea?

As I mentioned, Rosacea doesn’t just happen for no reason. There are primary and secondary triggers (as I have explained in previous episodes). 

Primary Trigger (causal factor)

Hormones - Estrogen dominance, high levels of cortisol and the balance of your hormones generally is the best place to start your investigation.

Secondary Triggers (Aggravating factors)

These are often things that people become aware of through experience, for example:

• Hot, spicy food
• Heat - For example, when washing your face use cool water and pat your face (don’t rub) to dry it (rubbing creates friction which means heat generation). 
• Make-up and creams containing irritating chemicals
• Quick changes of temperature - Creates changes in the capillaries (dilation and constriction)
• Medication - Especially those that increase blood flow as they flush more blood to the area, forcing the capillaries to overstretch and then they have difficulty returning to normal. 
• Histamine producing foods and drinks - For example, wine, tomatoes, fermented food and drinks, dairy, strawberries
• Stress - Directly affects your hormonal balance 

Treatment

Getting the right diagnosis is important as skin rashes, hives, eczema etc can all look similar to the untrained eye but treatment may be different depending on the primary and secondary triggers. 

• Supplementation - Be careful to not take anything that is going to expand the blood vessels. Instead we want something with a cooling effect. 
• Reduce and avoid secondary triggers
• Ocular and nose changes/damage - Once at this point it can be very difficult and perhaps impossible to completely revert the condition and the damage it has caused. 
• Ointments - We have an ointment in the clinic which has a wonderful cooling effect and also works very well for the Papilla Pustular presentation.

To book an appointment (over Zoom or in person) with Maria, contact Perth Psoriasis and Good Skin Clinic through the website https://www.perthpsoriasis.com.au/ 

Next week we will be talking about Lichen Planters.

This week we are talking about Granuloma Annulare and like most skin conditions, it is an autoimmune condition. Granuloma Annulare is often mistaken for the fungal condition, Tinea Corporis (Ringworm) because it looks similar. It is not contagious, does not hurt or burn and can be addressed quite quickly through stress levels and diet. 

The difference between Tinea Corporis and Granuloma Annulare

Tinea Corporis presents as a little raised, reddish, round lesion on the skin, with a well defined edge. It can also be flakey and/or itchy in the middle. Granuloma Annulare also has a well defined raised edge and circular appearance but it has a completely different centre. The centre of the Granuloma Annulare is flat, does not (usually) itch or flake and has a wave of different tones of pinks and purples.

It is worth remembering here that if you have any skin condition which is itchy, it is likely a result of your liver not functioning well (e.g. too much sugar and heavy foods) or you are dehydrated from the sun and/or from not drinking enough water. 

Where does it present?

Granuloma Annulare is most common in females and young adults but can occur in anyone. It presents most commonly on the hands, feet and heels but I have seen it on faces and the trunk of the body as well. Diagnosis can be done through a biopsy.

Treatment

To treat this condition we look at primary and secondary triggers (as we have discussed previously). We know the primary trigger (what caused the condition) is active if there are new lesions appearing on the skin. A calm nervous system is essential for healing so we look at how much stress the body is under and how we can reduce it to help stop the primary trigger. 

We can see if the secondary triggers (what aggravates the condition) are active by looking at whether or not the existing lesions are getting bigger or worse. 

As I said, in most cases, Granuloma Annulare can be addressed quite quickly through stress levels and diet. This is because the Granuloma Annulare affects the fibrin net of the skin which is usually the elastin and collagen. This fibrin net requires nutrients to keep producing elastin and collagen (which is why we look at diet) but it also requires certain hormones (which is case specific).

Vitamin D, Vitamin E, coconut oil and apple cider vinegar can all be helpful when you have Granuloma Annulare as they are very supportive of the skin. However, they will not treat the condition. Treating the condition will require both internal and topical support in the majority of cases for a fast recovery. The longer the condition has been present (before seeking assistance) the longer it will (likely) take to recover.

Next week we are talking about Rosacea. 

To book an appointment (over Zoom or in person) with Maria, contact Perth Psoriasis and Good Skin Clinic through the website https://www.perthpsoriasis.com.au/ 

I have become known as a complementary dermatologist for supporting people with skin conditions in a natural way. Contrary to popular belief skin conditions often involve many different body systems and can be complex to treat. I.e. A topical cream may be required but it likely won't be enough for full healing. This is the first of our holistic skin healing series. 

Before we get stuck in, it is important to note that different conditions mean a different state of your immune system. Or, in simple terms, skin conditions can be caused by processes occurring (or not occurring) deep in the body. This can get quite complicated, so while I am speaking about how you can help yourself, keep in mind that you may require professional assistance to get to the root cause of the problem. 

When looking at health and disease there are certain steps the body has to go through. For example, if you are diagnosed with cancer this comes from a progression of stages which has occurred within the body, involving many body systems. There is also a hierarchy within the organ systems and skin would be near the top of that hierarchy, where it is generally the first symptom you will notice and is often the last symptom to disappear. This is not true for every case but it is quite common.

There are also conditions which are more inflammatory in nature and which can come from either external or internal sources. For example, if you are stung by a bee (external inflammatory source)  there will be redness, swelling and pain on the area of skin where you were stung. An internal inflammatory source would be something coming from inside of the body, like hormonal imbalance. 

When we speak about chronic conditions we are speaking about conditions which develop over a period of time. As I indicated, these cases develop with many other organ systems involved and thus take longer to address because there are more of the body systems which need balancing.

The reason why I am taking the time to stress the hierarchy of body systems involved in many skin conditions is because many people believe that when there is a chronic skin condition that the gut is to blame. This is not true. The gut may well be part of the problem but there are many more systems which will need to be balanced to bring the skin back into harmony and it’s probable that these other systems will need to be prioritised over the gut. 

Another way to look at skin conditions (instead of acute or chronic) is to think of it in terms of external triggers (e.g a bee sting or chemical exposure) vs internal triggers (body system malfunction).

Treating skin conditions is something that practitioners have been trying to master for a very long time and it takes a lot of study to begin understanding it. 

As a general rule of thumb. If something is red, burning, swollen and itching then you need to reduce the amount of histamines you are ingesting, are exposing your body to or which are being produced by your body. 

As an example, if you have a really hot shower and your skin gets red, the redness is a result of histamines being produced. This same effect can happen while exercising when you overheat. 

Some foods like strawberries create a histamine response in the body. These are things that are imperative to remove (especially in acute cases) if we are going to address conditions coming from histamine responses (red, itchy, burning, swelling).

Our body also detoxifies through the skin when the liver, lymphatics and kidneys are not able to detox effectively. So you can see how important it is to have good nutrition not only to reduce the amount of histamine foods but also to supply the organs of detoxification (liver, lymphatic, kidneys) with the nutrition they need to work effectively. 

A good example of this is when we have a diet with too much acid-forming foods and drinks (e.g. caffeine, fizzy drinks, sugar) and heavy foods containing too much cholesterol (e.g. fried foods, coconut oil etc).

We have spoken in previous episodes about how the extracellular space becomes very dense/thick when the body pH is too acid making it difficult to detox. (Listen to episode 20 for more information on body acidity and what causes it)

We need to consider the state of the liver, the PH of the body and consequently the minerals. If the minerals are not in balance you are going to be slow to regenerate your skin and have a good immune response. (I have recorded a whole series on mineral therapy. If you haven't listened already it is well worth your time in order to understand how minerals affect and regulate your body at the deepest level).

When we address skin conditions in this series we are going to look at primary triggers and secondary triggers. A primary trigger is something which initiates a condition, whereas a secondary trigger is something that continues to aggravate the original flare or symptoms. 

Each condition has different primary and secondary triggers. For example, in the case of scabies there are little midgets that burrow under the skin, creating a tunneling system. In this case we can see that the midgets/scabies are the primary trigger. The body's immune response should be to rid itself of the scabies. If the immune response is not adequate we need to look at pH (acidity) and minerals to see what is out of balance/why the immune response is not working. Therefore the secondary trigger is likely to be pH and/or mineral imbalance. In this case, while we would support the immune response, we would look at attacking the initial agent (the scabies) itself as our primary focus.

In another example let's say we have a burn. The primary trigger is heat but as part of the healing process we look at nutrition and protection because we need to regenerate our skin (which requires protein, minerals and adequate fluids) and avoid infection from external sources. In this case, we are focusing on avoiding the potential secondary triggers (lack of nutrition and exposure to pathogens) as our main focus of treatment.

What happens when you have a long term inflammatory condition?

These types of conditions cause a lot of suffering and we often see people coming into the clinic desperate for help. Examples are eczema, dermatitis, granuloma annularis, rosacea, acne, fungal conditions and nine different forms of psoriasis.

As these conditions involve many body systems, we are going to be addressing these in the coming episodes.

If you require support for your skin problem (or any other health problem) head to https://www.aurorahealingcodes.com/ to book an appointment with Maria Arora.