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Atopic Dermatitis What is atopic dermatitis? Atopic dermatitis is a long-term (chronic) skin disorder. It causes dry, itchy, scaly patches. The patches are often on the face and the head in babies. It's most common in infants or very young children. Most will show signs of the

Contact Dermatitis What is contact dermatitis? Contact dermatitis is a reaction that happens after your skin comes in direct contact with certain substances. The substances may be: Irritants. These cause direct skin irritation and inflammation. They are the most common cause of

Benign Skin Growths What are benign skin growths? Skin changes as you grow older and are exposed to sunlight, health conditions, trauma, and other environmental changes. Most people have some skin marks, such as freckles and moles. They may multiply or darken over time. "Benign"

Psoriasis What is psoriasis? Psoriasis is a long-term (chronic) skin condition. It causes inflamed, red, raised areas of skin (plaques). The plaques itch and can be painful. The condition most often occurs on the scalp, elbows, knees, and lower back. What causes psoriasis

Scars What is a scar? A scar is the body's natural way of healing and replacing lost or damaged skin. It's often made of fibrous tissue. Scars may form due to infections, surgery, injuries, or inflammation of tissue. They may appear anywhere on the body. A scar may look flat

Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome (SSSS) in Children What is staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome in children? Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSSS) is a serious skin infection. The infection causes peeling skin over large parts of the body. It looks like the skin has

Skin Tests What are skin tests? Skin tests may be done to diagnose rashes, moles, skin allergies, bacterial or fungal skin infections, and other conditions and diseases. Skin tests are also done to tell the difference between cancer (malignant) cells and noncancer (benign)

Treating Aged or Sun-Damaged Skin What is photoaging? Too much sun exposure can cause premature aging of your skin. This premature wrinkling and skin damage from sun exposure is called photoaging. Photoaging is not like natural aging. It causes: Coarse, dry skin. Freckling and

Warts What are warts? Warts are common skin growths. They can spread to other parts of the body and to other people. Most warts go away over a long time with no treatment. There are many kinds of warts. The most common kinds are: Common warts. These grow on the fingers, elbows

Shingles What is shingles? Shingles (herpes zoster) is a common infection of the nerves. It's caused by a virus. Shingles set off a painful rash or small blisters on an area of skin. It can appear anywhere on the body, but it typically appears on only one side of the face or body