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Smoking and Heart Disease The American Heart Association (AHA) says diseases caused by smoking kill more than 440,000 people in the U.S. each year. Most new smokers are children and teens. Smokers have a higher risk for lung disease and other respiratory problems, such as

Acne What is acne? Acne is a disorder of the hair follicles and oil glands (sebaceous glands). The oil glands secrete oils (sebum) to keep the skin moist. When the glands get clogged, it can lead to pimples and cysts. Acne is very common. People of all races and ages have acne

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. These 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. A scar is often made of fibrous tissue. Scars may be formed for many different reasons. They may be due to infections, surgery, injuries, or inflammation of tissue. Scars may

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 diseases. Skin tests are also done to tell the difference between cancer (malignant) cells and noncancer (benign) growths. What are the

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 by contact. Most warts go away with no treatment over a long time. There are many kinds of warts. The most common types of warts are: Common warts. These grow on