Skin Habits You Can Do Without
Sunday, April 29th, 2007When your mother nagged you each time she caught you picking your skin, there was a reason. Here’s the short list of why mom was right:
Picking your skin.
This can lead to infections from staphylococcus, temporary discoloration of the area, delay of healing and worse, a scar. If it needs some TLC to heal, then check with your doctor.
Habitually scratching or rubbing the skin.
This can cause the skin to take on a leathery texture that actually may be more symptomatic than the original problem.
Ignoring an itching or bleeding mole.
This is a significant symptom associated with skin cancer. While not all symptomatic moles are melanoma, better to find out early than too late.

Birthmarks are areas of flat or raised discolored skin that are often seen on the body at birth or may develop shortly after birth. While folktales claim various reasons for these blemishes, the exact causes of birthmarks are unknown. However, most birthmarks are not inherited and are not caused by anything that happens to the mother during pregnancy. They vary in color and may be brown, tan, or black to blue, pink or red. Some birthmarks are only stains on the surface of the kin, while others extend into the tissues under the skin or grow above the surface. Normally, some birthmarks grow with the child and change little in color throughout a lifetime, while others fade or darken in time.