Perioral dermatitis is a common skin condition that occurs around the mouth. It often starts with red, inflamed patches and may then progress to lesions that resemble acne. Though it is not contagious, this can cause discomfort and embarrassment for sufferers as it can lead to conspicuous bumps, blisters, and redness on the skin. We will discuss perioral dermatitis causes, how the condition is diagnosed, treating perioral dermatitis, and how you can prevent perioral dermatitis in order to help you get your skin back on track.  What is perioral dermatitis? Dermatitis is a broad term that is applied to any irritation of the skin.  Perioral dermatitis , also known as periorificial dermatitis, is a common skin condition that often appears as red, scaly patches around the mouth. "Peri," in  Greek, means around, while "oral" refers to your mouth so this means it is a type of dermatitis around the mouth. Perioral dermatitis can be uncomfortable due to its itchy or burnin...

  Minocycline and Doxycycline are both second-generation tetracycline-class antibiotics. They both are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and have been proven effective for the treatment of acne, also known as acne vulgaris, but what else is there to know about them? Here are some of the main similarities and differences between minocycline and doxycycline.  How are Minocycline and Doxycycline Similar? As previously mentioned, minocycline and doxycycline are both second-generation  tetracycline antibiotics . This means they are both slightly modified versions of the naturally occurring parent chemical. Interestingly, both are extremely well-absorbed by the body and have similar elimination half-lives, an indication of how long it takes the body to process and remove the drug after it is taken or administered.  You...

  More than half of all adults in the U.S take at least one prescription medication.  For people who are not on prescription drugs, many regularly take over-the-counter medications that do not require a prescription for common medical problems like seasonal allergies. Even if you do not take any medications on a regular basis, chances are that you’ve taken common painkillers such as acetaminophen or aspirin for a headache. All of these drugs, regardless of whether they require a prescription or not, have certain restrictions on what kinds of other drugs can you can take with them, or what food and drink you can consume along with them. Even vitamins and supplements that you take regularly have restrictions on the types of drugs and foods you can consume with them.  One of the most common things people look for when taking any drug is whether you can consume alcohol along with it. Many medications that can cause side effects such as drowsiness and dizziness can be exacerba...

  Antibiotics are drugs that can treat bacterial infections. Our bodies contain healthy bacteria that live in a specific location, like on our skin and in our colon. When this bacteria moves to another part of the body, like in a urinary tract infection, or if we come into contact with bacteria that is not normally present in our bodies, like in the case of food poisoning cause, this results in a bacterial infection that causes unwanted symptoms and must be treated with antibiotics before we can start feeling better.   For many people, the first thought that arises on being prescribed an antibiotic is whether it is penicillin. Penicillin was discovered more than 90 years ago by Alexander Fleming in 1928. Fleming, a Scottish scientist, accidentally found that a ‘fluffy white’ substance that changed color throughout the course of a few days contaminated a plate of bacteria that he was growing in the laboratory. This fluffy white mass was identified to be a mold ( Penicilliu...

Colds and allergies are both common  medical  conditions that contribute to uncomfortable symptoms like nasal congestion, sneezing, and a runny nose. However, if you have never been diagnosed with allergies before, how can you be sure which condition you’re suffering from and what the best course of treatment is? This cold versus allergies guide will tell you everything you need to know about the causes, symptoms, and  treatments for each condition . Causes Cold and allergy symptoms occur for different reasons, as they have different causes. Because of their different causes, colds may be more likely to occur at different times of the year than allergies. Allergies The term “ allergies ” is commonly used to describe symptoms of allergic rhinitis, also referred to as hay fever. While people can be allergic to many different substances that contribute to a variety of different symptoms, the symptoms that most people associate with allergies primarily concentrate in the nose...