LYME DISEASE
The professionals at The Dermatology Center of Memorial believe that informed patients are better equipped to make decisions regarding their health and well-being. For your personal use, we have created an extensive patient library covering an array of educational topics, which can be found on the side of each page. Browse through these diagnoses and treatments to learn more about topics of interest to you. Below we include a brief description of some of the Cosmetic Services we offer. Please feel free to contact our offices with questions.
As always, you can contact our office to answer any questions or concerns.
Cosmetic Services
Botox Injection
An excellent treatment for wrinkles caused by muscle movement, Botox injection is a simple procedure taking only 10 or 15 minutes which involves minimal discomfort. Botox is used to treat forehead wrinkles, crow's feet, and frown lines between the eyes. It can also be helpful on the lower face.
Juvederm
Juvederm is a hyalurinc acid filler which can be used to improve wrinkles in the lower face, plump up aging ear lobes, and fill in deep troughs under the eyes. It is not a permanent filler, lasting between six and nine months. Dr. Schwartz has found Juvederm to be a great improvement over the injection of bovine collagen which lasts a shorter amount of time and introduces and an animal substance into the body.
Restylane
Restylane is a hyaluronic acid derivative which absorbs water and adds volume to skin giving a youthful look. Hyaluronic acid is a substance which occurs naturally in skin and which diminishes with age. Injections of restylane are used to diminish deep large smile lines (nasolabial folds) and to fill out the lip and diminish wrinkles around the mouth. It can also help to fill in scars and indentations, to plump up floppy earlobes, and to decrease hollows beneath the eyes.
Other filler materials are available at our office including Radiesse. All injections of botox and filler materials at our office are personally administered by the doctor.
Lyme disease is a bacterial illness and inflammatory disease that spreads through tick bites. Deer ticks house the spirochete bacterium (Borellia burgdorferi) in their stomachs. When one of these ticks bites the human skin, it may pass the bacteria into the body. These ticks tend to be attracted to creases in the body, so Lyme disease most often appears in armpits, the nape of the neck or the back of knees. It can cause abnormalities in the skin, heart, joints and nervous system.
Lyme disease was first identified in 1975 in Old Lyme, Connecticut. More than 150,000 cases have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control since 1982. Cases have been reported from every state, although it is more commonly seen in the Northeast, Upper Midwest and Pacific Coast. Lyme disease has also been reported in European and Asian countries.
There are three phases to the disease:
Early Localized Phase. During this initial phase, the skin around the bite develops an expanding ring of redness. The ring may have a bull's eye appearance with a bright red outer ring surrounding clear skin in the center. Most people don't remember being bitten by a tick. More than one in four patients never gets a rash. The skin redness may be accompanied by fatigue, chills, muscle and joint stiffness, swollen lymph nodes and/or headaches.
Early Disseminated Phase. Weeks to months after the rash disappears, the bacteria spread throughout the body, impacting the joints, heart and nervous system. Symptoms include migrating pain in the joints, neck ache, tingling or numbing of the extremities, enlarged lymph glands, sore throat, abnormal pulse, fever, changes in vision or fatigue.
Late Dissemination Phase. Late in the dissemination of the disease, patients may experience an inflammation of the heart, which can lead to heart failure. Nervous system issues develop, such as paralysis of facial muscles (Bell's Palsy) and diseases of the peripheral nerves (peripheral neuropathy). It is also common for arthritis and inflammation of the joints to appear, which cause swelling, stiffness and pain.
Lyme disease is diagnosed through a combination of a visual examination and a blood test for Lyme bacteria antibodies. Most cases of Lyme disease are curable using antibiotics, but the longer the delay, the more difficult it is to treat. Your dermatologist may prescribe medications to help alleviate joint stiffening.
The best form of prevention is to avoid tick bites. Use insect repellent containing DEET. Wear long sleeves and pants when outdoors. Tuck the sleeves into gloves and pants into socks to keep your skin covered. After a hike, check the skin and look for any tick bites, especially on children. If you do find a tick, don't panic. Use tweezers to disengage the tick from the skin. Grab the tick by the head or mouthparts as close as possible to where the bite has entered the skin. Pull firmly and steadily away from the skin until the tick disengages. Clean the bite wound with disinfectant and monitor the bite mark for other symptoms. You can place the tick in a jar or plastic bag and take it to your dermatologist for examination.