Common skin complaints we see at Sensoria

Over the 38 years that I have been treating clients, my colleagues and I have seen thousands and thousands of clients with many skin complaints at Sensoria.

Most have been easy to recognise, others a little more complex and require some investigative work! Some we have had to refer on for medical assistance.

Many people think they are only ones with these skin complaints and, as we have to face the world with our skin, it can affect confidence.

Working in an industry that helps people to have skin confidence is very rewarding, so here are some of the skin complaints we regularly treat ……

Milia

Milia are so widespread that a week never goes past without us treating at least a couple of them.

They are small keratin-filled cysts which look like hard pearly lumps. They gather mainly on and around the eyelids and the upper cheeks.

These annoying little bumps can range in size from a pinhead to several millimetres across.
They can feel unpleasant when you are applying your face creams and make-up, as the skin doesn’t feel smooth to your touch.

If you are unsure what milia look like take a look here at milia

These pesky little lumps can easily be removed, depending on your health and healing capability.

How to remove milia

Sometimes milia will just disappear on their own, but some can linger and we have a few options to remove them at Sensoria and bring your skin back to silky smoothness.

Cryopen is one option. We use a freezing method which feels a bit like a cool breeze blowing onto your skin. The advantage of Cryopen is that it is quick and painless.

There can sometimes be a little bit of skin irritation after treatment due to a histamine response, but clients report on how easy this treatment is to have done.

As gas is charged by the unit, it can be more costly than the other methods if you have quite a few of them.

Short wave diathermy is also an option for removing milia. Whilst cyropen freezes the small lesions, short wave diathermy uses heat coagulation to remove them. It can be uncomfortable if you have many of them, so if your pain threshold is low we recommend using a topical aesthetic cream such as Emla or Ametop applied about thirty minutes before your appointment, to take the sting out of the treatments.

Microlancing uses a tiny, sterile implement to ‘lift’ the milia from the skin. As it leaves a tiny ‘micro wound’ afterwards, it is important to keep the skin very clean and free from makeup until the skin has settled down.

If you find you get recurring milia then a regular skin peel is a good option. The fruit acid peel will aid with deeply exfoliating the skin to avoid the build up of milia.

Milia removal in Cheshire

If you think that you have milia, it is best to come in for a consultation for us to thoroughly assess the area before you make a booking.

We will advise you on the best method of removal based on the size, number and location of the milia as well as your skin sensitivity and your personal preferences.

Rodent ulcers

From time to time we have clients who draw our attention to small patches of skin on their face that are dry and scaly and just ‘won’t heal up’.

Our team are trained to spot a variety of skin conditions and any patches like this that won’t settle down are referred for medical attention as they could be a slow growing form of skin cancer known as ‘rodent ulcers’. Rodent ulcers are basal cell carcinomas and are a very common form of skin cancer.

It is very treatable with a topical preparation prescribed by a medical practitioner and your facial treatments can continue once they have been treated and healed.

They occur a lot in fair skin on those individuals who have had an outdoor lifestyle including:

Playing golf
Sailing
Tennis
Dog walking
Walking
Running
Living abroad

They frequently occur where the sun ‘hits’ the skin such as the bridge of the nose or the top of the forehead.

Skin tags

Skin tags are small pieces of pendulous skin which are found in areas of the body where friction occurs.

This can be due to:

Friction between skin and jewellery – such as where necklaces rub around the neck area.
Friction of skin against skin – think under arms, groin, eyelids
Friction between skin and clothing – for example, where bra straps rub under the breast area and around the neck where collars rub.

If you are unsure what skin tags look like you can see skin tags here. You will notice that the article describes the tags as ‘skin coloured’, but some larger tags can be coloured. This is why they are often confused with moles. If you are unsure if you have skin tags or moles, we will assess the area before treatment to ensure that the method you have chosen is safe and effective for you. We will refer you to a medical practitioner if you have moles.

Skin tag treatment in Cheshire

The treatment options for skin tags are similar to those of milia.

Cryopen can be used to freeze off the tiny pieces of skin. This is fast and painless but can be pricey if you have large tags or if you have a lot of them.

Sometimes there can be some itching on the skin afterwards due to the histamine response. But it is highly effective.

Very large tags may take more than one treatment.

Short wave diathermy is an alternative and uses heat coagulation to seal off the tiny blood vessels which supply the tag with oxygen and nutrients.

The process feels like small hot pin prick sensations and if you feel this can be a bit too much for you, then anaesthetic cream can be applied at home thirty minutes before your appointment.

After a few days the tags will disintegrate or drop off. As with Cryopen, it can take an additional treatment if the tag is very large.

Book skin tag removal near Tarporley

Age spots?This is a very commonly presented skin complaint at Sensoria, both on the face and the hands.

As with the other skin complaints there are a variety of options for removal or improvement, but the best treatment for age spots is prevention. Always use and reapply sunscreen liberally to prevent the formation of age spots.

Age spot removal in Cheshire

Age spots can be improved and treated with a variety of methods.

Cryopen is a good choice and works by spraying the skin with nitrous oxide which freezes the inter-cellular fluid in a matter of seconds, forming ice shards and crystals which rupture the membranes of the pigmented cells, thereby destroying the cell and the pigment.
It is completely painless and very effective.

IPL is used to target the melanin (colour) in the pigmented cells heating it to over 70 degrees and destroying the pigment. The sensation is like a sharp snap of an elastic band. It’s quick and effective.

With both methods be prepared for the aftercare:
The pigmented area will initially get darker and small particles like ‘coffee grains’ will surface.
Do not exfoliate, pick or rub the particles from the skin.
Once the particles have naturally sloughed off, keep the skin protected at all times with SPF until the skin looks ‘back to normal’

Pigmentation patches have a habit of reoccurring unless the skin is looked after correctly. We will prescribe skin care products and skin care habits to keep pigment patches at bay.

’Barnacles of old age’
This is such a horrible term! But they tend to appear as we age. The term is used to describe the thickened scaly patches called seborrhoeic keratosis and are mainly found on the trunk of the body.
Take a look at them here

Treating Seborrhoeic keratosis in Cheshire

As with the other skin complaints, you have a couple of options at Sensoria. ??The first is freezing with Cryopen and the second is with electro cautery with short wave diathermy.

Cryopen is completely painless, but as mentioned above can be more expensive due to the amount of gas units used on these usually fairly large lesions.

Short wave diathermy is the alternative but can be uncomfortable if the lesions are large or numerous.

Both are extremely effective.??You may find after treatment that the patch of skin where the ‘barnacle’ has been removed is paler than the surrounding skin and will need added protection from light and sunlight.

Health & Beauty Cheshire

At Sensoria we like to think of your skin and facial treatments as part of your overall health, beauty and wellbeing plan.

We are keen to make you feel beautiful on the inside as well as the outside. For more advice on how we can help with your self-care and wellbeing so that you shine on the inside as well as the outside, get in touch today.

Originally published April 24, 2022 17:53pm, updated July 14, 2022