Your skin changes as you age. You might notice wrinkles, age spots and dryness. Your skin also becomes thinner and loses fat, making it less plump and smooth. It might take longer to heal, too. Sunlight is a major cause of skin aging. You can protect yourself by staying out of the sun when it is strongest, using sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher, wearing protective clothing, and avoiding sunlamps and tanning beds. Cigarette smoking also contributes to wrinkles. The wrinkling increases with the amount of cigarettes and number of years a person has smoked.

Many products claim to revitalize aging skin or reduce wrinkles, but the Food and Drug Administration has approved only a few for sun-damaged or aging skin. Various treatments soothe dry skin and reduce the appearance of age spots.

National Institute on Aging

Also called: Cicatrix, Keloid scar

A scar is a permanent patch of skin that grows over a wound. It forms when your body heals itself after a cut, scrape, burn or sore. You can also get scars from surgery that cuts through the skin, from infections like chickenpox, or skin conditions like acne. Scars are often thicker, as well as pinker, redder or shinier, than the rest of your skin.

How your scar looks depends on

• How big and deep your wound is
• Where it is
• How long it takes to heal
• Your age
• Your inherited tendency to scar

Scars usually fade over time but never go away completely. If the way a scar looks bothers you, various treatments might minimize it. These include surgical revision, dermabrasion, laser treatments, injections, chemical peels and creams.

MedlinePlus

Also called: German measles, Three day measles

Rubella is an illness with flu-like symptoms followed by a rash. Common symptoms include:

• Low-grade fever
• Headache
• Runny nose
• Red eyes
• Muscle or joint pain

Rubella is usually mild. You may get it and not even know it. However, adults who get rubella often feel sicker than children do. The biggest danger of rubella is if a woman gets it during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. She may lose the baby, or the virus could cause problems to her unborn baby. Those problems could include cataracts, deafness or damage to the heart or brain.

A virus causes rubella. It can spread from one person to another through the air or through close contact with someone who has it. There is no treatment for rubella, but the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine can prevent it.

MedlinePlus

Also called: Ivy poison, Rhus dermatitis, Toxicodendron dermatitis

If you spend time outdoors, chances are you have been bothered by poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac at some point. Most people are sensitive to the plants’ oily sap. The sap is in the root, stems, leaves and fruit of these plants. If it gets on your skin, it causes a blistering skin rash. The rash can range from mild to severe, depending on how much sap gets on your skin and how sensitive you are to it. Problems can also happen if the plants are burned. Airborne sap-coated soot can get into the eyes, nose, throat and respiratory system.

The best way to avoid the rash is to learn what the plants look like and stay away from them. If you come into contact with the plants, wash your skin and clothing right away. If you develop a rash, ask your pharmacist about over-the-counter medicines. For severe rashes, see your doctor.

National Park Service

Also called: Kala-azar

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease spread by the bite of infected sand flies. There are several different forms of leishmaniasis. The most common are cutaneous and visceral. The cutaneous type causes skin sores. The visceral type affects internal organs such as the spleen, liver and bone marrow. People with this form usually have fever, weight loss and an enlarged spleen and liver.

Leishmaniasis is found in parts of about 88 countries. Most of these countries are in the tropics and subtropics. It is possible but very unlikely that you would get this disease in the United States. But you should be aware of it if you are traveling to the Middle East or parts of Central America, South American, Asia, Africa or southern Europe.

The best way to prevent the disease is to protect yourself from sand fly bites. If not treated, leishmaniasis can be serious. Visceral disease can be deadly.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Also called: Pruritus

Itching is skin tingling or irritation that makes you want to scratch the itchy area. It’s a symptom of many health conditions. Common causes are

• Allergic reactions
• Eczema
• Dry skin
• Insect bites and stings
• Irritating chemicals
• Parasites such as pinworms, scabies and head lice
• Pregnancy
• Rashes
• Reactions to Medicines

To soothe itchy skin, you can try cold compresses, lotions and lukewarm baths. Avoid scratching, wearing irritating fabrics and high heat and humidity. Most itching is not serious. However, if you itch all over, have hives that keep coming back or have itching without an apparent cause, you might require medical attention.

MedlinePlus