Skin Infections, Fungal and Bacterial Skin Infections, AcneYour skin or epidermis is the largest organ of your body. Sometimes infections can develop – some leaving permanent scars. However, our skin normally does a very good job of keeping us together, cooled, protected and mobile. Your skin is a truly amazing thing. This epidermis covers over 20 square feet (1.8 m2) and you’ll shed 40 lbs (nearly 20 kilo) over your lifetime. It is a living baklava of proteins that help us sweat and hold our guts onto our rigid frame. However, this permeable membrane sometimes becomes host to germs of various sorts. Bacteria, yeast and viruses can all invade and multiply in our body’s largest organ.
The most common intruders, by far, are bacteriae. These are usually caused by the genus Staphylococcus and are usually not dangerous. Bacterial germs account for a great many of the most common ailments, including:
These are usually treatable at home, but if they begin to spread into the bloodstream of make you feel generally ill all over or feverish, it is probably time to go see a doctor and take an antibiotic treatment. Much acne has a bacterial component. A bacterial invader can be spread by skin-to-skin contact, so athletes are at risk. A microbial invasion during a tattoo session is also caused by staph, though are almost unheard of among licensed tattoo artists in North America and Europe.
Of special concern to those who work in dentistry or medicine, is a viral invasions in the skin. In fact, much of the gear worn by dental professionals is to protect them from the contents of your mouth. Hepatitis C is one virus in particular that can get a toehold in small skin openings and multiply before going systemic. Among the most well known viral skin diseases are:
When the body has too much sugar in it, or the sugars are not being adequately absorbed, yeast can multiply out of control. Surprisingly common are vaginal and penile yeast infections, the latter often lying dormant until introduced to a partner. A fungal presentation that is particularly well known is common “athlete's foot.” The thrush that affects women most often on the skin around the genitals is also fungal in nature. Whether an infectious manifestation is large or small, those that involve a breaking of the skin are particularly prone to spreading. If you have any reasons to believe one may be spreading, see a physician immediately.
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