When Skin a Disorder Becomes Art

Having a skin disorder that leaves skin itchy and irritated can be an experience that affects a persons lifestyle choices dramatically. According to recent NBC news story the condition dermographic urticarial also called dermographism, meaning writing on the skin, is an exaggerated skin reaction or a type of hive, or urticaria. What happens after a slight scratch is that within minutes, skin feels warm and the area that is scratched gets red, puffy, and raised like a hive. Then, it turns white and later a little pink. Within the next twenty minutes any swelling, itchiness, or markings are gone, and skin appears normal. A New York artist with this condition,  Ariana Page Russell, a 33-year-artist, scratches the letters of a word on her forearm, upper thigh, or stomach, then people can read it because it  looks like she has been writing on her skin.  For Russell, this is skin art. It has had a positive effect on other people who also suffer from the  visible skin disorder. Many of these people tell Page that her decision to put art to her dermographic urticarial helped them to feel better about their condition. While this is an interesting twist on the effects of skin rashes, most people are not willing or able to turn their  dermographic urticarial  into visible art. Patients should be proactive about their skin care including using medical grade skin care treatments for anti-aging , as well as acne treatments.  Provided patients do not have an existing skin disorder that disqualifies them as a candidate, Dr. Kim may recommend facial laser resurfacing which helps reduce acne scarring as well as creates a healthy glow for skin. Injectables including Botox are also effective. Patients of all ages should be concerned with the health of their skin in order to maintain their best appearance for their lifetime.