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Show HEALTH ADVICE "ByOrTM6rrirFIsribein fditor, Jovmel the Aneiui Med- leal Auocistien " This la th fifth of a serin of articles in which Dr. Morris Flh-bein Flh-bein discusaes diseases of the skin. ' There ar thre different disease dis-ease of th skin which may affect af-fect the region of the beard in men. Most of them ar puked up In" unsanitary-barber hiipj: Impetigo has already been described. de-scribed. The condition commonly called , barber's itch is known scientifically scientifical-ly as sycosis vulgaris. It represents repre-sents an infection of the hair follicles fol-licles by a germ known as n form of the staphylococcus. The areas chiefly Involved are the upper up-per lip and the beard, although occasionally the eyebrows and eyelashes as well may be involved by th Infection. Women ar seldom attacked by this condition, but cases are known In which th hairy portions por-tions of th bodies of women have been affected. When th pus germ gets Into a hair follicle, a tiny blister appear ap-pear which soon becomes filled with infectious ' material and which may then burst. When the Infectious material Is released, th apot la covered by a crust. The disease is extended by spreading spread-ing of the pus-Infected material. mate-rial. Frequently after th condition develops, there is burning. Itching or pain In the skin. Sometimes' the Infections act so deeply Into th skin that It is difficult to control by the ordinary antiseptics. antisep-tics. When this condition occurs, it must be distinguished, of course, from Impetigo and also from the ringworm Infection of the bearded beard-ed area which It somewhat resembles. re-sembles. Like impetigo, ordinary eases of barber's itch usually clear up under proper treatment without scars. However, there are cases known In which the infection is ao deep that scarring follows and there are also case in which th destruction of the hair follicles fol-licles is so great that th hair Itself disappears from large areas of th akin. Again It Is necessary In discussing dis-cussing an infection of the skin to point out that cleanliness, particularly par-ticularly in shaving, is of the utmost ut-most importance for the prevention preven-tion of this disease. Since it is frequently transmitted in unsan- itnrv hnrher ahnna nconle should make sure that the barber's hands, the towels, his shaving equipment equip-ment and everything else that is applied to the face ar fresh and clean. More and more barbers are dispensing dis-pensing with the unsanitary common com-mon shaving brush. Mor and more they are arranging for suitable suit-able sterilization by heat of equipment equip-ment passed from one person to another. Anyone who succumbs easily to infections of the skin should also watch his general hygiene and his diet. Proper attention to cleanliness, clean-liness, together with plenty of the right food, outdoor air and sun-ahlne, sun-ahlne, will help a skin disease exactly aa it will help every other disease of the human body. Next Ringworm of the face. |