In a study published earlier this month investigators found that people who have had shingles are at a 30% higher risk of having a stroke. And that risk is about 4-fold higher if the shingles outbreak involves the eye, a condition called herpes zoster ophthalmicus.

It's hypothesized that the way the varicella zoster virus (VZV) can cause a stroke is by spreading along nerve fibers in the brain to the blood vessels where it causes inflammation and increases the risk of blood clotting.

This study raises many questions about how to prevent stroke in people who've had shingles. It's not known if aggressively treating other risk factors for stroke like high blood pressure and high cholesterol helps reduce this risk.

In a recent study published in the Archives of Dermatology investigators have shown that aggressive microdermabrasion does lead to significant changes in the dermis similar to what is seen in healing wounds.

Microdermabrasion is a popular procedure for skin rejuvenation. The procedure involves buffing the skin with tiny hard beads of aluminum oxide or diamonds which gets rid of dead skin cells on the surface of the skin giving the skin a smoother, more youthful appearance.

Some have suggested that microdermabrasion can also reduce fine lines and wrinkles, acne scars, dark spots, and other signs of aging skin. In order to do this, microdermabrasion would have to cause collagen (the scaffolding of the skin) to be produced, but previous studies with aluminum oxide beads don't always show changes in collagen.

In this study the investigators used diamond-studded handpieces with medium grit and coarse grit on the forearm skin of people with sun damage. The medium grit handpieces did not induce a wound healing response, but the coarse grit handpiece did. In addition the investigators found precursors to collagen production in the skin of the coarse microdermabrasion subjects.

All this talk of buffing the skin with coarse grit diamond pieces may conjure up pictures in your mind of faces with the top layer of skin removed like with a road rash. But the subjects only experienced minimal redness that lasted less than 2 hours.

Do you have a rash that itches? Well, you're not alone. Winter is an especially itchy season when itchy rashes tend to flare up.

Do you know what kind of rash you have? Whether a rash itches or not is often an important clue to knowing what's going on with your skin. The following are common itchy rashes. Do you see yours?

I have a patient with psoriasis who recently had a terrible flare when she had to stop Raptiva. For a month she didn't want to be in public because people would stare at her or ask her questions about her rash that bothered her.

Have you ever encountered this? If so, how did you handle it? Did you say something sarcastic? Tell them to mind their own business? Use the opportunity to explain what psoriasis is and why they should be contributing money for ongoing research? Share your experiences.

The skin has stem cells that produce cells that eventually become part of the skin itself or the hair on the skin. It is by this process that the skin can repair itself after a cut or infection. These stem cells can also make new stem cells in a complicated sequence of turning on and off proteins. In this latest discovery, two key proteins in this sequence have been identified. And these proteins are not just in human skin cells. A similar process goes on in worms.

The discovery of these proteins potentially opens up more possibilities for regenerating skin for burn victims and others, but also for growing hair. Learn more about skin anatomy and, specifically, the epidermis.

Chronic plaque psoriasis is the most common type of psoriasis. It has a characteristic appearance on the elbows, knees, scalp and buttocks. Find out more about the appearance and diagnosis of this type of psoriasis

Scientists have found that combining isothiocyanates, chemicals found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli or cabbage, with selenium may inhibit the development of melanoma. Isothiocyanates by themselves are not very potent, but exchanging a sulfur bond with selenium changes everything. This combination has the potential to inhibit the growth of tumors in mice by 50 to 60 percent.

This combination targets the Akt3 protein that is used in the development of melanoma. Blocking this protein reduced the growth of tumors in mice but did not work equally on 3 different melanoma cell lines.

There is still much more research to be done but the investigators believe their findings may lead to an IV drug that could treat melanoma or an additive to sunscreen to prevent melanoma.

Are you overwhelmed by all the commercials and advertisements that claim their lotion or potion will make your skin look so much better? Do you scratch your head in confusion at all the choices in the skin care aisle of your local drugstore or supermarket? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you're normal.

Read more to get straight talk about skin care basics.

A study recently published in the Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectometry described a system for detecting the smells that are given off by the skin. These are the same smells that dogs use to identify their owners and perhaps even to decide if that new person with his hand out is a friend or a foe.

This electronic nose technique involves ionizing the smells with a cloud of electrically-charged drops and analyzing them using mass spectometry.

Where this technology takes us, I don't know. We've all heard of dogs who can sniff out melanoma. Maybe this device will be able to detect melanoma before it becomes noticeable. Imagine going to your dermatologist not for a skin exam but a good skin sniffing.