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It’s soft, cuddly, and downright immaculate: baby skin can be a sight to behold. All of a sudden, it may turn red, itchy, and irritated.

For all one knows, it’s not just simple rash. It may be eczema, an inflammatory condition of the skin. Among babies, eczema appears as conspicuously ruddy, irritated patches on the mouth, cheeks, and scalp, although it may also be found on the chest, legs, arms, elbows, back, feet, and knees. Baby eczema may worsen to become prominent bumps on the skin.

There could be any number of causes attributed to baby eczema. Genetics, more often than not, plays a hefty factor. Eczema is more likely to occur in babies of families with a history of the condition.

Eczema typically tips off an immune system compromised by allergy or asthma. Or it may simply have to do with an overly sensitive baby skin. Either way, eczema doesn’t develop in babies until a month or so.

It is not contagious, but it can be hard to identify which irritant triggers the condition. Irritants may consist of certain food, such as milk, fish, wheat, and eggs, or materials like animal dander, grass, and dust. Treatment, then, involves identifying the irritant and keeping them away from the baby.

If the doctor confirms a baby eczema, he or she may prescribe topical medications, usually containing corticosteroids. Sometimes the doctor may prescribe antihistamine pills. At most, the doctor may recommend ultraviolet light therapy for severe cases.

As an upshot of sensitive skin, baby eczema is preventable. Guardians should only use mild skin products, if at all, for their wards. It also pays to apply emollient cream, moderately, on baby skin.

Guardians may also try limiting baby baths. Excessive water can strip away the skin’s natural oil, making it susceptible to eczema and rashes. Baby baths should be short and sweet, the bathwater not too cold but not too hot. Soft towel must be used to dry baby skin.

Babies should wear soft cotton clothes. Wool may irritate baby skin.

Over the years, dermatology has increasingly depended on laser. In turn, laser has made invasive procedures all the more unnecessary.

Technically, laser is a form of light, unique for its monochromatic, collimated, and coherent properties. Because laser is monochromatic, skin structures such as hemoglobin, melanin, and water, easily absorb it.

Dermatology clinics today exploit a wide range of laser technologies. They include the likes of copper bromide lasers, APTD lasers, krypton lasers, KTP lasers, copper bromide lasers, and so on.

One of the more well-known is the pulsed dye dermatology laser. Evidently, it uses a liquid dye, through which the beam of laser must pass to take another color. Usually, it produces yellow light, absorbed easily by hemoglobins.

Hemoglobin and other pigments like melanin are also drawn to argon dermatology lasers. They often emit green and blue lasers, at wavelengths as low as 488 nm and no more than 514 nm.

Yet another popular form is the carbon dioxide laser, distinct for its hydrophilic infrared light. This dermatology laser may be focused or unfocused at the behest of the dermatologist. Best of all, it can treat some degrees of skin cancers.

As its name connotes, the ruby laser emanates red light at a wavelength of 694 nm. Meanwhile the alexandrite laser has a wavelength of 755 nm. Between wavelengths of 407-420 nm is the violet-blue metal halide laser.

At 308 nm, the excimer dermatology laser parallels ultraviolet light. On the other hand, the diode laser emits a beam with an 800 nm wave length.

Dermatologists also have the Nd - Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Nd YAG) laser. This is a very versatile dermatology laser, seeing as it has a very high wavelength (1064 nm). It can delve deeply into the skin. Even higher is the erbium YAG, its wavelength hovering at 2940 nm.

As various kinds of laser sprout, dermatology clinics are finding more uses for them. Dermatology lasers are being indicated for a growing list of skin conditions.

Vascular lesions are the likeliest candidates for rectifications by laser. Port-wine stains, telangiectasias, hemangiomas, café au lait macules—dermatologists can easily get rid of many kinds of lesions using the pulsed dye laser.

In addition, dermatology laser is becoming a fountain of youth of sorts. For many dermatologists, laser can effectively get rid of wrinkles. In much the same way, it can reverse years of sun damage on the skin. High-energy CO2 laser is conventionally used in many skin rejuvenation techniques.

To an extent, dermatology laser can also do away with scars. It can even out a scar and take out any pigmentation surrounding it. For best results, dermatologists may complement it with steroids.

As for hair removal, the Nd YAG laser can easily do the job; waxing, in comparison, could look neanderthal. At the very least, hair won’t reappear three months after a laser hair removal. Likewise, lasers are used for wart removal.

Finally, the right dermatology laser can undo a tattoo. A laser beam can easily disperse the ink, although results may vary according to the patient’s skin type, age, and the nature of the tattoo.

The branch of medicine that focuses on the genitourinary system, its disorders, symptoms, and treatments is called urology. But aside from the urinary tracts of males and females, urology also deals with the medical aspects of the male reproductive system. Medical professionals that are specializing in the field of urology are known as urologists and they are allowed by law to perform examinations, surgeries, and oversee treatments on patients diagnosed with urological diseases.

Urology, due to the other functions of the organs of the genitourinary system and its close relation to the reproductive system, sometimes partly cover with or even go beyond the medical branches of oncology (branch of medicine that deals with cancer), gynecology (health of the female reproductive system), andrology (health of the male reproductive system), nephrology (functions and diseases of the kidney, a branch of internal medicine), and proctology (anus).

Some sub-branches of urology include; neurourology, pediatric urology, and urologic oncology. Neurourology primarily deals with the nervous system and its control on the genitourinary system. Urological disorders such as abnormal incontinence, overactive bladder, and urinary retention are sometimes related to neurological diseases like Parkinson ’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injury. Pediatric urology is focused on urological disorders that occur in children. Urologic oncology is concerned with the cancers that involve organs in the genitourinary system, such as prostate cancer, penile cancer, and bladder cancer. Other sub-branches are stone diseases, sexual dysfunction, and male infertility.

The medical branch that concerns with the nervous system, its disorders and diseases, their symptoms and treatments is called neurology. It particularly deals with the diseases involving the involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, their causes and the other body parts that are affected by such disorders.

Medical professionals that are trained in the field of neurology are called neurologists. They are extensively trained to handle, diagnose, and treat neurological disorders. Despite the broad scope of their specialization, neurologists do not perform surgeries when required. In cases where surgery is an immediate necessity, neurologists refer their patients to neurosurgeons and interventional neurodiologists.

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Neurology, in most cases, tag with other relate medical branches such as clinical neurophysiology (in the United States, this field is included within the scope of psychiatry), psychoneuroimmunology (concerned with interactions between the nervous systems and the immune system of the human body), and neuropsychiatry (mental disorders). The degree of the overlapping of these fields varies from country to country, depending on the medical prerequisites set by each government. It has been argued that there is no definitive distinction between neurology and psychiatry. Neurological disorders most of the time display psychiatric characteristics and attributes, such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease.

Dermatology is a branch of medicine dealing with diverse diseases of the skin and its attachments including nails, hair and sweat glands; the mucous membrane and a number of STDs (sexually transmitted diseases).

These disorders include warts, acne, skin cancers, multiple inflammatory dermatoses, occupational dermatoses, autoimmune diseases and contact dermatitis. The treatment varies from surgical procedures (sclerotherapy, excisions, hair transplants, liposuction, tissue augmentation therapies, and laser surgery), therapy for photoaging skin and prevention of diseases and cancers of the skin.

A dermatologist is a medical doctor who practices dermatology. There are several aspects to the specialty.

Dermasurgery covers skin cancer surgery, photodynamic therapy, laser surgery, liposuction, sclerotherapy, and cosmetic procedures using botulinum toxin or botox. Dermatopathology is a sub-specialty of anatomical pathology concerning skin diseases. Immunodermatology is the study of the skin as an agent of immunity in health and disease. A number of areas have special focus, such as inflammatory diseases (atopic eczema and allergic contact dermatitis), photo-immunology (effects of UV on skin defense), the immunology of microbial skin diseases (leprosy and retrovirus infections) and autoimmune skin diseases such as psoriasis and vitiligo.

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The study of the effects of hazardous amounts of chemicals on living organisms is called toxicology. Included in this branch of medicine are the symptoms, treatments, and detection of dangerous levels of chemicals present, but primarily, toxicology is focused on human poisoning. In simple terms, toxicology is the science of poisons and toxins.

Theophrastus Phillipus Auroleus Bombastus von Hohenheim (1493 - 1541), or more commonly known as Paracelsus and considered by many as The Father of Modern Toxicology, declared that living beings are constantly open to chemicals. Poisoning occurs when a living being is exposed to chemicals that have reached unsafe dosages. Hence the maxim, “the dose makes the poison”. Paracelsus was also the first person who elaborated on the dose-response relationship of toxic substances.
As a science, toxicology is an interaction of chemistry and biology, since the field deals with chemicals and its effects on a living organism. Today, there are several sub-branches of modern toxicology; each has its own specific area of concentration. Several sub-branches include:

* Clinical Toxicology
* Forensic Toxicology
* Industrial Toxicology
* Environmental Toxicology
* Biochemical Toxicology
* Molecular Toxicology
* Product Development Toxicology
* Regulatory Toxicology

Technological advances in various fields have allowed the creation of synthetic toxins, which, according to Rachel Carson, are more difficult to deal with than natural toxins because of their unique structures and compositions.
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Pulmonology is the study and science of the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the lungs. It is considered as a subspecialty of internal medicine as it deals with the study and treatment of the diseases of the lungs and respiratory tract.

Pulmonology is also known in other countries as Pneumology, Respiratory medicine, Chest medicine and Pulmonary medicine. This branch of medicine is also closely related to intensive care medicine as it deals with patients that require mechanical ventilation.

Chest medicine is not a specialty by itself but it is a term used to describe the treatment of chest ailments and it also includes the fields of pulmonology, intensive care medicine and thoracic surgery.

The primary focus of the Pulmonology is the treatment of lung diseases including the handling and prevention of tuberculosis. Medical experts specializing in Pulmonology are called pulmonologists.
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Pulmonologists are physicians that have received a medical degree MD or had completed residency training in internal medicine for three years and followed it by at least another two years of subspecialty fellowship training in pulmonology.

With the various clinical problems in relation to lungs and respiratory tracts, pulmonologists are expected to possess medical knowledge of internal medicine and other specialties that deal with lung conditions. The common diseases under are asthma, pneumonia, tuberculosis, cystic fibrosis and lung cancer.

Pediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents.

Childhood is the period of maximum growth, progress and maturation of the many organ systems in the body. Years of training and experience in pediatrics go into identifying the difference between normal and abnormal variants.

The smaller body of an infant is considerably different physiologically from that of an adult. Aside from this obvious disparity, other issues such as genetic variance, congenital defects, oncology, and immunology are unique to the domain of pediatrics. Diseases like cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, infectious diseases and immunizations, congenital heart defects, and leukemia in children are now more frequently treated by pediatricians.

In the U.S., pediatricians are deemed to be primary care doctors, alongside those who are into internal medicine, family practice, and obstetrics. The rest of the world views them as specialists.
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The branch of medicine that deals with diagnoses and treatments of ear, nose, throat, and head and neck disorders is called Otolaryngology. Doctors who specialize in this branch are called Otorhinolaryngologists (ORL) or otolaryngologists. However, they are more commonly known as Eye, Nose, and Throat (ENT) doctors.

Otolaryngology focuses on diseases found in the larynx, sinuses, upper pharynx, and oral cavity. ENT doctors are also trained to treat and manage disorders affecting a person’s neck and face structures, as well as possible speech impairments.

There are two special areas of Otolaryngology. The first area involves the study, treatment, and management of ear and temporal bone diseases. This is called Otology/Neurology. It also involves diagnosis and treatment of hearing and balance disorders.

The second area of Otolaryngology is focused on ear, nose, and throat disorders that occur in children. Pediatric Otolaryngology focuses on children’s problems with speech, voice, language, and hearing.

Known as the oldest medical specialty in the United States, the practice of Otolaryngology dates back to the 19th century when doctors developed several techniques and tools aimed at studying the structures of the head and neck.

An otolaryngologist who deals with nose disorders is called a rhinologist, while an otologist is an ear specialist. Otolaryngologists who concentrate on problems of the throat are called laryngologists.

The practice of Otolaryngology also involves cosmetic plastic and reconstructive surgery.
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Ophthalmology is a branch of medicine that deals with the disorders, diseases, and the corrective measures involving the eyes and parts related to the process of seeing, including the optic nerves, the brain, the eyelids, and the lacrimal system. Ophthalmology is a different practice from optometry, though there are several areas where both branches overlap. While practitioners from both fields can perform and interpret visual examinations and prescribe medications and optical aids such as eyeglasses, the ophthalmologist is the only person allowed by law to perform surgical procedures on a patient’s eye/s if such necessity is required. On the other hand, an optometrist can only refer a patient to an ophthalmologist if a surgery involving the eyes is needed.

The practice of ophthalmology dates back to the age of the Babylonian Empire, as evidenced by the Code of Hammurabi, in which texts related to ophthalmology are found detailing the procedures, the rates, and the penalties for medical malpractice. However, given the fact the eye disorders were already present during periods stated in the Holy Bible, it is assumed that the art of ophthalmology has been observed much earlier than the time of the Babylonians, despite the lack of evidences to prove such assumption.