(Rotator Cuff Tear; Impingement Syndrome)

Rotator cuff injury – Definition

Rotator cuff injury may include tendinitis, strain, or tear of the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff is made up of muscles and four separate tendons that fuse together to surround the shoulder joint.

Vitiligo – Definition

Vitiligo is a disorder in which white patches develop on the skin. The patches may also appear in the hair, eyes, and mouth. They may appear on any part of the body.

Vitiligo – Causes

The white patches are due to the destruction of melanocytes cells. These cells in the skin make pigment. Loss of pigment causes the skin to become lighter. It looks especially lighter compared to normal skin nearby. This is why vitiligo is more visible in darker-skinned people.

Sunburn – Definition

Sunburn is the term for red, sometimes swollen and painful skin. Sunburn can vary from mild to severe. The extent depends on your skin type and the amount of exposure to the sun. Sunburn is a serious risk factor for skin cancer and for sun damage.

(Basal Cell Carcinoma; Squamous Cell Carcinoma)

Skin Cancer – Definition

Skin cancer is a disease in which cancer cells grow in the skin.

The two most common kinds of skin cancer are:

• Basal cell carcinoma (a slow-growing cancer that begins in the inner part of the outer layer of the skin; rarely spreads to other parts of the body) — It accounts for more than 90% of all skin cancers in the United States.
• Squamous cell carcinoma (a cancer that starts in the outer layer of the skin) — It rarely spreads, but does so more often than basal cell carcinoma.

(Herpes Zoster; Post-herpetic Neuralgia)

Shingles – Definition

Shingles is a painful infection of the nerves and skin.

Shingles – Causes

It is caused by the varicella zoster virus. This is the same virus that causes chickenpox. Shingles occurs in people who have had chickenpox. After causing the first chickenpox infection, the virus is not totally eliminated from the body. Some of the remaining virus settles in nerve roots near the spinal cord. Once reactivated, the virus travels along nerve paths to the skin. There it causes pain and a rash.