Fatima Fahs

2 weeks ago | self.com | Fatima Fahs |Alisa Hrustic

Thanks to its hallmark rash, which is characterized by red to brownish bumps that blister, leak fluid, and scab over, shingles, a.k.a. herpes zoster, is usually simple to diagnose. In its earliest stages, however, shingles can be slightly more insidious. That’s because the infection begins with nerve discomfort: a deep burning, sharp tingling, or deep-seated itch in an area where a painful rash will ultimately emerge.

2 months ago | self.com | Fatima Fahs |Brittany Risher

When Lisa Mangini had some mild itching on her chest and right shoulder, she didn’t think much of it. But the next day, raised pink welts cropped up, along with pain that she said felt like glass in her skin. Though she suspected shingles based on how people she knew described their experience with the infection, she talked herself out of going to urgent care. “I was under the impression that only older adults got shingles,” says Mangini, who was 37 at the time.

Jul 25, 2024 | self.com | Fatima Fahs |Katie Camero

It wasn’t until after Marshana Dahlia Spavento, 43, finished devouring her falafel and hummus at an outdoor restaurant in Miami that she noticed the 52 bites on her legs. (Yes, she counted them.) She pulled up her midi skirt and realized that mosquitoes had turned her limbs into a bloody buffet. “I feasted on feta and the mosquitoes feasted on me,” Spavento tells SELF. She broke into a fever later that night as her legs became really swollen and hot.

Jul 19, 2024 | self.com | Fatima Fahs |Amy Norton

Here’s a not-so-fun fact that might surprise you: Skin cancer is not only the most common type of cancer in the United States—It’s diagnosed in numbers that surpass all other cancers combined. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 3 million Americans develop skin cancer every year. Now to the good news: Skin cancer is preventable, can often be caught early (including by the people who have it), and is usually highly treatable and curable.

Jun 26, 2024 | self.com | Fatima Fahs |Rina Raphael

Helen Avery vividly recalls the day she felt a cold breeze on the back of her head. She touched her scalp and discovered a shocking development: a bald spot the size of a tennis ball. Avery, then 40 years old, had survived breast cancer just a year before. She had lost her hair during chemotherapy but it had all grown back. There were no patches, no noticeable thinning.