Tag: acne

Acne the What, Why and How

Did you just wake up and go to the bathroom to freshen up and got the shock of your life? You see something odd on your forehead, that wasn’t there the previous night when you went to bed. It looks ugly and you wish it would go away.

The What:

That ugly thing that pops up on our face when we least expect turning our world upside down is what an acne is. Also known as pimples, these are outburst through our skin pores thanks to all the grime and dirt that has accumulated there. It typically occurs during the adolescent phase in a person, say, during their teenage years. And some are lucky, they don’t get acnes at all, while others see clusters of them on their face. It is not something that only girls get, there are boys who suffer from this as well. If you are lucky, it will last couple of days, and then disappear never to reappear again, but the unfortunate ones see signs of acne through their life, some of which leave behind scars.

The Why:

The most common kind of acne is the acne vulgaris which translates to common acne. The face is the region of the face that is affected in almost 90% of the cases, at times, people get it on their forearms or chest region. But those are called Keratosis, and not acne, since they are bigger in size and last longer than a common acne. It is basically eruptions in our skin due to dirt and other particles settling in. if the acne is very severe, and looks like a big boil, it could be a cyst, in which case one needs to be careful and not touch it too much. If they do, it might erupt, ooze with puss and not be a pretty sight.

The How:

For some, acne is such a big problem, that they think of skipping school or college. They don’t want to face their friends for fear of being ridiculed. For some girls, hormonal changes in their body leads to acne, and for this there is no cure but to let nature takes it course. There is no need to panic or worry about these little boils,.as they are our body reacting to changes happening inside. If it is due to bad eating habits, or intake of oily foods on a regular basis, acne or pimples occur when the follicles are blocked and does not get enough oxygen. If you were to touch an acne and then use those fingers on other parts of your face, you might spread the infection and see more tiny pimples occurring over the next few days.

So, it is better to control yourself and keep your hands away from your face and wash your face multiple times during the day. In the market, there are various products that claim to make the acne go away in a day or two, but be warned that they are miracles and not likely to disappear.

Acne Keeping Your Face Clean

Since acne is a condition that occurs from within your body and exhibits on the outside of your body, you need to,

– Attack acne from inside your body
– Attack acne from outside your body

If your acne is not to severe, all you might need is a good cream and need only to follow a few steps to get you past the periods where acne is active. If your acne is more severe, than you may have to follow more of the steps outlined.

Acne is an excessive toxic condition within your body, which the internal elimination organs are unable to eliminate. So your toxins are moved into your blood and excreted through your skin. It is an automatic survival mechanism your body initiates in an effort to protect the insides of your body cells, liquid, blood, organs, and tissues.

There are various areas that you need to look at,

– Keep your face clean
– Using your favorite face cream
– Making changes to your diet
– Get plenty of sun, air, and water
– Vitamins you need to be taking
– Minerals you should be taking
– Special detoxifying drinks or supplements

If you use face cosmetics, you need to stop. Some cosmetics irritate the skin and can cause acne by plugging up your pores on your face. The cosmetics chemicals that can cause you the most skin and pore irritation and inflammation are:

Mineral, Oil, Lanolin, Parabens, Propylene, Glycol

Look at the label of the cosmetics you use. You will find that many cosmetics, soaps, and sunscreens contain these chemicals.

Find a water base make up, not an oil base. Find one that does not irritate your face and use it sparingly

When you wash your face dont use any commercial soaps since they are filled with chemicals that will irritate and worsen your acne condition. And dont excessive wash your face as this will dry your skin of the natural protective oil. Also, dont keep touching your face since you spread or add bacteria to it.

To wash your face use only,

– Castile hand or liquid soap
– Pure glycerin hand soap

You can pat your face with a clean hot face towel to bring circulation to your face and to help open and move the toxic material, in the pimple, to the surface. Do not scrub hard to burst a pimple but just scrub lightly to burst a pimple when it is ready to open.

Use the hot towel application only 2-3 times per week.

When a pimple is open do not continue to rub or scrub it. In fact do not pick or scratch an open pimple since this could create other sores or leave scars that are difficult to remove. Just washing your face with clean soap will keep your face free of toxic matter.

Keep in mind, whatever you put on your skin will move into your skin and into your bloodstream.

Most commercial creams, lotions, and soaps are filled with all kinds of chemicals that are toxic to your body. By using them you are making your liver work harder.

During the day or at night avoid resting your cheeks or chin on your hand(s) or arm(s). This can irritate your face and cause acne to breakout. When you sleep, try to sleep on your back and not with your face or side of the face into your pillow.

Acne: Fact And Fiction

Myths about acne die hard. Old wives tales about its causes continue to persist, in spite of scientific condition to the contrary. This article aims to shed light on some common myths about acne and attempts to separate fact from fiction.

Myth 1: People who have acne are unclean and maintain poor hygiene

There is absolutely no truth to this statement. Acne is caused by a hormonal imbalance in the body. When the oil glands responsible for keeping our skin waterproof and moist, over react to produce excessive quantities of sebum, they block the associated hair follicle, causing clogged pores, which develops into acne. So hygiene has absolutely nothing to do with it. In fact unnecessary scrubbing of the skin can exacerbate the problem. Do take care of your skin though – wash your face gently and pat dry.

Myth 2: Eating the wrong foods will lead to acne

The fact is that there is no co-relation between what you eat and acne. The chocolates, the French fries, the cheese pizza, and all those other fatty foods that have been lambasted ever so often, because of their unhealthy consequence have no affect whatsoever on your skin. However, eating a well balanced diet makes sense. So while you dont have to be concerned as to whether your favorite treat affects your skin (at least directly), do remember that it does affect your overall health.

Myth 3: Acne is caused by stress

The truth is that the stress that most of us experience as part of our day-to-day existence does not lead to acne. Sometimes, acne can arise as the side-effect of drugs taken to treat severe stress. Talk to your doctor to find out if your stress medication is responsible for your acne. Stress can however make an already existing acne condition worse.

Myth 4: Acne is a merely a cosmetic disease

Well, acne does affect the way you look and yes, it is considered a threat to your physical well being. However, the fact remains that in some cases acne can lead to permanent scarring which is more than just purely cosmetic. Acne affects people psychologically. It is known to affect their perception of themselves, their self-esteem and confidence and their interaction with others. It can cause feelings of frustration, depression and social embarrassment.

Myth 5: Acne can not be cured

With the kind of products that are available in the market today, there is no reason why anyone should have to suffer the agony caused by acne. The fact is that acne can be cleared up with the right medication and a regime specific to their needs. Consult your dermatologist if you have acne.

Acne Cysts And Their Treatment

Deep cysts, inflammation, extensive damage to the skin and scarring characterize severe acne. It often requires an aggressive treatment regimen and should be treated by a dermatologist. Severe forms of acne can require years of treatment and may experience one or more treatment failures. However, almost every case of acne can be successfully treated. There are five popular treatments for acne cysts. There are many effective treatments that are available currently.

Drainage and surgical excision, inner lesion corticosteroid injection, isotretinoin (a potent drug for treating severe cystic acne), oral antibiotics, and oral contraceptives are the most popular treatments. Some people may choose a more natural treatment for severe acne, which will also be covered briefly in this article.

Drainage and extraction, or acne surgery as it is also called, should not be performed by patients and is used on some large cysts that do not respond to medication and require drainage and extraction. Dermatologists are trained in the proper technique and perform acne surgery under sterile conditions. Patient attempts to drain and extract acne cysts, by squeezing or picking, can lead to infection, worsening of the acne and scarring.

When an acne cyst becomes severely inflamed, there is a good chance it will rupture and scarring will occur. To treat these severely inflamed cysts and prevent scarring, dermatologists may inject such cysts with a diluted corticosteroid. This lessens the inflammation and promotes healing of the acne cyst. An inner lesion corticosteroid injection works by melting the cyst over the course of a few days.

Oral antibiotics have been a basis of therapy for severe acne for many years. Like topical antibiotics, oral antibiotics work to reduce the “P. acnes”. “P. Acnes” are normal residents on the skin, which decreases inflammation. Treatment with oral antibiotics usually begins with a high dosage, which is eventually reduced as the acne resolves. Over time, the “P. acnes” bacteria can become resistant to the treatment. When resistance occurs, another antibiotic can be prescribed or other treatment options may need to be explored.

Oral contraceptives have been shown to effectively clear acne in women by suppressing the overactive sebaceous glands. Oral contraceptives can be used as long-term acne therapy; however, this medication should not be prescribed to women who smoke, have a blood clotting disorder, are older than thirty-five or have a history of migraine headaches, without the advice of a gynecologist.

Spironolactone, a synthetic steroid, may be used in combination with oral contraceptives to treat acne in adult females. Spironolactone inhibits androgen, hormones that stimulate oil glands in addition to other effects on the body, production. There are possible side effects that may accompany Spironolactone treatment. A few side affects include irregular menstruation, breast tenderness, headache and fatigue.

Some people choose more natural ways to combat cystic acne. Some natural treatments are eating a whole foods diet that consists of only natural foods that have not been chemically or mechanically processed. Yoga or deep relaxation techniques may be used to reduce the amount of stress that is put on the body and the mind. Essential oils are another natural treatment that may be added to the diet of sufferers of severe acne.