Acne Types, Causes And Treatments

Acne Vulgaris, commonly referred to as pimples, is an inflammatory disease of the skin. This condition is very common in puberty. As one reaches their early twenties, it either disappears or decreases. Acne begins because of the comedo, an enlarged hair follicle plugged with oil and bacteria. The comedo is invisible to the naked eye and is present beneath the surface of the skin. When it gets the right condition, it grows into an inflamed lesion. The oil produced from the skin helps bacteria to flourish within the swollen follicle.

Non-inflammatory acre are of two types Closed comedo or white head, and Open comedo or black head. There are 4 types of inflammatory acne

Papule It is the mildest form that appears on the skin as a small, firm pink bump.

Pustule They are small round lesions containing visible pus. They may appear red at the base and yellowish or whitish at the center.

Nodule or Cyst Large and painful, they are pus-filled lesions lodged deep within the skin. The nodules may persist for weeks or months with the contents hardening into a deep cyst. Both nodules and cysts often leave deep scars.

Acne Conglobata This severe bacterial infection develops mostly on the back, buttocks and chest.

The chief causes of acne are hormones like androgen, production of extra sebum, follicle fallout, bacteria and inflammation. For controlling acne, you can carry out the following steps

– Avoid excessive washing of your skin. It can leave the healthy skin dry, thus irritating the acne prone areas. Over-washing may also stimulate extra oil production.

– Avoid alcohol products to tone your skin. Alcohol is a strong astringent that strips the top layer of the skin causing sebaceous glands to produce more oil.

– Do not squeeze or pick the acne with fingernails, pins or any other thing. It forces the bacteria deeper into the skin and often leaves a permanent acne scar.

– A wash is required after exercise. The heat and moisture trapped against the skin creates an ideal breeding ground for the spread of bacteria.

– Consume food rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin B-2, Vitamin B-3, Vitamin E and Zinc like eggs, nuts, liver, milk, fish and leafy green vegetables.

– Proper sleep and a life without stress and emotional anxiety can reduce acne.

– Wear little make-up while exercising. Avoid garments that are made exclusively with nylon.

Laser surgery is often used to reduce the scars left behind by acne. Treating acne with azelaic acid, salicylic acid, tropical retinoids and benzoyl peroxide is also common. A large number of people started trying herbal acne treatments over the traditional medications by using teas, oils and herbal creams.

Knowing How Acne Skin Care Products Work

With the growing popularity of different acne skin care products out there, people who have skin diseasesespecially those who are suffering greatly from a skin disorder like acneendlessly search for acne skin care products to solve their skin problem.

But then, due to lack of knowledge and information, more and more people are misled to use products and avail of treatments without consulting a dermatologist or a physician resulting to a more devastating situation.

To avoid mistakes in choosing acne skin care products and treatments, it is very important to have the knowledge about general cause of acne, its types, the age of the patient, current status or acne condition, so you know what are the products appropriate for each kind and avoid possible allergic reactions.

AN ARRAY ACNE SKIN CARE PRODUCTS

Most dermatologists would agree that the use of acne skin care product should depend on the kind of acne the person has developed. Since cleansing the skin is the first step in treating acne, the first thing the patient need to consider when looking for acne skin care products is finding a good cleanser that is effective and works fast.

The Active Cleansing Gelwhich contains triple exfoliating action of salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and lactic acidis one of the most recommended acne cleansers today because this acne skin care product helps you clean your skin without deeply exfoliating it.

For those who are treating their acne for the first time, acne kits are quite reliable. When looking for acne kits make sure that you look for those that have products containing benzoyl peroxide, sulfur, and glycolic acid. These active ingredients are usually customized for individual skin care needs and medications.

Another popular source of acne skin care products is from Acne Clearz. Free from DHEA and fragrance, the product in this line are recommended for the consumption of teenagers and adults as well. Containing hydroxyl, superior oil production ingredients, and anti-oxidant protectors, these acne skin care products are also recommended for those who have sensitive skin.

Another recommended option is acne skin care products from Acne Control Thera Line. Featuring products that are physician-formulated, the products are known to have sebum protection and oil control that are good acne bacteria destroyers while they remove dead skin cells through safe exfoliation.

Like the others, the major components of the products are benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, and sulfur. The effect is expected to be visible as early as six weeks.

Other effective acne skin care products also include topical treatmentswhich usually offer products that are known for destroying acne bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses in the areas affected.

These products are also known to be formulated with highly concentrated ingredients include zinc oxide, iron oxide, sulfur, sodium chloride, poyethylene glycol and magnesium stearate that are good in moisturizing the skin.

If your acne is in its fully-developed stage and there is a need for you to use accutane acne products, make sure that you are constantly monitored by your dermatologist or by the doctor who prescribed your medication to prevent possible injuries.

Understanding Fish Oil

Fish oil has a long history of being used as a nutritional supplement. It is generally derived from oil coming from the tissues of oily fish. There are many sources of fish that the world gets its fish oil supply from. But about 50 percent of all fish oil production in the world comes from farmed salmon.

Fish Oil Sources
Fish oil is primarily derived from farmed salmon. There are times when fish oil may also be sourced from other fatty fish notably mackerel, lake trout, flounder and tuna. But such types of fish are known to be predatory. And because of this, they run the risk of accumulating certain toxic substances such as mercury, dioxin and PCB’s. In order to avoid this and have fish oil sources known to be as clean as possible, farmed salmon are the best option.

Fish Oil Benefits
One of the things why fish oil has become quite a popular nutritional supplement around the world is because it is very rich in Omega -3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid. These compounds are said to help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. There are also studies that say that these nutrients also have anti-cancer properties as well as may help in certain cases of depression.

Fish Oil Production
Production of fish oil is shared among a number of countries. But it has been seen that there was a substantial decrease in total fish oil supply, mainly because of declines suffered by a lot of the said countries. Countries such as Peru, Chile, Denmark, Iceland and Norway are known as the five major fish oil exporting nations.

Adverse Effects
Despite the various benefits that fish oil is said to offer as a supplement, medical experts still suggest caution in overusing it. There have been studies that indicate certain risks associated with fish oil. In some studies, there are suspected risks that researchers have found in the use of EPA and DHA fatty acids in fish oil.

Over usage of EPA and DHA, which is determined at more than three grams daily, are known to increase the risk of bleeding, especially in people who are also taking aspirin or warfarin. But further research may be needed to determine if EPA and DHA do offer such risks. Extreme dosage intake of fish oil is also associated with a higher risk of experiencing hemorrhagic stroke. In some individuals, fish oil intake may also affect LDL cholesterol levels.

Cardiac Risk
Because fish oil is still considered as fat, people with conditions arising from too much fat in their systems should also be cautious of taking fish oil as a supplement. Recent research seems to provide different results when it comes to how the fatty acids in fish oil affect people who may be suffering from heart disease or stroke.

In absence of definitive research, patients are being cautioned not to take fish oil without the recommendation from their doctor. People with certain heart problems or a history of heart disease should first talk with their doctors about the safety of taking fish oil supplements.

Options to Fighting Acne

Although much is already known about how pimples and acne occur and develop, there are still a lot of people who find fighting the condition a life long trial.

There is actually little that people can do to stop its occurrence. There are people who are just blessed with great skin, meaning that their body hormones do not wreak havoc on their pores. Scientific studies have shown that acne is very closely linked to the amount of oil that the body produces.

Excess oils that are produced in the pores of the skin get trapped inside by either the dirt and the dust that the skin absorbs from the environment or by the abnormal structure of the pores. When these oils remain inside the pores for a long time and get to interact with the dirt, dead skin cells and the bacteria, propionibacterium acnes, found in the pore lining, skin eruptions occur in the form of acne.

With so many considerations to think of, it is not surprising that fighting acne does not only involve just one step but a multistep regimen that one must get right. Dermatologists agree that in order to fight acne, one must first reduce the oil production in the skin as this is the environment that the bacteria propionibacterium acnes oh so love. The second step is to exfoliate the skins surface so that the pore shape and the function improve. The third step is to disinfect the skin and kill of the bacteria causing the inflammations.

Within these three steps are a host of alternatives that can make anyone head spin. And the worst thing is, you can never really know what alternative is the right one for your skin as some people may be allergic to certain types of chemicals and may even exacerbate the condition rather than improve them. As much as it hurts the skin, one must do some trial and error experiments to find out the best combination of treatments for your skin.

Among the steps in fighting acne, the hardest to do is perhaps the elimination of unwanted oils in the skin. Oil production is already innate in the body and the amount that it produces is really dependent on our hormones. This is also the explanation why teeners are more prone to acne than adults. Still, there are products like clay masks that absorb oil a lot. Another good product is Philips Mils of Magnesia, a liquid magnesium hydroxide facial mask that absorbs the oil in the skin.

To exfoliate the skin, products that contain beta hydroxyl acid and alpha hydroxyl acid is used. There are a lot of these kinds of products available in the market. As a general rule, BHA is often preferred over AHA because the former is much better in penetrating through the oils on the pores. There are however some people who just cant use BHA, so AHA is the next best thing.

For fighting bacteria, there is nothing like benzoyl peroxide. Numerous studies have already shown how effective this can be in fighting acne by disinfecting the skin. One reason for the effectiveness of bezoyl peroxide is the fact that it can penetrate through the hair follicles and go deep into the pores and kill all the bacteria. Alcohol may sometimes be effective but it can also irritate the skin.