Tag: Pimples

Acne Scarring 101

When acne heals or when treated by a dermatologist, there are some instances when it will leave some scarring on skin. This is especially true with acne that appears on the later stages of life. Adult skin does not have a store of collagen that helps the skin heal and regenerate. Scarring may also occur when the acne is quite severe. This is because the problem is more intensive, cutting through the skin with more depth than what is usually seen with acne that are only on the surface.

A scar may initially appear as reddish in appearance. After a white, when the skin heals and try to regenerate, the scar will become lighter, sometimes turning white, several shades lighter than the skin tone. There may be pain sometimes, even irritation. Itching is of course not uncommon because as the skin heals, the wound dries up. Sometimes, there may also be some inflammation, swelling and redness.

Normally, only nodules and cystic acne types result in scarring. However, there are people who are more prone to scarring than others. With these people, even the common lesions may result in scarring if not treated well. This is why it is important that people have their acne treated even at the initial stages to prevent scarring and permanent damage to the skin.

Basically, there are two kinds of acne. One kind is the one caused by the increase in tissue formation while the other is caused by the loss of tissue on the skin. The former is what people call keloids, which does not look like your usual scar. Keloids are bumps of skin that resemble a pimple, forming even after the wound has already healed. It can even form on the surrounding healthy tissue. Keloid scarring is actually quite rare and only affects people who have family history of it.

Hypertrophic scars, on the other hand, form above the skin level and appear as bulges and bumps on the skin. Because of this, some people do not think of it as scars but rather pimples that have not yet healed.

The more usual scars are the deep and shallow kind that resembles small crevices on the skin. These are called the Atrophic scars, which are formed below the skin level. There are several types of these kind of scar depending on the shape that it forms on the skin. The ice pick scars, which is the most common, is characterized by deep pits that form v-shapes on the skin. Another form is the boxed scars that are usually seen on temple and cheeks. They are angularly shaped, almost similar to the ones gotten in chicken pox. They can be either superficial or deep depending on the severity of the acne condition. The rolling scar, on the other hand, is the kind that gives the skin a wave-like appearance.

Scarring can actually be treated depending on the severity of the scarring problem, your skin type and of course the type of scars that you have. Sometimes, the location of the scars will also affect the treatment. Often, scarring at the back and at the chest are more difficult to treat compared to those found on the face.

There are a lot of treatment procedures available for scarring such as corticosteroid injections and cryosurgery. Surgical procedures may also be done to remove the scarring as well as x-ray therapy.

Information On Acne

Do you have acne? Acne maybe the scourge of adolescent years, but it can follow people into middle age and beyond.

Acne is really a catchall term for a variety of symptoms such as pimples, whiteheads, and blackheads. It’s a condition where the pores of skin become clogged and the person gets inflamed and non-inflamed lesions.

So what’s the cause of all the clogging?

Heredity – at least for the most part. Acne is genetic – it tends to run in families, it is an inherited defect of your pores. If both your parents had acne, three out of four of your brothers and sisters will get it too.

Factors that can aggravate an acne outbreak are:- Stress, sun exposure, seasonal changes, and climate can all precipitate an acne attack. Certain types of makeup and taking birth control pills can also cause a breakout.

Change Your Make-up – In adult women, make-up is the major factor in acne outbreaks, especially oil based products. It’s the oil that causes the problem. The oil is usually a derivative of fatty acids that are more potent than your own fatty acids. Use a non-oil-based make-up if you are prone to acne.

Read The labels – Cosmetic products that contain lanolins, isopropyl myristate, sodium lauryl sulphate, laureth-4 and D & C red dyes should be avoided. Like oil, these ingredients are too rich for the skin.

Wash Properly – Wash your make-up off thoroughly every night. Use a mild soap twice a day and make sure you rinse the soap entirely off your face. Rinse six or seven times with fresh water.

Use Less Make-up – Whatever make-up you use, try to cut down on the amount you put on.

Leave Well Alone – Don’t squeeze pimples or whiteheads. A pimple is an inflammation, and you could add to the inflammation by squeezing it, which could lead to an infection. A pimple will always go away in one to four weeks if you leave them alone.

Know When To Squeeze – Most pimples are best left alone, but there is one kind that you can squeeze to help get rid of it. If the pimple has a little central yellow pus head in it, then a gentle squeeze will make it pop open very nicely. Once the pus pops out, the pimple will heal more quickly.

Give Dry Skin Extra Care – Dry skin can be sensitive to some over the counter skin treatments, so please use these treatments with care. Start with the lower strength products first, and then increase the concentration slowly.

Stay Out Of The Sun – Acne medications may cause adverse reactions to the sun, so minimize you exposure until you know what the reactions going to be.

Use One Treatment At A Time – Don’t mix treatments, use only one at a time because they may cause an adverse reaction if mixed together.

Stop The Spread Of Acne – Apply acne medication about half an inch around the affected area, to help keep the acne from spreading. Acne moves across the face from the nose to the ear, so you need to treat beyond the inflamed area. Most people make the mistake of treating only the pimples and not the outlaying areas of skin. This is wrong.

Back Breakouts Whats The Deal With Acne On Your

Back Breakouts Whats The Deal With Acne On Your Back?

Back acne comes in all sizes and forms of acne, ranging from mild forms like whiteheads to serious forms of acne including cystic acne. “Bacne” as it is referred to in slang terms, can consist of pimples, pustules and blackheads as well. Back acne affects people ranging from age ten to age forty or older yet. Understanding the causes of back acne and available treatment options, are very important is treating and preventing the condition.

Like all of the other forms of acne, there is no one thing that causes back acne. As far as the medical community stands, back acne also happens when oil glands start functioning more rapidly around puberty. The hormone group androgens, found in both females and males, get overactive which in turn causes a reaction in the oil glands, which make extra oil. The oil glands are located just underneath the skin surface. Oil glands constantly are producing and secreting oil through the pores in the skin. When too much of the oils are produced the pores and hair follicles become clogged. The clogs obstruct the way that dead cells escape the skin, which in turn results in a mess of oil and dead cells plugging the hair follicle. This attracts bacterium, which causes the acne to be formed.

Back acne can be found on any part of the body and does not necessarily have to be on a person’s back. It can be very severe with large lesions and painful cysts. Back acne may just be something that certain people are prone to or it could be caused by other things such as tight clothing or a heavy backpack. Not having anything in contact with the back is not a logical prevention step, as we all must sit down and everyone has to wear clothing.

Skin on the back is much thicker and therefore allows for stronger topical treatments, such as ten percent Benzoyl peroxide. This strength of Benzoyl peroxide is not suitable for other skin that is typically thinner and will not be able to sustain itself under harsh treatment.

There are some differences in back acne and acne located elsewhere on the body however. Back acne is not caused by genetics as other acnes can be. Some severe cases of back acne may be genetically passed on but most likely it is just the individual’s body type or personal genetic make up. People all over the world suffer from back acne at some point in their lives. Unlike other acne, food does not contribute to the formation or flare up of back acne. There is absolutely no evidence that foods cooked in grease, or high in fat content contribute to back acne.

It is also known that excessive oil production and dirt build up does not have a huge impact on developing back acne. Perspiring excessively and not washing or showering immediately has been shown to not increase the chances of developing back acne. Back acne also does not seem to be affected by stress. There are some who think that facial acne is increased due to stress. However stress can cause back acne to not heal. Oftentimes, stress causes people to pick and bother the pimples, which make the condition worse.

Acne Scars Is There Hope?

It is estimated that eighty percent of people between the ages of fourteen and twenty suffer from acne. For most of us, acne is a short-lived annoyance during certain periods of our lives. Unfortunately, for some people acne is painful long after the pimples have been treated. Scarring from acne is most common for those who have suffered from severe acne, but scarring can affect anyone who has experienced acne.

If you are one of the millions of people living with acne scars, theres good news. There are many options available to diminish these unseemly blemishes. All of these techniques work to restore the normal, healthy appearance of scarred skin; it may not always be possible to get rid of all acne scars, but with the right treatment for you, no one will ever know you were scarred. Acne scar treatments vary in their approaches depending on the severity of your scarring and your budget. You should discuss all of the available options, costs, and side effects with your dermatologist.

Before we talk about the treatments available, we should take a look at why acne can cause scarring. The primary reason for any kind of scar is tissue damage. When body tissue is damaged, our body tries to heal and protect it from infection. In the case of acne, dead skin cells block the bodys pores, preventing the secretion of natural oils in the skin. This creates a perfect environment for bacteria to grow, which irritates the skin and causes acne. When acne is aggravated due to harsh scrubbing or other forms of physical attention, it further aggravates the condition and harms the sensitive skin tissue. When the skin finally is able to heal, a scar is left behind.

One of the most popular acne scar treatment techniques is injecting collagen under the surface of the scarred skin. Collagen puffs out the skin and evens out the scarred area, making acne less noticeable. Another important acne scar treatment technique is what is called autologous fat transfer. This process makes use of your own bodys fat. Fat is taken from another part of your body and is injected into the affected part, filling up the scar.

This technique requires repeated applications because the fat is eventually absorbed into the body, making the scar noticeable once again. Your dermatologist may suggest you try laser treatments or dermabrasion. Both of these techniques are very effective. In the most extreme cases, skin grafting and skin surgery may be considered.

Keep in mind that these are only a small number of the options available for acne scar treatment.