Tag: Pimples

How to Deal with Cystic Acne

Acne is a very common skin disorder that is usually experienced by young individuals. It is caused by bacteria that form follicles in the skin, usually on the face. Though it is not really serious, acne can cause a lot of discomfort and shame because of its unattractive appearance.

There are many kinds of acne and they range from the simple to the very severe. More commonly known as pimples or zits, acne takes shape in many forms.

The most common of course are white heads and black heads. This type of acne are very easy to treat. Usually, all you need to get rid of white heads and black heads is a good facial wash or soap.

Then there are the more sever type of acne. Cystic acne is one of them. Cystic acne is a form of acne characterized by a proliferation of cysts and nodules, hence its name. This nodules or cysts are filled with pus can become very painful aside from the fact that they can be very unsightly.

This is why individuals with cystic acne are usually under huge physical, emotional or psychological stress. The worst thing about cystic acne is that it can form scars in your face, especially if its squeezed or picked.

What are the causes of cystic acne?

Like other forms of acne, cystic acne is caused by an over production of oil glands by the skin. When the skin, particularly facial skin, produces excess oil the skin erupts. And when there are bacteria, follicles are formed in the skin resulting to acne.

How is cystic acne treated?

Currently, there really is no definite cure for cystic acne. One of the best things that an individual with cystic acne can do is follow a clear skin methodology. The clear skin method is that standard system for treating cystic acne.

The clear skin method is a system of composed activities aimed at diminishing the acne on your face. You will nee specific treatments for this healing system. The first that you will need is benzoyl peroxide. Be warned though that you must only get a low dosage of benzoyl peroxide because it can have a harsh effect on the skin which can result to redness and irritation.

For the clear skin methodology, you will also need a good over the counter facial cleanser. You should get one that would not dry your skin. To be sure that your cleanser is non-drying, you must get one that is specifically for individuals with oily skin. You must avoid using soap as it can strip your skin of its natural oils and moisture.

The next thing that you should get is a facial moisturizer. You must use a moisturizer every day to counteract the reddening and drying effects of the benzoyl peroxide. In choosing a facial moisturizer, select one that has the word non-comedogenic in its label. This means that the moisturizer would not clog your pores.

Water-based moisturizer is usually non-comedogenic. You must also choose one that is hypoallergenic so your skin would not get irritated. It is also wise to get a moisturizer and sunscreen combination. By doing so, you will not only moisturizer you skin but you will also be able to protect from the harsh UV rays of the sun which can make you cystic acne sever.

Bidding Good Gye to Ugly Acne Scars

Aside from the humiliation caused by full-grown acne to a patient, more depression is brought by the skin disorder once it gets healed or dried up the wrong way because it results to ugly traces or scars.

According to dermatologists, acne scars have resulted from inflamed and infected pimples or blackheads that werent treated properly. They have also categorized the types of acne scars into two: the pigmented scars and the ice pick scars. The former is known to leave behind purplish-brown marks once the pimple blemish goes away while the latter is known to leave small depressions on the skin after the lesions have dried up.

Studies show that women are more prone to acne scarring compared to men because of heredity or lighter skin color.

Research has also proved that pigmented acne scars are more prominent to darker colored women because it has resulted from the bigger collection of pigment cells already present in their skin.

Treating Traces of Acne

Since acne is a common skin disorder, it is expected to heal all by themselves after the proper medication has been given. But sometimes, cases occur that persistent blackheads or pimple become infected which results to acne scars and pockmarks. Because of this, dermatologists and some medical experts have taken precautions and developed treatments to exterminate acne scars:

1. Dermabrasion. One of most popular acne scar treatment is dermabrasion. The treatment involves scraping off the top layer of skin physically. After a series of deep dermabrasion treatments, the patient has to take a time off from work or from school for the recovery period. This is known to be one of the most effective methods that remove deep acne scars for good.

2. Micro-dermabrasion. If you have lighter acne scars, experts recommend microdermabrasion, a less invasive approach that scrapes off a very thin layer of skin and doesnt require long recovery period. This treatment involves a medical sand blasting technique that cleans the pores.

3. Laser resurfacing. While dermabrasion using scrapping off layers of skin, laser resurfacing uses a highly concentrated light beam or laser to burn off skin cells.

4. Acid peels. Another way to remove acne scars is by using acids peels. The method usually takes a week or two to heal the skin. Although this treatment is known to be effective, you might want to consider other acne scar treatment because it causes discomfort and reddening of the skin during the healing process.

5. Collagen injections. The collagen injection is also one of the most scar removal approached recommended by doctors. The treatment uses a protein called collagen, which is also known as a natural component of human tissue.

The collagen is injected underneath the scar to raise it to the level of the surrounding skin to restore its normal appearance. Since collagen breaks eventually, the scar treatment has to be repeated over time.

6. Chemical peels. This treatment involves the use of a chemical in order to remove the top layer of the scarred skin. It is also used to smooth depressed acne scars to give the skin an even color. Thirty to 40 percent glycolic acids are used in these peelings that are applied to the skin.

7. ClearLight. This treatment involves a new therapeutic light that uses the innovative Acne PhotoClearingTM – APCTM technology. This targets and destroys the surface of the acne that quickly and easily repairs it. It is also known to be effective in clearing inflamed acne in one month.

Other fast-reduction scar treatments include the use of copper-peptide products like copper peptide serum and tri-reduction protect to exfoliate the skin.

Acne Skin Care Products That Work

Acne is one of the most common skin problems that people have to deal with it. Being a disorder that is caused by irritated blackheads and whiteheads, acne becomes difficult to cure if the infection is left untreated which leads to further irritation and may produce abscess.

A normal pimple has a life cycle of six to eight weeks without treatment. But when it develops to acne, it would require more time to heal it without painful peeling, acne traces, or ugly scars. If you think youre pimples become infected and irritated that may lead to acne, you need to find a good line of acne skin care products as early as now. This is a very effective way to control acne that may cause you bigger problems in the future.

Effective Acne Skin Care Products

The first thing you need to consider when looking for acne skin care products is finding a good cleanser. Since cleansing the skin is the first step in treating your skin disorder, it pays to look for a good cleanser that will help the treatment more effective and faster.

One of the most effective acne cleansers in the market today is the Active Cleansing Gel that contains triple exfoliating action of salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and lactic acid. This acne skin care product helps you clean your skin without deeply exfoliating it. Whipped Camphor Cleanser is also a popular product for deep cleaning the skin.

When looking for acne kits that would prevent the skin disorder, look for those kits that have products containing benzoyl peroxide, sulfur and glycolic acid that are usually customized for individual skin care needs. When there is a need for you to use accutane acne productsa prescription medicine that is used to treat severe acnemake sure that you are constantly monitored by your dermatologist or by the doctor who prescribed the medication.

More and more dermatologists now recommend Acne Clearz Acne products as a good acne skin care product. Aside from being DHEA and fragrance free, these products are good for adults and teens. Since it the products feature hydroxy and anti-oxidant protectors, it is also good for good for sensitive skin. These products are also known for containing superior oil production ingredients that focus on cleaning the pores to fight existing acne.

The Acne Control Thera Line, on the other hand, is primarily physician formulated. The products have sebum protection and oil control, which are good acne bacteria destroyers. These acne skin care products help prevent acne by removing dead skin cells through safe exfoliation.

While some of the products contents minimize pores, others dissolve white and black heads to soothe the skin. The major components of these products are benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, and sulfur and are expected to work in as early as six week of use.

Effective acne skin care products also include topical treatments. Acne Ltd. III offers products that are known for destroying acne bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses in the areas affected. These products are formulated with highly concentrated ingredients include zinc oxide, iron oxide, sulfur, sodium chloride, poyethylene glycol and magnesium stearate which also contain moisturizer so as not to dry the skin when applied.

Acnesil Acne Products, on the other hand, also offers topical creams that have melaleuca alternifolia, aloe vera and vitamin E that are known to reduce whiteheads. These products serve as the first aid when signs of a pimple breakout occur. Formulated not to dry up the skin even when used on larger areas, the products also speed up the span of time to heal an acne outbreak.

While most acne skin care line offers products that contain medication and treatment concentrates, the Body Shop Acne Products has a wide range of tea tree oil based products to soothe and pamper the skin. Some of the products include tea tree oil facial blotting tissues, tea tree oil facial wash, tea tree oil facial scrub, tea tree oil daily cleansing wipes, tea tree oil face mask, tea tree oil blemish stick, tea tree oil daily foaming facial wash, and tea tree oil cosmetics like the tea tree oil pressed powder and blush on.

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.