Tag: Pore

Identify Your Acne Before You Get Treatment

Understanding how to treat your Acne involves knowing which type of Acne may have. Acne has many variations, ranging in severity from mild to much more serious cases that can cause disfigurement. There are many treatments for acne available on the market, but it is very important to first identify your Acne type before choosing a treatment.

Acne Vulgaris

The most common form of Acne is named Acne Vulgaris. This type of acne can be easily identified by looking at the characteristics of the lesions.

Whiteheads: When a pore becomes completely blocked by trapping sebum, dead skin cells, and bacteria, you will notice a white appearance on the surface. Whiteheads normally will disappear fast than blackheads on your skin. You should resist the temptation to pop these pimples

Blackheads: When are pore is only partially blocked, the trapped sebum, bacteria and dead skin will have slowly drained to the surface of your skin. The black color is caused by your skins pigment and melanin reacting with oxygen. Blackheads will normally take longer to disappear than whiteheads. You should also resist the temptation to pop these pimples too.

Pustules: You can identify a pustule by a red circle with a white or yellow center. The pustule will look similar to a whitehead with the difference being inflammation. Pustules are commonly referred to as Zits.

Papules: The papule is a red, inflamed and tender bump on the skin with no visible head. You should not attempt to squeeze this lesion as you may cause or exacerbate scarring.

Severe Acne Vulgaris: The sever types of Acne Vulgaris include Nodules and Cysts and will be quite painful. You should consult your dermatologist for treating these types of acne.

Acne Rosacea

Acne Rosacea may look very similar to Acne Vulgaris and often causes confusion. Millions of people are affected by Acne Rosacea, and it mostly strikes people over the age of 30. It will start to appear as a reddish rash on the cheeks, forehead, nose and/or chin. You may also notice small bumps, skin blemishes or pimples in the area. Blackheads are not a symptom of Rosacea.
You should consult your dermatologist if you suspect you have Rosacea, because treatment is often very different.

There are other very serious forms of Acne such as Acne Conglobata, Acne Fulminans, Gram-Negative Folliculitis and Pyoderma Faciale. These forms of Acne are very rare, but they can be disfiguring, painful and have psychological effects.

It is always recommended that you consult with your dermatologist to confirm the type of Acne you have and the best treatments available.

The above information should only be used as a reference, and only a trained dermatologist can accurately diagnose your Acne.

Step by Step Acne Skin Care

Acne prone skin is something that you have to carefully treat as the slightest mistake can cause an irritation or an allergic reaction that can exacerbate the condition rather than cure it.

Contrary to popular myth, acne is not caused by just dirt and grime on the skin. One can be the most hygienic but you can still develop acne. Perhaps one of the reasons why acne is so hard to combat is the fact that it is caused by a lot of factors that all contribute to its development.

Acne actually starts off with unwanted oils on the skin that tend to clog the pores. These excess oils are produced by the bodys hormones. This is one of the reasons why there are people whose skin are not pimple-prone. The oil on the skin is the initial factor that contributes in the development of acne. Another factor is the shape of the pore, which restricts the flow of oil in the skin. When the pores are abnormally shaped, it tends to encase the oil all the more inside, leading to build up and eventually to acne eruptions.

Dead skin cells that line up the pores and the dirt in the skin also interact with the oil causing clogging, which exacerbates the condition. Another factor is the presence of the bacteria propionibacterium acnes, which actually thrives in an oily environment.

Although it was mentioned that acne is not necessarily caused by unhygienic ways, this is not a reason to clean the face. A clean face will of course lessen the risk of further eruptions. For most people, a gentle water soluble cleanser is recommended especially for people who have ultra sensitive skin that can be irritated by the smallest of things.

Another advantage of a water soluble cleanser is the fact that no trace will be kept after washing. Some soaps tend to remain on the face and will only clog the pores, thereby leading to skin eruptions.

The next step to taking care of the skin is to remove the excess oils. This can be achieved by using facial masks at night and rice papers during the day. One must be careful though as some chemicals and products may irritate the skin. Before you use anything on your skin, it is best that you consult your dermatologist.

Another step towards acne free skin is exfoliation. This is done to remove the dead skin cells in the pore lining as these contribute in the clogging. Another function that exfoliation provides is skin renewal, wherein the old skin will be replaced by a new one. Products that contain 1% to 2% beta hydroxy acid (BHA) or 8% alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) are often recommended by dermatologists.

As a rule of thumb, BHA is actually more effective than AHA especially in penetrating through the pores. However, there are some people who are either allergic to BHA or have too sensitive skins for the chemical, so AHA is the next in line that doctors recommend.

Disinfecting the skin and killing off the bacteria in the pores is another crucial step in acne skin care. Although there are a lot of products in the market, most if not all contain the ingredient Benzoyl Peroxide, which is proven to be the most effective in fighting the bacteria.

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.

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.