Acne: A Basic Understanding

Statistics indicate that as high as 80% of the entire American population has ever had acne. Acne afflicts all genders, sexes and ages making it a universal skin disorder. As a form of skin disease, the good news is that acne is not transmittable.

Although acne is not contagious from person-to-person, it can spread to the whole face and can severely affect all the skin tissues that have pilosebaceous units. It is not true that acne just affects those going through puberty. Even infants or individuals who may be well over their forties, can develop this skin disorder. Acne infantilis is the term used for acne that grows on newborn babies, on the other hand acne rosacea is related to middle-aged people.

Acne has different classifications, according to the severity of the infection.

Comedo is the form where all severe acne cases originate. This is characterized by red swelling or small lesions on your skin. Whiteheads and blackheads are two forms of comedo. Conversely, blackhead is an open comedo. The coloration is due to the accumulation of dark skin pigments called melanin, plus hardened sebum and other skin debris and particles. This is the basic structure of whiteheads, however, the only difference is the coloration and these are deeply situated into the skin layers.

If you have sandpaper-like skin around the tissue of your mouth and on the surface of your forehead, chin and cheeks, you probably have papules. Pus-filled lesions are also termed as pustules.

Nodules on the other hand are similar with pustules. However, nodules are firmer and are larger acne growing deep in the skin. Inflammation may develop your pustules into containing semi-liquid or liquid materials composed of white blood cells (which are dead because of the acne-infecting bacteria named as Propionibacterium acnes), dead skin cells and active or inactive bacteria. This can result into more serious acne called cysts. In such situations, you may need the assistance of a skin dermatologist or physician.

What is the cause of acne? It is quite difficult to exactly determine what may have caused your acne infection as reasons differ case to case. Studies indicate that the skin disorder may be brought about by many factors, including poor diet, stress, weather elements, and hormone changes or may be genetically influenced.

Medically speaking, acne starts from the formation of hardened sebum, or the oily substance secreted to the skin through the sebaceous glands. This then will be permeated with acne-infecting bacteria, which in return will trigger the immune system to release white blood cells to obstruct the attack of the bacteria. As this happens, dead white blood cells and bacteria will accumulate in the hair follicles mixed with skin debris and dead skin particles, which then will inflame the lesions.

Most mild case acne may be treated with over the counter acne medications. They are generally topical drugs, which you apply on your skin for acne treatment. They may come in the form of soaps, lotions, gels and creams. Conversely, systematic acne medications are taken orally. The most common of which are the antibiotics.

Knowing that you are not the only one inflicted with acne at some point in life or another helps in that there will always be new research and new products coming on stream. Continue to read up on acne research and help your fight against it.

Acne: A Basic Understanding

Statistics indicate that as high as 80% of the entire American population has ever had acne. Acne afflicts all genders, sexes and ages making it a universal skin disorder. As a form of skin disease, the good news is that acne is not transmittable.

Although acne is not contagious from person-to-person, it can spread to the whole face and can severely affect all the skin tissues that have pilosebaceous units. It is not true that acne just affects those going through puberty. Even infants or individuals who may be well over their forties, can develop this skin disorder. Acne infantilis is the term used for acne that grows on newborn babies, on the other hand acne rosacea is related to middle-aged people.

Acne has different classifications, according to the severity of the infection.

Comedo is the form where all severe acne cases originate. This is characterized by red swelling or small lesions on your skin. Whiteheads and blackheads are two forms of comedo. Conversely, blackhead is an open comedo. The coloration is due to the accumulation of dark skin pigments called melanin, plus hardened sebum and other skin debris and particles. This is the basic structure of whiteheads, however, the only difference is the coloration and these are deeply situated into the skin layers.

If you have sandpaper-like skin around the tissue of your mouth and on the surface of your forehead, chin and cheeks, you probably have papules. Pus-filled lesions are also termed as pustules.

Nodules on the other hand are similar with pustules. However, nodules are firmer and are larger acne growing deep in the skin. Inflammation may develop your pustules into containing semi-liquid or liquid materials composed of white blood cells (which are dead because of the acne-infecting bacteria named as Propionibacterium acnes), dead skin cells and active or inactive bacteria. This can result into more serious acne called cysts. In such situations, you may need the assistance of a skin dermatologist or physician.

What is the cause of acne? It is quite difficult to exactly determine what may have caused your acne infection as reasons differ case to case. Studies indicate that the skin disorder may be brought about by many factors, including poor diet, stress, weather elements, and hormone changes or may be genetically influenced.

Medically speaking, acne starts from the formation of hardened sebum, or the oily substance secreted to the skin through the sebaceous glands. This then will be permeated with acne-infecting bacteria, which in return will trigger the immune system to release white blood cells to obstruct the attack of the bacteria. As this happens, dead white blood cells and bacteria will accumulate in the hair follicles mixed with skin debris and dead skin particles, which then will inflame the lesions.

Most mild case acne may be treated with over the counter acne medications. They are generally topical drugs, which you apply on your skin for acne treatment. They may come in the form of soaps, lotions, gels and creams. Conversely, systematic acne medications are taken orally. The most common of which are the antibiotics.

Knowing that you are not the only one inflicted with acne at some point in life or another helps in that there will always be new research and new products coming on stream. Continue to read up on acne research and help your fight against it.

Caring for The Skin with Vitamin C

Vitamins are essential in keeping the skin healthy. In fact, there are a lot of beauty and skin care products in the market that use these natural vitamins and minerals as their ingredients. Vitamin C, is said to be one of the vitamins that is very beneficial in helping the skin regenerate.

In order to be used on the skin, Vitamin C is transformed to L-ascorbic acid. This form, however, is pretty unstable and is in fact so hard to be used in cosmetics. This is perhaps the reason why there is only a few cosmetic products that carry Vitamin C when compared to other vitamins like A and E. Still, chemists are trying to find ways as this form is found to stimulate collagen synthesis on the skin. Unlike other vitamins, it is also able stay in the skin for as long as three days as well as prevents a reaction called UV immunosuppression, often seen in 90 percent of cancer patients in the country.

In looking for Vitamin C in products, make sure that it contains a stable L-ascorbic form and a low pH level. Highly concentrated products are also recommended. Remember that just because a product advertises Vitamin C on it front level, it does not mean that it contains the kind or the form (L-ascorbic acid) that your skin can use.

Vitamin C as shield from the sun

Vitamin C, as mentioned above, serves as a good shield from the sun, which harms the skin by drying it up and causing wrinkles and lines to show up. Vitamin C does this by neutralizing the reactive oxygen or free radicals, which is often caused by the interaction of sunlight, skin tissues and of course the cell membrane. But though it revents the absorption of light, it should not be used to replace sunscreen. Skin care experts still recommend the use of sunscreen for maximum sun protection. Still, vitamin C can be combined with sunscreens for more coverage and longer protection because once this gets into the skin, it cannot be easily washed or rubbed off.

Vitamin C as an anti-oxidant

Vitamin C is known to play a crucial role in the oxidation process. It prevents free radicals from destroying the skin. Free radicals are caused by ultraviolet rays from the sun and its reaction with oxygen.

Vitamin C stimulates Collagen

The vitamin helps synthesize collagen, a component of the skin that is essential in slowing down the aging process of the skin. L-ascorbic acid signals the collagen genes to begin creating new collagen

How Detox Wrap Works Miracles to Your Body

Feeling good about oneself is not just about making a beautiful outward appearance. Most people still believe that beauty shines from within. Being pretty on the outside is not an assurance that you have a beautiful inside too.

It is but natural for people to eat different kinds of food, drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, take oral contraceptives, and many more. And you’re probably one of those people who still don’t know the harm caused by these things or just chose to ignore them.

When a person drinks alcohol, or eat foods with preservatives/additives, drink too much alcohol, etc. toxins are readily taken into the body. Toxins are considered as chemicals, but the body has its own natural way of detoxifying it, and this is exhibited when a person urinates, and through his stool.

In the long run, these toxins can build up inside your body. The body’s natural way of detoxifying these toxins will not be enough, and so it becomes inefficient. That is why you will need to aid the detoxification process. Otherwise, you will soon acquire hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, and insufficient metabolism.

If you experience symptoms like lethargy, allergies, occasional pains, and dull skin, then most likely you need a body detox because toxins inside the body have already accumulated.

Body wraps are now offered for people who want to undergo the detoxification process. Body wraps are specially-formulated to draw out all the toxins in the body. It is made from sea clay which acts as a huge poultice; and the clay draws out the toxins, compressing the soft skin tissues which regain the skin’s elasticity. You can expect for a muscle base that is firmer and smoother.

How does a body wrap detox the body? For many years, the toxins inside your body have already built up around and between fat cells. And these toxins are usually gaining in number depending on a person’s lifestyle.

The body detox wrap shapes your entire body, repositioning the body’s fat cells, which further results to inch loss. People who want to lose inches from their thighs, buttocks and other particular body parts can use a body wrap to achieve weight loss almost immediately.

The body wrap enter the pores of your skin until it finally reaches the toxins. The toxins comes either back through the bandages or flushed out. You must take note however that the sea clay is concentrated, and after a few days, you can actually the inches lost from your body.

Dont worry if you still drink plenty of water because the body wrap does not dehydrate the body. You can still drink still drink plenty of water without gaining weight; you need not wash off the wrap-solution.

Once the toxins are out of your system, they will never come back. However, with your lifestyle, your body will again start to build up toxins, whether you like it or not.

You can choose among the many body detox wraps available, they also come in different brands. Some offer money back guarantees to promote their product, and most of them offers a 30 days to inch-loss promise.

Not all people can take advantage of the body detox wrap. Those that have phlebitis or emphysema, as well as pregnant women, can’t utilize a body wrap.

With all the diseases that are spreading all throughout the world, its time to get rid of those unwanted body toxins. Detox now through a body wrap.