Feed: Acne - AggScore: 74.3

It’s funny how, when we think of acne, we automatically think about the topical creams we lather into our skin every morning and every night to heal them. We think about going to see our dermatologist and asking what he recommends, or heading to the internet to find out what form of acne is harboring your skin. Never–or I should say rarely-do we think about a natural approach. You might be reading this and wondering, ‘There’s a natural approach to heal acne?’ When you find out that the answer is Yes, you’re next thought will most likely be either, ‘What is it?’ if you’re more open-minded, or ‘That can’t actually work’, if you’ve been suffering with acne for years, or had suffered with it for years. To answer the latter, Yes, it can work.

There are many instances where natural acne remedies proved to be better than the more traditional approach. And to answer the former question, There are many kinds of methods to heal acne in terms of naturally approaching it. Just like there are many approaches with the traditional alternative. For further detail on both answers, keep reading.

There is a clear skin acne diet. Their hypothesis is that you are what you eat. If you eat oily foods, your skin will become oily. In essence, the clear skin diet inventors believe that if you eat well, your skin will not feel the blight of acne. For more information, type Clear Skin Diet into your search engine. There is another theory among natural acne users that states drinking green tea will reduce the signs of acne, because green tea is known to be more of a bacteria killer. Because bacteria is largely why acne become so serious, they put 2 and 2 together. There are many other methods, like using vitamins instead or topical applications and prescribed medications. Not to say that these things aren’t helpful, but there is a greater chance that going natural will take longer in healing acne. But some people are pro-natural methods, so this can be very informative. For more information on all of the above, type the keywords into your search engine. You’re bound to find a lot of information that will go further into detail.

Another contributor in this natural process is the meditative, yoga method. Can yoga really cure acne? No, of course not. But what it does it takes the stress we generally feel while enduring the acne phase. There are also yoga positions that can help flush toxins out of your face, replacing it with nutrients our skin needs. While I don’t suggest giving up the acne creams and non-subscribed medications for this more natural and nontraditional route, if you do yoga and eat right, you will lower the risk of having severe acne, so don’t laugh it off or ignore it completely. Acne is the enemy–any approach that is against acne is the right approach. Thankfully for us, there are several to choose from.

You know a great deal about acne now–that there are many forms of acne, also many methods of healing each form, that there are several medications for acne, that it can’t be prevented, that scars aren’t inevitable and, once detected fast, can possibly be healed, etc–but that’s always during and after you’ve had acne. But what about before? Does acne have symptoms that will enable you to begin the treatment before too many patches of red come on your skin? And what even causes acne?

Causes of acne are uncertain. Nobody really understands why we get these lumps across our face, or why it’s inevitable. Even if we wash our face on a habitual basis, acne will come. It may go quickly, but the problem lies in the hands of it coming at all. Some people think heredity plays a large role in acne…and based on certain studies, others disagree. Either way, acne is here, but thankfully, it’s not here to stay. Proof is in that once we get out of our teens.

The victims of acne are generally teenagers, although acne can plague people who are in their 30’s at times. That leans to more of a rare case, but a case none the less. All this shows that acne holds no prejudice, and it will harm whomever it can. Like I stated earlier, the best way to feel as little harm as possible would be to stop the acne while it’s in it’s infantry stages. This means that the first sign of acne needs to be taken care of immediately. You can detect acne by detecting the symptoms. So what exactly are the symptoms?

We are all faced with 2 forms of acne AT LEAST. These two forms of the two most popular forms of acne to date. See if you recognize the names. One is inflammatory acne. The other is non-inflammatory acne. Sound familiar? I’ll go into further detail.

• Inflammatory acne: Acne caused by inflammation.
• Non-inflammatory acne: Acne that does not inflame.

Take a good look at the somewhat defined terms above. Which one do you have? Non-inflammatory acne is the one most all of us suffer with…if we’re lucky. With this type, you’ll find a few whiteheads and a few blackheads on your face, and you can treat that with non-prescribed medication, because it is a milder form of acne. The first one, inflammatory acne, isn’t so easy to take care of.

This type inflamed skin, large red pimples with puss ready to burst out. That’s a grotesque image, but one people with inflammatory acne have to look at every time they stand before a mirror. It doesn’t just step at the face, either. You can find this on your chest, you can find it on your neck and on your back, as well. It spreads literally like a plague. If you have inflammatory acne, prescribed medications are needed. Topical creams will not work. As stated earlier, you can use oral medications, hormone medications, and a few other types of medication will take care of inflamed acne. A talk with your doctor will steer you in the right direction.

People may not know what specifically causes acne, but there are several ways to fix it. And thankfully, acne isn’t a silent attacker. There are symptoms, and once spotted, acne won’t have a prolonging, life changing, face disfiguring effects. Even acne in the worst possible form has ways of healing up nicely. Some ways are oral, which involve many unpleasant side effects. But in the end, you’ll be victorious after a painful war with acne. Other alternatives are even worse than the oral, side-effecting ensuring methods. If your acne is in a very developed stage such as inflammatory acne, then surgery is at times prescribed. But whatever way you look at it, acne can be healed.

Instead of asking the question, Is Acne Preventable, I’ll ask, ‘Is Aging preventable?’ The answers are pretty much the same. Acne isn’t really a preventable problem, because acne is a large part of growing. And with growth, you learn to take the good with the bad. It’s not a matter of avoiding the bad and going straight for the good, but instead it becomes a matter of accepting the bad with displeasure, and finding out ways to make it go away faster. This is the same concept you should apply to acne. Since you can’t make acne not happen, you can go about doing things that will reduce the effects of acne, and shorten the period in which it contaminates your skin.

So acne is not preventable. And what acne does is reddens, tenderizes and swells the skin. There are products you can use that will keep dirt and oil away from these weaker parts of your face, which you can find online, ask about at a store, or check out below. By washing your face, you can prevent prolonging acne. Wash your face with soap every morning and every night that you go to bed. If you’re someone who has a more serious case of acne, and washing your skin won’t suffice, then search the web and find mild creams that can be applied on your skin. Get the proper instructions, find out if it will help or harm your problem, and then use it just the way you would you wash your face.

In fact, use it as you’re washing your face in the morning and in the night. But keep in mind that these are products you don’t want to overuse, no matter how bad your acne is getting. If the product seems to have back lashed, and you’re several squares behind before you started using the cream, go to a dermatologist and find out what went wrong, and maybe what products to buy in the future. Also, if you’re product doesn’t seem to be working, don’t overuse it then, either. Do another bundle of research and find out what other products best suit your form of acne. Because, again, it could be a matter of forms which may mean your acne is more serious. Find the products that are right for you.

Another way to prevent the seriousness of acne would be to remove all forms of make-up before you go to bed. This is a problem many teenage girls face. When they’ve had a long night and they just want to crash without washing up and cleaning up, they heighten the chances of getting worse acne. No matter how tired, always wash the make-up off your face. If you find this to be a tiresome routine (who doesn’t?) there are make-up removers that will help with that. A clean face and no acne is a lot better than a few extra minutes of sleep. Because in the end that’s all it takes–a mere minutes. If you follow the methods of skin care almost religiously, then you’ll find the phase of acne will be a lot less burdensome than you thought.

Acne is an ‘epidemic’ plaguing men and women of all ages, of all genders and ethnic backgrounds. Children are relatively safe from the problem, only until they’ve reached a certain stage of maturity. And then the acne madness most us adults and young adults have been facing for years conquers them, too. But what is acne, aside from a problematic plethora of red pimples marring the beauty of our skin?

Is it really that serious? It’s a problem that varies depending on person. There are some who have dealt with the zenith of physical and emotional pain acne can cause. Others have been lucky, and for these people, a simple cream bought at a grocery store once the pimples have gone in the double digits will suffice. This probably isn’t the case for many of us. So what exactly are we dealing with here? Irritating bumps? Or a real problem?

Acne is pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, and even worse lumps that can’t be ‘lumped’ in the category pimples are in. Acne’s victims are, for the most part, teenagers. Once a child gets out of their stage of adolescence, their bodies develops, as does their skin. It develops lumps. For most, it can’t be avoided. Acne is not only inevitable, but it’s an imminent problem. If it gets too serious, acne can leave scars across your skin. Like most every problem, acne comes in ‘forms’. The forms don’t simply vary depending on seriousness of the problem, but they also vary depending on what caused the form of acne, how it can be reversed and what it looks like. Acne can be caused from a number of things; bacteria, dead skin, dead cells, etc. The list continues even though my words have stopped. The definition of acne doesn’t merely bring forth the words ‘irritating bumps’. There’s deeper meaning behind it. There is science that breaks down the true definition of acne, and a quick research will bring more knowledge to the problem you’re dealing with, and also bring a name to the type of acne that’s encompassed the skin on your face or neck.

Acne comes about when pores are blocked, as most people know. This makes you immune to bacteria. When too much bacteria and sebum (sebum is the fatty secretion of a gland) it develops a whitehead. Blackheads are a different matter–rather than trapping bacteria and sebum, the pores open up and the sebum becomes dry. It’s literally an ugly problem, and while you don’t want either blackheads or whiteheads, if you had to make a choice, whiteheads go away much faster. To answer the initial question (is it a real problem, or is it simply an irritating problem), I would have to say both. Acne is both a serious and irritating problem. You see how, due to difference in development, whiteheads go away quicker than blackheads, and leave less pain upon the eyes that take the sight in. Well, some people may develop whiteheads and others blackheads. In essence, some people will get lucky in terms of acne, and for those people, it can be nothing but an irritating problem. For others, acne can amount to cysts. And yes, that’s a problem. For ways to prevent and cure acne, do a little homework on the web. If you’re not big on homework, then read below.

Treatment For Acne

You can bet that some form of acne will affect just about every woman during her lifetime. This would include the pimples that seem to appear during the stressful periods of your life, to the breakouts that seem to appear like clockwork just before menstruation occurs. Even though this frustrating problem generally appears on women in either the preteen or early pre-teen years of their life, this is not to say that it will not also occur on adult women as well. You do not have to simply deal with the frustrating problem of acne because there is a treatment available that can be very effective.

What Are The Causes Of Acne?

Sebum is a substance that our body produces and reaches the surface through each of our pores to protect and moisturize our skin. Although it is still unknown why acne may develop in some people, the pores are certainly a factor that can contribute to acne, and in others it may simply be inherited. There are often times when some of the pores on the skin can become blocked, which will in turn cause both whiteheads and blackheads to appear on the skin. Generally the most bothersome areas are the nose, the back, the cheeks, and the forehead. Some areas can even form red lumps or what is commonly referred to as nodules.

Several people have claimed the foods you eat can cause skin problems such as acne, however this is a fact that has as of yet been proven. Some women have however found that there are certain food products that seem to affect their skin. This is a problem easily resolved, as you can remove those items from your diet.

Preventing The Problem

There are some individuals who have found that some products and other factors seem to aggravate the problem of acne, such as:

• Hair that can brush against the skin of your face, neck, or back
• Gels used on the hair that comes in contact with the skin
• Creams that are thick that block the pores
• Helmets, clothing, and hats that are known to retain moisture
• Going to bed with damp hair

There are several different factors that are involved when it comes to the treatment of acne and trying to prevent as little scarring as possible. It helps tremendously in knowing what triggers your outbreaks and it is best if you try to avoid these specific causes. The type of makeup that you wear is another factor that can contribute to the amount of breakouts that you experience, so you might want to try several different name brand choices. For more severe cases, your dermatologist can prescribe a number of different medications or topical ointments, laser, and other helpful treatments. The most important thing is that you stick with the specific treatment program that you choose.

In order to prevent acne breakouts, proper facial hygiene is key. For this reason, properly washing your face everyday will prevent acne, reduce the number of future breakouts, and diminish the appearance of existing blemishes. Here are a few tips to ensure proper facial cleansing.

#1: Know Your Wash

The first step in an effective face washing routine is the cleanser. Look for products labeled “non-irritating” and “oil-free.” Washes with fragrance added are often irritating as well. While the skin does produce its own oils, it is not necessary to add more for doing so can cause more acne. In addition, oily washes can clog your pores and cause blackheads. Try to find non-comedogenic products. “Non-comedogenic” means that it will not clog your pores. The best products contain salicylic acid, a chemical that will kill the bacteria behind acne.

#2: Be Gentle

When washing, always begin by cleaning your hands with antibacterial soap. Next, splash your face with warm water and apply the cleanser. Only use a few small pumps and massage in gently to avoid irritation. Rubbing your face will not help clear up acne and will only make it worse. As a rule-of-thumb, the skin under the cleanser should move very little. After massaging for 30 seconds, rinse your face with warm water and pat dry with a towel. Again, do not rub with the towel as this will irritate the skin.

Do not use loofahs or other harsh scrubbing devices. These are meant to polish the skin and will leave it red and acne-prone.

Once finished, do not apply layers of other skin care products. Not only will extra product clog pores but can also cause acne outbreaks. Applying a thin layer of medicine such as a prescription cream is allowed, but don’t put on unnecessary ointments and treatments.

#3: Don’t Wash Too Often

By washing too frequently, the skin will dry out as the natural oils are removed. This causes the body to produce more oil and will cause an acne outbreak. Try to wash your skin twice daily and you will begin to notice changes within a few weeks.

Has Acne Left Embarrassing Scars On Your Skin? – There Are Treatment Options Available That Can Help

There are as many as 99% of both teens and adults who are affected with the bothersome symptoms and scars that acne can cause at some point in their life. When acne is left untreated it can ultimately cause a large amount of dyspigmentation and scarring on individuals who suffer from this frustrating problem for a couple of months, a couple of years, and in some cases for a lifetime. Acne is a problem that is generally temporary, but the scarring that is often left behind can be a serious problem that affects a person’s entire life. This is one reason why it is so important to find a treatment that works right for your skin as soon as you possibly can.

When you have noticed that you already suffer from scarring on your skin due to acne outbreaks, there are a variety of treatments that can provide a great deal of improvement in the look and feel of your skin. These treatments would include laser phototherapy, conventional surgery techniques, as well as filler substances for the skin. These items can also be used either alone, or in a combination with one another.

Classifying The Type Of Scarring On Your Skin

Your physician will need to make the proper determination on the exact type of scars from acne that you have before the proper treatment can be selected.

• Boxcar Scars – This type of scarring is very similar in appearance to scars caused from chicken pox, and they are generally 3mm in diameter.
• Ice-Pick Scars – This type of scarring is generally from 1 to 2 mm in diameter.
• Rolling Scars – This type of scarring received their name because of how it looks on the skin. The cause of this scarring is from fibrous bands that are abnormal and they are generally between 4 and 5 mm in diameter.

Another problem that frequently occurs after acne has developed is reddened skin that is persistent and an increase or decrease in the skins pigmentation.

Your Options Of Treatment

The treatments that are available would include fillers for the skin, resurfacing of the skin done by laser treatments, and subcision surgery. Before any of these procedures are performed your physician will need to do a thorough examination of the skin first.

Subcision surgery is performed after you have been given a local anesthetic. The doctor will then carefully locate and cut the fibrous bands that are held within the deep layers of your skin. This is also a technique that is commonly used on individuals who have rolling scars or shallow boxcar scars.

The technique that is commonly used for boxcar scars that are deep would be a combination of both the punch elevation and the punch excision, and for these procedures you are given anesthesia. A special instrument is first used to remove the entire scar, however punch grafting is a technique that is often also used for the more successful results. During this procedure the tissue is lifted instead of the scar being removed. Boxcar scars that are shallow can also be treatment using this method. Tissue normally sits just above the surround areas of skin, and then it retracts as the skin begins to heal, which causes it to level out with the rest of the skin. Resurfacing the skin is a method that can be performed in using either laser techniques or chemical peels.

Resurfacing The Skin Using Lasers

Using this technique the epidermal layer of your skin along with a portion of the dermal layer that is beneath the top layer. The results leave your skin feeling much smoother after the healing process has completed.
Treatments Used In A Combination Of One Another

Generally the surgical methods along with therapies that are used for resurfacing are used in combination with each other. If you are an individual taking Accutane, you will need to wait approximately 6 to 12 months to avoid any type of complications before using a laser or surgical method of treatment.

If you are contemplating the idea of trying any of these treatments, you need to keep in mind that before improvements are noticed you will need to be well equipped with a great deal of patience and time. If a patient receives anywhere from 30 to 60% improvement in the amount of scarring they started with, these results are considered to be reasonable and successful.

Aside from making the skin look dull and lifeless, dead skin cells can also cause wrinkles, cause more acne outbreaks, and they can be blamed for the caused of skin that looks as if it has aged prematurely. The proper thing to do to keep these problems from occurring is very easy to accomplish – it is to exfoliate the skin. Exfoliating the old dead skin cells makes way for the new ones and it is a process that your entire body can take advantage of.

Since you are merely trying to rid the healthy skin of the dead cells without tearing or scratching the skin, you will not want to use any type of products that may be abrasive. Exfoliating products can generally be found in both body and facial scrubs. For the best results possible you will want to use products that contain fruit acids or sugar, and there are even some products that contain both. Scrubbing the face can be a misleading term, as all you want to do is simply apply the product and then gently rinse it off. For maximum benefit, you should exfoliate the skin on a routine basis, at least once or twice per week.

How Do You Find The Acne Treatment That Works The Best?

One of the best ways that you can ensure that you will be finding a product that works for you and your particular type of skin is to always include the following criteria:

• The Power To Fight Acne
• Quality Of Ingredients
• Feedback From Customers
• Guidelines For Safety
• Side Effects
• Overall Value

If you’re like most people, you’ve probably dealt with acne at some point in your life. If you’ve had a particularly bad case, you’ve likely tried almost every treatment there is. When looking for an acne treatment, there are some things you’ll need to consider. You may have to experiment with quite a few remedies to find the one that’s right for you. There isn’t really a magic bullet that will instantly make acne disappear, and there is no product that’s right for everyone. Finding your match will probably take some trial and error, and perhaps combining treatments. This is true whether you’re using an over-the-counter treatment, or a prescription.

No matter what medicine you use, the results aren’t instant. Based on the severity of your acne, it can take up to six or eight weeks to see a difference. Every case is different, and yours may seem to get worse before they get better. If you experience irritation, or have an allergic reaction to the medication, stop using it and consult a dermatologist. Also, no matter what the product’s marketing department would have you believe, a tingling sensation is not a reliable indicator of the product’s effectiveness. Any ingredient used to create that feeling won’t help your blemishes at all, and may in fact irritate sensitive skin. As a rule, most treatments don’t treat pimples you already have, but they’ll prevent new ones from forming.

Here’s a review of four leading acne treatments. Read it, and consider which one would be right for you.

An excellent choice for daily treatment would be Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control 3 in 1 Hydrating Acne Treatment. (Long name, great product!) It contains 2% salicylic acid, which is a well-known exfoliant that aids in the treatment of acne before it starts, by clearing pores and getting rid of any dead skin cells. It has a very light, and non-greasy moisturizing formula. This product also contains aloe, and cucumber and green tea extracts (all great anti-irritants). The only big downside to this option is that the silicone or the salicylic acid can trigger an allergic reaction in some people, which will in turn make their breakout worse. It’s widely available, sold in many drug and discount stores. The approximate retail price ranges from $8-$10.

If you’ve only got a few blemishes, a spot treatment may be good for you. A good option is Clean and Clear’s invisible acne patch. It also contains 2% salicylic acid, that’s contained on a polymer film dot that goes on over the pimple. The film will dry, becoming invisible- which will enable you to apply makeup right over it. It treats and conceals at the same time. A main drawback of this product is that it contains a percentage of alcohol, which can dry and irritate the skin. But, the amount of alcohol in the patch is fairly low, so this shouldn’t be a big problem except for those who have very sensitive skin.

The Proactiv system is a great option for severe acne or widespread blemishes. It was developed by a dermatologist, and its oil-free, three-step method clears and helps prevent breakouts. The cleanser exfoliates dead skin cells and clears pores, the toner removes excess oil and other impurities from the skin’s surface, while evening skin tone, and the repairing lotion both heals existing spots and prevents new ones from occurring. Proactiv is easy to use, and should definitely be part of your skin care routine.

The last option we’ll discuss is Differin. It can come in a cream or gel form, and is only available by prescription. Differin doesn’t have a generic equivalent. Its active ingredient is adapalene, which is a retinoid. Retinoids have been shown to help in clearing anything from a mild to a severe case of acne, and it’s especially effective if it’s used in conjunction with other topical medicines. It’s generally more well-tolerated than other retinoids, with few side effects other than a minor discomfort when use begins. It’s recommended for more severe acne cases, so if you have a slighter breakout, you can get the same results by using an over-the-counter medication.

Acne is a common skin disorder, and it has left many people looking for the right remedy. It’s indiscriminate, affecting both the old and the young among us. Dermatologists and scientists are striving for a product that works on everyone, all the time, but that day is a long way away because the causes of acne vary from person to person. Before you begin to treat your acne, you should make a visit to a dermatologist to learn more about acne’s causes and solutions. Choosing an effective solution for your acne problem can be confusing, and hopefully we’ve helped you to make an informed decision.

The Truth About Adult Acne

Adult acne can have an enormous impact on your life. While acne is very common among young adults, those of us whom never outgrow it face a critical world of people that judge you based on your appearance. An estimated 20% of adult men and 30% of adult women between the ages of 20-60 suffer from adult acne, and the numbers are growing. The following is an explanation of why adults continue to suffer from acne long after puberty and some possible treatments that are proven to work.

Causes of Adult Acne
The main cause of adult acne is sebum, which is an oil produced in your sebaceous glands. Sebum clogs your pores and causes them to swell, e.g. a whitehead or blackhead. Some other causes are cosmetics, different anti-aging creams, and lack of sleep.

Adult Acne Treatments
The treatment of adult acne is different than the treatment of teenage acne. Finding an effective treatment is basically a trial-and-error process and will take some time. Here are some suggestions:

Prescription Medication – Topical antibiotics like clindamycin fight acne bacteria at the source, the skin. Tetracycline, an oral antibiotic attacks acne from the inside out by balancing hormones.

Cleansers – For adults, it is important to find a cleanser that is gentle and void of scrubbing beads and exfoliators because they irritate “older” skin. The most gentle cleansers are aquanil and cetaphil.

Laser Treatment – For a more high-tech solution, laser or intense light treatments can target and kill acne-causing bacteria. This type of treatment is expensive, however, and could have the potential to be dangerous.

Skin-Care Regimen – Acne treatment systems generally consist of a cleanser, treatment, and moisturizer. These regimens are strict, but often have positive outcomes that are easy to achieve if you properly use the product.