Acne Hygiene
One of the most common misconceptions about acne is that it’s caused by dirt. It’s not! Acne is caused by a combination of factors you can’t control, like your hormone balance and the natural pace of your skin’s renewal system. Fortunately, there are a number of things you can control that may help you keep your acne in check. Begin by following these simple suggestions for healthy-skin hygiene.
Acne Prevention – Tip #1: Don’t over-wash. Since dirt is not causing your acne, excessive scrubbing and washing won’t make it go away. Try to limit yourself to two washings per day — anything more than that can leave your healthy skin dry, and your acne-prone areas irritated. Habitual over-washing may also stimulate extra oil production, which could result in more breakouts.
Acne Prevention – Tip #2: Skip harsh scrubs. It’s okay to exfoliate, but be sure to use a gentle formula with small, smooth grains. Avoid products with almond or apricot shell fragments; they can irritate or even tear your skin and further aggravate your acne.
Acne Prevention – Tip #3: Say no to alcohol. If you use a toner, avoid products with high concentrations of isopropyl alcohol, or common rubbing alcohol. A strong astringent, alcohol strips the top layer of your skin, causing your sebaceous glands to produce more oil. The result? Dry, red skin — and possibly more blemishes.
Acne Prevention – Tip #4: Don’t squeeze or pick. Squeezing or picking your blemishes — with fingernails, pins or anything else — can force bacteria deeper into the skin, causing greater inflammation and infection. You’ll also increase the damage to the surrounding skin, so the blemish is more likely to leave a permanent acne scar.
Acne Prevention – Tip #5: Hands off! Propionibacterium acnes (the bacteria that causes breakouts) is a normal resident of your skin; it doesn’t lead to acne until it gets trapped inside the hair follicle. Excessive touching of your face, including rubbing or even resting your chin in your hands, can drive bacteria into your pores — where it can begin its dirtywork.
Acne Prevention – Tip #6: Work out, wash off. When you exercise, your movement generates heat; clothing and equipment cause friction. Until you shower off, heat and moisture are trapped against your skin, creating an ideal breeding ground for the spread of bacteria. So whenever you can, shower off immediately after exercising.
Acne Prevention Treatment – Find a regimen and stick with it. Most cases of mild acne can be improved with “over-the-counter” products, or products that don’t require a prescription from your doctor. There is a wide range of treatments available, and there’s a good chance one of them will work for you. If you start treatment before your acne gets severe, you’ll have a better chance of avoiding physical and emotional problems down the road. But if your acne gets worse or lasts more than a couple of weeks, see a dermatologist. Here’s a quick listing of the most common products used to treat acne — click on the links that interest you for more information on that course of acne treatment.
For more information visit: Acnezine
Categories: Acne & Pimples Articles Tags: acne and pimples, Acne Prevention Treatment, Acne vulgaris
Acne – Acne and Skin Care
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The reason why a person develops acne has little to do with their skin care practices. However, once a person does have acne, how they take care of their skin is essential to its treatment.
In fact, washing and scrubbing the skin has little to do with why a person develops acne. The effects of scrubbing is that it roughens and dries out the skin. In fact, the effect of scrubbing can worsen the skin by exposing lower layers which then have to develop protective coats of oil and dermis. This takes time for this protective coat to develop, which leaves the skin exposed to bacteria. Our skin is our best defense against all types of infectious pathogens, and scrubbing a layer off does not help the situation.
What is recommended is a softer and more gentle washing. And, one should use a mild cleanser.
While is has been recognized that one’s own natural skin oil plays a major role in the development of acne, completely eliminating your natural skin oil is not the answer. Your natural skin oil keeps your skin moist and without it would lead to little cracks in your skin which is the doorway for bacteria to enter.
Thus, any type of astringents that are used should be done so sparingly, and all over the counter treatments need to be used according to their directions.
A challenge that men face is shaving. Even electric shavers can lead to a small cut when it goes over a blemished area. It is important to be very careful around tender areas, and to use a softener gel.
When shaving with a razor it is important not to backshave and go against the direction of hair growth. Ingrown hairs and pores that are clogged do produce acne, so it is wise to soften the hair with warm water and soap before shaving, and shave in the same direction of the hair growth.
As for women, most makeup these days do not clog the pores, and yet skin can be irritated with too much foundation. Look for “non-comedogenic” labels in your purchase of makeup.
At all times, keeping the skin pores open so that your skin’s natural oil has movement and allows the shedding of dead skin cells is the key.
An anti-bacterial lotion can help prevent acne, but it does little to treat it. As well, over medicating your skin will clog your skins pores, so read and follow the directions.
Categories: Acne & Pimples Articles Tags: acne, acne treatment, Acne vulgaris, Bacteria, Beauty, Health, Skin
What Causes Acne?
Anatomy of the human skin
Although the exact causes of acne are not clear. It is the visible result of a disturbance between hormones, bacteria and inflammation taking place in the oil glands(sebaceous) found in the hair follicle.
As this imbalance advances, the gland becomes overactive and creates a greater amount of oil. The inside of the follicle wall becomes saturated and more sticky. Which builds up and becomes blocked creating comedones (blackheads and whiteheads).
The acne bacteria feeds, grows and multiplies in the oil from the blocked pores. The bacteria then releases chemicals which alerts white cells in the blood. In the bodies attempt to eliminate these chemicals, inflammation is causes. Resulting in papules and pustules (pimples and zits).
The inflamed pores (hair follicle) and the oil gland causes the skin around it to also become inflamed creating nodules (lumps and cysts). The inflammation also harms collagen cells. The cell then becomes imbalanced. If it produces less collagen this create what is called thinning of the skin or depressed scaring. If it produces more collagen, this will thicken the scar.
Exterior factor that aggravate your acne do so in the same way. It is a combined effect of the acne bacteria, hormones(male – testosterone and dihydrotestosterone) and a overactive oil gland blocking pores and creating inflammation. When the pores are blocked at the surface it encourages more oil production creating bacteria and inflammation which lead to pimples or zits.
Hair spray, oil based cosmetics, oils and greases can contribute to blocking the hair follicle at the surface. Sports equipment such as helmets, pads and hats. damp, humide or sweaty clothes that are in contact with your skin for an extended amount of time can also block pores.
Androgenic hormonal medication found in steroids and progestin, found in birth control pills, can increase oil production in the glands which aggravates acne.
Bad eating habits and poor hygiene will not cause acne. This is the most common of acne myths. However, over-washing can cause irritation and worsen your inflammation. Washing twice daily with a salicylic acid(2%) face wash will clear your pores without dehydrating your skin.
Categories: Acne & Pimples Articles Tags: acne, acne bacteria, Acne vulgaris, back acne, Blackhead, Hair follicle, Hormone, Inflammation, Oil gland, pimples, Sebaceous gland, zits
Good Makeup for Acne, Acne Scars
Accutane and Retin A Users
People with acne have sensitive skin. People using Accutane and Retin A (tretinoin) have even more sensitive skin. I have been battling cystic acne since my teens. Trust me, I Know! I had my first dermabrasion when I was in my late twenties, and I have had several acne scar laser treatments since then. My dermatologist back in Connecticut is a big fan of Exuviance products. I started using the restorative cream when I was on Accutane the first time in the 1980′s. Here I am 58 years old, and I am on it again. If you know acne, you know there is no cure for cystic acne. I am just so thankful that there is finally a treatment for cystic acne that I can benefit from. It was a number of years of silent suffering before Accutane was a solution for me since it has only been around since the early 1980′s. There is no question that Accutane is not just the best acne medication for severe and cystic acne, but the only medication for severe and cystic acne. Now, let’s get back on the subject of good make up. The restorative cream is meant for night time use, but my dermatologist, Dr. Barry Goldberg, Danbury, Ct. of Advanced Dermcare, suggested that I use it all the time. If you are a Retin-A user, or an Accutane user, or both, this product is an amazing moisturizer for that extra dryness that is an unpleasant side effect of both acne treatments.
The concealer is a bonus. It’s not a miracle mask, but it tones down redness very nicely. Anyone with bad skin knows that less is better. The more stuff you pile on, the worse your skin looks. Because the concealer does not sit on top of your skin, it looks way better!
Another option for “good makeup” is with the new mineral foundation that is so popular. I found that Raw Minerals Makeup worked best for me because of their colors. I have also used Bare Escentual Minerals Makeup and have found it very light and covers nicely as well. What is good about the mineral foundation is that it is light and not cakey, so it doesn’t make your skin stand out when you really want to hide it.
Remember, less is better!
Exuviance Evening Restorative Complex 1.75 oz.
Exuviance Concealing Treatment Makeup SPF 20 0.5 oz.
CoverBlend Multi-Function Concealer Spf 15 Beige 0.5oz
Raw Natural Beauty Active Mineral Foundation 0.07 oz
Bare Escentuals bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation
Categories: Acne & Pimples Articles Tags: acne, acne free, acne scar, Acne vulgaris, Health
Acne, pimples, zits Go away
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Pimples or acne are tiny skin lesions or inflammations of the skin. They are commonly caused by clogged or infected pores. They may appear as deeper lumps (cysts or nodules) on the face, neck, chest, back and sometimes shoulders.
Severe acne can affect many facets of a person’s life, causing a great deal of embarrassment and stress. Some severe forms of acne like acne cysts may rupture and cause scars that can result in psychological effects on the sufferer. Having skin full of pimples and zits may significantly limit one’s social life. Although acne is not considered to be a life threatening disorder, the psychological impact of acne can be quite profound as it affects the most visible parts of your body.
If your acne condition is severe it can cause disfiguring and require years of treatment. In such cases seeking the help of a qualified dermatologist will be your best option.
Causes of acne
The cause of pimples is unknown. The process by which a pimple develops is highly intricate. While we do know that a pore collapses on itself and blocks sebum (oil) from escaping, we do not fully understand why this process takes place in one sebaceous gland versus another.
But the causes of adult acne and teen acne may include the following:
- Hormones
- Diet
- Evolutionary biology
- Vitamin deficiency
- Stress
Possible measures you can take to prevent pimples are:
- Relax regularly for a certain period of time. Your body restores and refreshes skin cells while you are relaxing. Teenagers are notorious for not getting rest but it is essential in helping to prevent pimples.
- Do not squeeze or pick at pimples because this has the risk of producing a more severe infection.
- After you exercise take a shower so that the sweat does not contribute to clogging your pores and producing another pimple outbreak.
- Wear clean white t-shirts to help keep pimple off your back. The white t-shirts tend to absorb the excess oils in your skin and will help to prevent pimple on your back at least.
- Before going to bed, clean off any makeup. Again, the key here is to keep your pores clear of oil and bacteria and help prevent pimple outbreaks. After washing, you can use a cleaning solution on your skin containing what is known as Salicylic Acid.
Categories: Acne & Pimples Articles Tags: acne, acne remedies, acne treatment, Acne vulgaris, adult acne, Causality, Pimple, pimples, Salicylic Acid, Sebaceous gland, Skin, Stress (biology), teen acne, zits
Acne Scar Solutions
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Acne is a common skin infection that affects over 80% of youth and 5% of adults. When acne eventually heals, it leaves ugly blemishes called acne scars. These become permanent if they are not treated in time. Acne scars are damaging to the ego and personality of an individual, and a lot of time and money has been invested in research to treat this problem
Categories: Acne & Pimples Articles Tags: acne, Acne vulgaris, Scar, Skin Care, Skin Disorders
Acne Medicine
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Acne is a combined term that is used to describe a number of skin conditions, like blackheads, blemishes, lumps, and whiteheads. Teenagers and adults can have acne. Stress, hormonal activity, bacteria, steroids, and overactive glands can cause acne.
Categories: Acne & Pimples Articles Tags: acne, Acne vulgaris, Beauty, Conditions and Diseases, Health, Shopping, Skin Care, Skin Disorders
