Tackle Acne And Look Beautiful!
Beauty & Skin Care | November 16, 2009Acne is a popular skin disorder that is mostly found among the youngsters, as it takes place in the early teenage period. This disorder occurs due to swelling of the tiny oil glands, also known as sebaceous glands, which exist around the minute hairs on our face and chest.
Between the age period of 17 to 19, this disorder is at its peak and then decreasing gradually, it vanishes completely till mid-20s. As an exception to this, this skin disorder might continue to prevail until 40s for the youngsters who are quite sensitive. Are you the one suffering from acne and worried about your looks? Do not worry, let’s explore and cure it to maintain your beauty!
Acne Causes
Throughout the teenage period, the production of androgens is on its height in both girls and boys. This results in increased production of sebum by the sebaceous glands, which narrows the openings of the glands. This contraction stops the sebum from moving out from the glands whose production on the other hand leads to accumulation that results in acne. The severity of this disorder is determined by how sensitive your sebaceous glands are to androgens. A very high sensitivity tends to occur in men generally for which they seriously require medical care.
There are yet more causes of acne. These are:
- Hormonal changes connected to pregnancy or menstruation
- Pollution
- Intense heat, humidity, or cold
Apart from these causes, to add to the list, there are some more that can actually worsen the disorder. These are:
- Working in a wet environment with oil, grease, and other chemicals
- Rubbing or pressing the pimples
- Menstrual periods
- Specific medicines
Acne Symptoms
Initially, you notice small, soft, and red spots mostly on the skin and chest. However, do you know that these spots can be converted into pimples containing fatty acids due to acne? Yes, there is a type of acne that is responsible for pimples on your face. It is known as Propionebacterium acne, a common bacterium on the skin that nourishes due to sebum and produces fatty acids that leads to inflammation of the sebaceous glands. According to the severity, this inflammation will gradually vanish over a variable period of few days or weeks. Other symptoms include:
- Scars that will never go away.
- Psychological stress.
Such symptoms call for mandatory immediate medical treatment.
Acne Treatment
Acne can be treated in three ways subjected to the two factors leading to it, i.e., increased sebum production and bacteria. One of them is taking care at home. The other two are medial in nature namely, local (on skin) and systemic (oral) treatments. Ideally, you can opt to continue with the treatment at home in addition with the medical ones. An important line to be noted down is that you will be able to observe the effect of the stated treatments only after 6 to 8 weeks and that the treatments needs to be continued until 20s.
If your acne is really severe, consulting a doctor immediately becomes the need of the hour. Observing this critical situation, the doctor might opt to treat you or prefer a dermatologist for you. The symptoms of severe acne are:
- Over-the-counter medications do not work after six to eight weeks
- Psychological distress
- Big, tender pimples
- Scars
- Dark skin and dark patches
You need to consult a dermatologist or a plastic surgeon to remove scars, who attempt to do so through abrasion (dermabrasion) or laser treatment.
Remedies at Home
You need to take care of your skin, as you know that home of bacterium on your face can lead to pimples. So, be alert right now! Here are some of the common homely remedies.
Use a mild cleanser to wash your face and do this twice a day.- Wash you skin if you perspire.
- Avoid scrubbing your face.
- Avoid squeezing pimples, as it might lead to scars.
- Prefer those hairstyles in which the hair does not touch your face.
- Apply shampoo on a regular basis.
- Avoid exposure to excessive cold, heat, or sunlight. Sunlight does not cure acne, but do aid in improving it.
- Apply a water-based moisturiser.
- Avoid oily creams and foundations, as they might result in pimples.
- Avoid such eatables, which after eating might have led to red spots.
- Consume a lot of water and exercise regularly. Remember, to make your skin feel good, first, you need to feel so.
- Opt for a sensible diet.
- Talk to your beautician about how to take care of your skin.
- Select proper over-the-counter medications for mild acne by investigating with your pharmacist regarding the products. Try them for six to eight weeks, as controlling acne is a time-consuming process.
Local Treatment
Local treatment is directed towards the skin. It includes the following applications:
- Azelaic acid (for instance, Skinoren cream) or benzoyl peroxide (for instance, Panoxyl, Acnecide) for mild to moderate acne, as they prevent contraction of the gland’s openings and slow down the augmentation of the bacterium.
- A product that combines benzoyl peroxide with a topical antibiotic such as erythromycin (Benzamycin gel), or clindamycin (Duac once daily gel)
- A topical antibiotic that might be:
- Clindamycin (Dalacin T)
- Erythromycin (Eryacne gel)
- Tetracycline (Topicycline)
- Adapalene (Differin) and topical tretinoin (Retin-A) and isotretinoin (Isotrex gel) for people with blackheads, whiteheads and mild inflammatory acne
It is important to note that pregnant women should not use adapalene, tretinoin, and isotretinoin. These drugs should only be used if effective contraception is taken.
Systemic Treatment
Systemic treatment is taken by mouth. Listed are related treatments.
- Contraceptive pills that have anti-androgens, for example, Dianette; which are meant for grown up women having severe acne
- Antibiotics such as tetracycline or minocycline (Minocin) combined with one of the medications for victims of severe inflammatory acne
- Isotretinoin (Roaccutane) for victims of severe cystic acne, which is not cured by other medications
Some important points that you must note are:
- Women who are pregnant or are breastfeeding and children below 12 years should not be given tetracycline antibiotics.
- Women should not be pregnant if consuming isotretinoin.
- Isotretinoin should not be given to victims of liver or kidney disease even though it has an ideal choice for acne. This is because this medicine has many side effects due to which it is only prescribed by a dermatologist.
- It is mandatory for women to undertake contraception during treatment and after the treatment for a month.
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There are of course many potential side effects associated with some of the more aggressive conventional acne treatments available. Holistic acne treatments use only natural ingredients and are more in sync with our bodies and better for our overall health. For more information please check out http://www.acnegenius.com/holistic-acne-treatments.php