Posts Tagged ‘Treatments’
Treat your Skin not your Pimples
Sunday, February 27th, 2011“This’ll keep Madam Pomfrey happy,” said Professor Sprout, stoppering the last bottle with a cork. “An excellent remedy for the more stubborn forms of acne, bubutober pus. Should stop students resorting to desperate measures to rid themselves of pimples.”
“Like poor Eloise Midgen,” said Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff, in a hushed voice. “She tried to curse hers off.”
“Silly girl,” said Professor Sprout, shaking her head. “But Madam Pomfrey fixed her nose back in the end.”
Admit it—haven’t we all tried to pull off an Eloise Midgen and resorted to drastic measures to drive acne away? While we may not have the capabilities to curse pimples off our faces, there’s certainly a long list of worse ways to remove acne.
What exactly causes acne? While it is true that stress, cosmetics and detergents (such as harsh shampoos and toothpaste) aggravate acne, they are not the direct sources of your pimples. They will only make worse an already existing condition. And do not blame your diet—chocolate and French fries will not cause acne—or your crush for the huge blemish on your nose. They have nothing to do with it at all.
Hormonal imbalance
The usual culprit behind acne is an imbalance of hormones, which causes the production of extra sebum and therefore, pimples. This could be because of your genes (if your parents were pimply in their childhood, you know who to blame) or other circumstances that could lead to this imbalance—puberty, menopause, pregnancy and monthly periods among them. So if you have a friend who has effortlessly clear skin, curse the genetic lottery and take better care of your skin instead of trying to imitate his/her (lack of) routine.
While others go directly to the source and have hormone treatments in order to lessen their acne, this can be costly and impractical in minor acne cases—sort of like swatting a fly with a nuclear bomb. Some treatments, like birthcontrol pills, have undesirable side effects such as weight gain and headaches. The more dangerous side effects include clots in blood vessels and an increased risk of breast cancer. Males who take birth-control pills suddenly find themselves saddled with a pair of breasts (while some do this intentionally, that’s an entirely different story.)
A good skincare regimen will not only prevent more pimples from popping up, but will delay the onset of wrinkles and freckles. Simply washing your face just doesn’t do anymore. In our more polluted environment, you will have to learn how to cleanse, tone and moisturize your skin at least once a day. Applying sunscreen even when you’re not going out in the sun is also important because indoor lights also contain skin-harming rays. So if you’re planning to spend extended hours in front of the computer for a term paper, make sure you’ve slathered on some SPF.
Old staple
If you’re really going for a direct treatment of the pimple, you might want to check out an old staple: Benzoyl Peroxide.
However, Benzoyl Peroxide apparently isn’t just a spot treatment. According to Dr. Bernadette Arcilla of the Philippine Dermatological Society, when faced with acne, you should treat the entire affected area with Benzoyl Peroxide, but don’t overdo it! Too much of it (say, a huge dollop on top of the blemish) will dry out not just the pimple, but the surrounding skin as well, causing more damage. “The best way to apply it is to spread it evenly over the affected area, so that not only will the pimple dry out, but future breakouts will be prevented as well,” Dr. Arcilla said.
Before buying a tube of treatment, said Dr. Arcilla, take note of the concentration of Benzoyl Peroxide before applying it—PanOxyl, for example, has three variants: 2.5 percent for mild acne, 5 percent for moderate acne and 10 percent for severe cases. The latter is best left for body acne, such as pimples on your back and chest, while facial acne is adequately treated by the less concentrated variants. Again, overdoing anything will cause more harm than good so always start with a smaller concentration.
Dr. Arcilla also advised patients to use medication daily—not just on a pimple, but on the entire affected area. “You should treat the skin, not the pimples. Pimples are just a symptom of something bigger,” Dr. Arcilla said. “And if you treat it early, you can prevent scarring due to more blemishes.”
Instead of treating just the surface, go for an acne management program. In the long-term process (which combines a good skincare regimen and acne treatment), pimples won’t be gone in a week, but there is a significant 30- to 40-percent reduction of acne in one to two months. The process can be expedited with the help of your dermatologist, who can help you create an acne management program for yourself. This does take a lot more time than quick fix-acne treatments, but the results are permanent, at least.
Now, isn’t that better than cursing pimples off your face?
By: Kerwin Chang
Popping Pimples Is Never A Good Idea
Saturday, February 26th, 2011There are times when one has to think about alternative, natural, effective treatment methods to get the best cure or solution to their acne, zits, pimples and blackhead problems.
People of all races and ages get acne. The most common type of acne is acne vulgaris. For most people, acne goes away by age 30, but people in their forties and fifties still get acne. In a survey conducted in Great Britain, 95% of 16-year-old males and 83% of 16 year-old females had acne. Acne is a group of skin rashes that have different causes.
Acne, zits, pimples, blackheads, whiteheads and many other skin disorders are usually, but not always, the result of a bad diet. There is still much to be learned about what causes acne. It’s not true that dirty skin and stress cause acne. The cause of acne is really unknown.
You want to be good to your skin and never pop or squeeze a pimple no matter how tempting. Stay out of the sun if you’re taking any acne medicines.
Raw apple cider vinegar application is a cheap, alternative acne treatment that has worked for many adults, teens and children with acne, zits, pimples, or blemishes. The treatment plan for acne includes trying to heal the pimples, stopping new pimples from forming, preventing scarring and helping reduce embarrassment.
A new treatment using red light and blue light has been extremely successful on severe acne. One helpful remedy seems to be to use ice to reduce the swelling caused by inflamed pimples: rub it over the blemishes for 2-3 minutes. It just takes motivation, a willingness to try it, and diligent application of coconut oil several times a day and at bedtime to see its benefits.
Acne scars can give the skin an aging look. Acne is not a serious health threat but, it can cause scars. Healed acne leaves scars in some people however, and it isn’t easy to predict who will end up with scars after an acne outbreak and who won’t.
Whether you eat a natural diet with living fruits and vegetables or eat dead junk food, what you eat may have a direct or indirect affect on the male hormones which may play a part in acne. When you change your diet, your lesions should be getting better within 30 days. Besides external acne treatment it’s best to work from the inside out too. People with skin disorders such as acne, rosacea, and psoriasis often suffer from constipation.
For an easy fiber boost, mix in 2 tablespoons of ground up flaxseeds in raw applesauce, from 2-3 apples, made in your food processor. Use flaxseed oil or walnut oil in your salad. Concentrating on a diet of lots of fruits and vegetables (preferably uncooked) and no junk food, should give you an observable improvement within 30 days.
Unclean skin favors the development of pathogenic organisms – the dead cells that continually slough off of the epidermis mix with the secretions of the sweat and sebaceous glands and the dust found on the skin to form a filthy layer on its surface.
The skin must be regularly cleaned or it’ll become cracked or inflamed. You should see the results of your acne home treatment remedies with improved skin within just a few days.
With cheap, safe, simple, natural, effective, alternative home treatments for acne and pimples, your skin should be well on its way to recovery. One should always think about alternative, natural, effective treatment methods to get the best cure or solution to their acne, zits, pimples and blackhead problems.


