Posts Tagged ‘acne treatments’

Why Should One Need Acne Treatments?

Monday, February 28th, 2011
acne treatment
When reaching the age of puberty, acne can be a menace to both boys and girls aged between 12 up to 25 years old. However, men and women in their 30s and 40s are sometimes not spared of this skin problem that look as ordinary as blackheads, whiteheads, red or yellow spots, or greasy skin to scars.

Acne typically affects the skin of the face, back, neck, chest and arms and the severity of the condition can vary. It affects people of all skin colours and the processes that cause acne are exactly the same in people with black or brown skin but the impact is altered by the skin pigmentation.

The surface of the skin has lots of small sebaceous glands just below the surface. These glands make an oily substance called sebum that keeps the skin smooth and supple. Acne is caused by the over activity of the sebaceous glands that secrete oily substances onto the skin.

In more severe inflammatory acne, cysts develop beneath the skin surface. These acne cysts can rupture, spreading the infection into nearby skin tissue and can result in scarring.

Acne is easily recognised by the appearance of the spots, and by their distribution on the body.

There are several varieties of acne and your doctor will be able to tell you which type you have after examining your skin. For most teen-ager and adults alike, acne may cause considerable emotional distress but there is a range of acne treatment options to help you tackle the problem.

No acne treatment will completely cure it but the aim is to prevent new spots forming, to improve those already present, and to prevent scarring.

For simple acne treatment at home, it is important to keep spot-prone areas clean, so wash the affected area twice a day with an unperfumed cleanser. The skin needs a certain amount of oil to maintain its natural condition, so avoid aggressive washing with strong soaps.

There are a number of over-the-counter remedies available from pharmacies to treat mild acne. These usually contain antibacterial agents such as benzoyl peroxide and along with its antibacterial effects, it can dry out the skin and encourage it to shed the surface layer of dead skin. Together, these effects make it harder for pores to become blocked and for infection to develop.

Benzoyl peroxide can cause redness and peeling, especially to start with but this tends to settle down if you reduce the number of times you use it. You can then build up your use gradually.

Remember that no home acne treatments will work immediately. It can take weeks, if not months, for significant effects to be noticeable. If home treatments have not worked after two months, or you have severe acne, you should visit your dermatologist or physician, who may start again your treatment by prescribing a preparation containing benzoyl peroxide. If this does not work, or if you have more severe acne, there are a range of other treatment options that you can either rub onto your skin (topical) or take in tablet form (oral).

An alternative to benzoyl peroxide is azelaic acid and this may not make your skin as sore as using the former. There is also the topical retinoids that are based on vitamin A, which are rubbed into the skin once or twice a day. They work by encouraging the outer layer of skin to flake off.

A topical antibiotic lotion applied to the skin can be used to control the P. acnes bacteria and the treatment needs to continue for at least six months.

Finally, there are several oral treatments you may be prescribed including oral antibiotics (tablets), such as tetracycline for inflammatory acne. They should be taken daily for around three months, although it might take four to six months for the benefits to be seen. The success of this treatment can be limited because the strains of bacteria are often resistant to the common antibiotics. Antibiotics do not prevent pores from becoming blocked so treatment to prevent blackheads, such as benzoyl peroxide, is often also prescribed at the same time.

How to Get Rid of Pimples

Sunday, February 27th, 2011
Getting pimples on the face is a big problem where you loose your self-reliance and elegance as you are completely worried about what the other person may be feeling when he looks at you. Pimples put you in an uncomfortable state and are quite provoking and annoying too. Pimples seem like a small bulge which are sore and are really achy in a lot of the cases.
Pimples occur because of reasons like unbalanced diet lacking in nutrients, lot of toxins in your body, deficiency of moisture in your skin or blocked skin openings.
Well, to get rid of pimples there are some things that should be considered and attain back a smooth and a nourished skin along with your confidence.

Water is used to get freedom from pimples in two ways:
a) Drinking adequate amounts of water, at least 8-10 glasses daily, assists to remove the harmful toxins from your body (toxins are the main cause of pimples) and filters the blood which hence helps to get a smooth and clean skin. It rises moisture level in our skin to a certain extent and hence makes our skin appear complete and nourished.
b) Other important use of water is to wash your skin with pure water daily a minimum of 4-5 times a day. This aids to get rid of pimples as when you do this the extra oil released on your skin surface is also cleaned away, hence avoids creation of pimples. You can use plain water to clean your skin but clinical or gentle glycerin soap along with water acts wonders on your skin as glycerin is a good moisturizing product for your skin and prevents your skin from drying out.
Balanced food:
Healthy food is rich in Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins, Carbohydrates and Fat, all of which is vital for your body to execute its daily activities. If you consume unbalanced food which is deficient any nutrients, it will actually show on your skin or any other body part. Like Vitamin A, E and fatty acids are vital for a nourished skin, and if your diet is not proper and is deficient in any such Vitamins then your skin will react consequently and thus result in formation of pimples on face. So to get rid of pimples it is recommended to have a balanced diet with balanced nutrients.
External Applications: You can put some usual products on your pimples like:
a) Toothpaste can be applied on the pimple directly at night, and in the morning when it dries up it can be washed away with water and the outcome can be seen on your face.
b) An apricot juice is useful to get rid of pimples. It is simple and most effective way to aid you out, only you need to apply it on the affected areas for 10-15 minutes everyday, till you acquire the most-wanted effects. There are other options like on-the-counter pills and clinical creams that may assist to get rid of pimples but the directions mentioned on the cartons must be strictly observed in order to get the desired outcome.
You may also consult a skin specialist to assist you get rid of pimples. A cosmetic treatment or beauty creams also help you to get rid of pimples and give you a fresh and a radiant pimple-free skin, but these methods may be a bit expensive.
Furthermore you must never pierce or squeeze your pimple as it may lead to many more and might leave a spot or a scar too. Evade red meat and hot and fiery food that increases your body toxins, also give up greasy and oily fried foods that not just add up weight to your body but may also lead to pimples on your face.

Five Common Facts About Acne Treatments

Thursday, February 24th, 2011
acne treatment
Everyone’s life has had some sort of issue with acne. This is especially true when you hit the teenage years. The acne seems to be a problem that is a constant in this time of life. The belief is that the female hormone cycle has a hand in the condition of hormonal acne and the acne treatments used to clear it. When you know what to look for with hormonal acne, you can begin to work to treat it. This is what was found to be true about it. 

There Is No Growing Out

Many individuals believe that acne will go away with age. This is why some do not seek out acne treatments options because they believe it is not bad enough. Some adults have had acne since they were teenagers and have done nothing about it. This is sad because the advancements in treatment technology could have given them relief years ago. Hormonal treatment options are out there if you take the time to look. A dermatologist is the best place to start in the right treatment options for hormonal acne.

No Jokes

Unfortunately, there is always one person who has to make fun of those with acne. The acne ridden individual feels low and might even have a high level of stress on them. This stress only serves to make the acne worse. Studies show that a good number of unemployed individuals have acne and are the ones discriminated against when they try to get a job. Low self-esteem is a definite problem with severe acne and acne treatments for this is the best way to get your life back on track.

PCOS – Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

PCOS is a common hormonal disorder in females. There is treatment available for it and it works well. Some things that come from having this syndrome are changes in the skin and hair due to large amounts of testosterone in the body. Facial and body hair are more prominent as is thinning of the hair. It even causes more acne to appear needing more advanced acne treatments regimen. If you find that your normal acne has suddenly worsened for no reason, it might be time to get tested for PCOS.

Past Puberty Years

Studies also show that if the acne you have comes on earlier, it is a probability that the severity of it will be higher for you. It might cause a problem for you medically and leave scars behind. Acne treatments should be started immediately and continued to prevent the scars from forming.

Testing For Hormonal Acne

Hormonal acne tests should be completed if you see that more acne is appearing or hair growth has accelerated. If the test comes out positive, treatment for the hormonal issues can begin promptly. If PCOS signs are showing up, you should have this checked, as well. Acne treatments option work well for the hormonal acne and medication is available to help with the extra hair growth and other problematic symptoms.