Posts Tagged ‘What Causes Acne’

Acne Treatment – 4 Treatments Recommended by Dermatologists

Monday, February 14th, 2011
acne treatment
It’s not yet too late to live a life free from acne blemishes. This includes scars on one’s skin. Acne is the most common hindrance to having a healthy skin. For years, people have tried to get rid of zits that ruin one’s confidence, and probably one’s life.

The treatment of acne is not something you could do quickly however. One must carefully choose the right treatment that not only guarantees relief, but also prevents acne from coming back.

What Causes Acne?

Acne is caused by overactive oil glands. Add to that the buildup of dead skin or skin flakes, or by the P. acnes bacteria. With these, you get pimples.

Treatment of Acne

Treatment of acne takes a variety of methods. Since there are different types of skin, the best treatment for one person may not work for another. Therefore, it is still best to consult a dermatologist. They can decide which medication is the best one for a certain condition and skin type. The dermatologist also knows which medication tailor fits a patient based on the person’s lifestyle, medication routine as well as her age.

4 Acne Treatments Recommended By Dermatologists

In general, acne treatment is classified into 4 types.

(1) The most popular is by eradicating the bacteria caused by clogged follicles. This is an instant treatment but may only be momentary. This treatment is done by either taking in tetracycline or other antibiotics. Or by curing the areas that are affected with medicated substances such as benzoyl peroxide. This substance has nothing to do with the control of oil secretion, which is the origin of all clogged follicles. Therefore acne may return right after when the treatment is over.

(2) Another method is to reduce the oil secretion of oil glands. This can be done by drinking Vitamin A regularly. The drug used here has a longer effect or result than anti-bacterial solutions. This method oftentimes treats acne for good. It requires a dermatologist’s close examination though. The drug is known to have many side effects.

(3) Another acne treatment is skin exfoliation. This method allows the topmost layer of the skin to be peeled off. This is to avoid the accumulation and build up of skin flakes. If left to accumulate, the skin cells will mix with the skin’s natural oil and block pores. With this type of acne treatment, it can unblock clogged pores.

(4) A modern type of acne treatment is the laser therapy or laser acne treatment. The laser treatment rubs away the topmost layer of one’s skin, which is helpful to remove the untapped dead skin cells. The treatment has an enduring effect which is seen as effective. TCA peels reaches deep in the skin to have results that can last for long, at least up to 1 year. This treatment not only removes acne but prevents them from happening again. TCA peels should be tried since they are very cost effective.

Treating acne may seem simple but it is still safer for one to have acne medication as long as a professional guide is available.

Acne – Treatment for Acne

Friday, February 4th, 2011
acne treatment
Getting the right treatment for acne is of huge importance, and it is also important to understand that not one treatment is going to be the right treatment for everybody. Because of this it then becomes confusing when trying to find out what is the best course of action to treat your acne with, because we are bombarded with sales messages from pharmaceutical companies, and well meaning (but still sales) advice from holistic companies, so what we want to do here today is try and explain some of the common information you will find, which will hopefully help you decide the correct treatment for acne for you. First of all lets briefly cover what causes acne outbreaks the majority of the time.

Your body naturally creates an oil called Sebum. Sebum is very important for your skin as it is needed to protect and waterproof it and this in turn prevents your skin from becoming dry, brittle and cracked. Unfortunately though, if for whatever reason your body produces too much sebum, and this excess oil then combines with any dead skin cells that are naturally found on our body, this then causes the pores to clog up and in turn you have a resulting acne breakouts.

The first thing that you can try and do is more prevention rather than cure. By that I mean trying to regulate the amount of sebum your body is creating by watching what you eat and drink. In a nutshell to do this you want to try and eat your five portions of fruit and veg a day, whilst cutting back on processed or fast food. Also make sure you drink plenty of water, at least eight large glasses per day and cut back on fizzy drinks and caffeine. This will help to clear your skin and keep on flushing out toxins. The beauty of following this advice is that not only will it help control your acne but as a side benefit you will actually be healthier and you will feel that in your everyday life too.

However, if you already have an acne outbreak as well as diet there are other treatments for acne that you can use, which we will cover next.

Antibiotics are used to reduce bacteria and inflammation that cause acne, and one of the most commonly prescribed treatments is minocycline. Unfortunately though, this drug can be more expensive than other similar antibiotics treatments that are out there, plus there are concerns about its safety. But, on the whole, antibiotics generally do a decent job of clearing inflamed acne spots, and any surrounding skin inflammation. However, they have little effect on unplugging blocked pores, this results in you still suffering from whiteheads and blackheads.

If you would rather go for an over the counter type cream or lotion for the skin, then you will probably get one that contains Benzoyl peroxide. This ingredient is a very common and effective topical acne treatment and because of this it is probably the most widely used ingredient in acne medications. Available in varying strengths both over-the-counter and by prescription, Benzoyl peroxide kills bacteria and slows down the action of skin glands.

For people suffering from really severe acne, then another treatment for acne to consider is laser treatment. Although not cheap, laser treatment is becoming extremely popular because it has the potential to be more precise than the other techniques in the treatment for acne as it is hitting the specific areas that need treating. Another use of laser treatment is for removing the scars that can be left behind by acne. This is done by using the laser on the outer layer of the skin which causes the under layer to heal tightly and more smoothly.