We all know the painful truths about Acne: how sometimes it gets so bad you don't want to leave the house. You've tried everything and nothing seems to work. You get fed up and frustrated, not to mention humiliated, when people look at your forehead and not your eyes when they speak to you. You ask the question - Why me? Well, let's get to grips with this problem and see if there are any ways you can get rid of Acne permanently!
First, let's take a look at what this is all about...
What is Acne?
Simply put, it is an inflamed disease of the skin and there are many ways that it can arise. The common cause is having bacteria breeding in the pores of the skin. Ordinarily, the immune system deals with this as it would with any (bad) bacteria it finds in the body. However, if your immune system is low (can happen for a number of reasons), your skin becomes allergic to the bacteria in its pores and so attracts white blood cells to fight the allergy and the pores become blocked.
Oil secretions tend to build up at these pores and an excess of this oil yields a source for bacteria to breed even more, with the resulting build up erupting on the skin as pimples.
What is in the oil secretions?
Sebum (latin for "fat") is part of the oil that is found on the surface of the skin and together with sweat, and dirt and dust particles from your local environment. The sebum is there to protect the skin and help reduce water loss through the skin. However, in excess, this can contribute a lot towards acne. An increased production often leads to acne flare-ups.
Basic Skin Care Is Not To Scrub The Face
Do you know what to do when you have acne? And more importantly, what NOT to do? It is often thought, that it must be the dirt or something that is causing the skin to flare up with Acne and so the immediate reaction is to want to scrub your face to make it squeeky clean. This, however, is not the thing to do!
As we have seen above, Acne is not a result of being dirty or unclean in any way - it is when the sebum, dirt and other skin dust settles in the blocked up pores (due to allergic reaction) and leads to a collection of pus in pustules on the skin.
There are many causes, and so the first thing you need to do, before you do anything, is to consult a dermatologist to see what is the most likely cause for YOUR acne.
Sebum Control
The first thing you can do is to cleanse the pores - the best way to do this is to wash with very hot water to open the pores. That way, the sebum cannot build up and trap dirt and skin debris, that is often the cause for the breeding grounds of bacteria that cause Acne. Repeatedly cleaning the skin with hot water is a good way to keep bacteria at bay, or at least controlled. Actually, you need only repeat this twice a day - repeatedly scrubbing with cleansers can actually make the problem worse.
Acne products - which one?
Sadly, there are many on the market that make a claim to be the "one" that will clear your face of Acne. Frankly, trial and error is the method that comes to mind. Find a solution that seems to work for you. Everyone is different.
Oh yeah, please remember this... when you experiment, don't go the whole hog and plaster your face with the acne skin care product! Just treat a small area to see if it works for you. Always better to try before you buy, if you can (there are a lot of offers out there). And try the one recommended by your dermatologist first! If that doesn't work, then try others, but only on a small area of affected skin.
Avoid Alcohol Based or Oil Based Products
Cleansers that are alcohol based can actually dry out your skin. Dry skin is more susceptible to outbreaks of acne. Also avoid Oil based skin care products because they only add to the oil that traps the debritus and attracts more bacteria. Sorry girls/ladies - time to put the cosmetics away too - avoid using cosmetics even if they state they are oil free. The best thing to do is to keep your skin pores open and clean (not scrubbed).
Other Factors
Lifestyle and diet. Anything that weakens your immune system, such as partying all night, lack of sleep, proper exercise and so on - now is the time to start taking care of your body by adopting a healthy lifestyle to empower your immune system and allow your body's natural defences and cleaning system to get back into balance again.
Fighting the bacteria
There are many products that are on the market - prescribed and over the counter. And many of these contain antibiotics and bactericides. Many of these are used to contain the problem - the acne usually returns, particularly when the bacteria develops a resistance to prolonged usage. Products with Benzoyl peroxide works for some, but, may cause side effects - always consult your dermatologist before using any of these skin care products.
One over the counter product is called salicylic acid (found in aspirin). This works by softening the skin and removing dead skin, which, of course, leads to unclogged pores. A lot of face wash items have salicylic acid.
If you are looking for more "natural" or holistic methods of controlling your acne, well, it seems tea tree oil is becoming more in fashion - it has been found to kill the bacteria and also reduce redness caused by the inflammation of the skin. You can find this at most health food stores.
Acupuncture and light treatment are used by others - the theory behind the latter is that the bacteria cannot stand up to exposure to blue light. This treatment can be expensive, however, at $150 per treatment. And not all have positive results (everyone is different, remember).
Again, I cannot stress enough the importance of a healthy lifestyle, if you are serious about trying to get rid of acne. Please consult your doctor for all your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor or dermatologist.
I wish you healthy soft skin and a life free from Acne!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6123168
http://whatis-acne.blogspot.sg
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