Acne
Treatment
Acne is a condition of
the sebaceous glands and acne usually starts in
the teen years when the hormone androgen stimulates
the sebaceous glands of the skin to enlarge, produce
oil and plug the pores. Everyone has heard of
“whiteheads” and “blackheads”.
A whitehead is the early stage when the pore is
plugged with oil and skin cells. If this same
plug reaches the surface of the skin, the air
turns it black and we get a blackhead, which generally
requires acne treatment to clear. If the wall
of plugged pore breaks, the surrounding area swells
up and can turn into a red bump. If this happens
close to the skin’s surface, then the bump
usually becomes a pimple and we have the start
of acne. Body acne, especially early symptoms,
can often resemble eczema.
Causes of Acne
There are a few important
points you need to know about acne: it is often
worse in boys because they produce 10 times as
much androgen as girls and they tend to have more
skin oils; genetics plays a big part in acne;
and dirt, chocolate, French fries, sexual activity
and masturbation do not cause acne.
As part of acne treatment,
you can do a lot to lessen the problem by:
Drinking lots of water
(at least 6-8 glasses a day)
Including plenty
of leafy vegetables and fresh fruit in your diet
Washing your face
twice a day with a mild soap such as Neutrogena
with cool or lukewarm water very gently. Make
sure you remove all makeup properly. Never scrub
acne as this can make the problem worse.
Wearing make up
or a sunscreen which is labeled “noncomedogenic”
or “nonacnegenic”. Your make up should
be water-based only.
Keeping any hair
sprays or gels well away from your face.
Washing long hair
or a fringe very frequently to keep oil away.
Washing your face
even more frequently if you have a job where you
might be in contact with oil – e.g. a fast
food restaurant or a gas station.
Using a natural acne treatment.
This is the safest route to follow as natural
treatments are almost always safe and usually
have no side effects. Many such remedies even
have positive side effects. For example a natural
healing product made from pure essential oils
can be applied topically to your acne condition
after washing the area thoroughly as above. Add
one drop of oil to your final rinse water.
It will take a bit of patience
on your part but if you keep up with the above
regimen and acne
treatment for a few weeks, you are sure to
notice a great improvement in your acne condition.
In most cases, you will not need to go on to use
any further acne products.
Acne Products
If you are in the minority
and you find that nothing is helping, you will
need to look at over the counter drugs and other
alternative acne products and procedures. These
include:
Topical medications such
as bactericidals which come in creams, gels and
soaps. An example is Benzoyl peroxide which can
be quite effective though may cause mild to severe
dryness and irritation of the skin.
Antibiotics may
be prescribed by your doctor for severe acne but
this practice is declining because of serious
side effects and the bacteria forming immunity
to the antibiotic over time.
Hormonal treatment
in the form of taking birth control medication
for acne is sometimes suggested for females. If
you are already taking birth control medication,
it might be an idea to speak to your doctor about
switching to a contraceptive that is more likely
to control acne.
Cortisone is another
form of hormonal treatment which is injected into
a large pimple. This needs to be administered
with care but can be useful if there is a risk
of scarring from a certain acne pimple. A lowered
immune system is a possible side effect from this
acne product.
Retinoid is a
topical medication which can be taken orally under
the direct supervision of your doctor. A 4 months
course of treatment can be very successful but
has been proven to cause birth defects so cannot
be used if you are pregnant or thinking of becoming
pregnant.
Phototherapy is
another successful acne treatment using red light
or blue light therapy. It is costly and needs
to be administered once or twice a week or even
daily for weeks to be effective.
Laser therapy
is also used for acne treatment. An expensive
alternative but more useful for treating the scars
caused by acne cysts in a fairly painless procedure
lasting about an hour. Sometimes more than one
treatment is necessary but the effects are permanent.
So if you are suffering
from acne, do your own research and be informed
about all the options. Follow our lifestyle acne
treatment regimen, including a natural healing
product, first before you think about embarking
on other acne products.
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