Posts Tagged ‘self help’

Acne is Not the Same as Spots

Sunday, October 18th, 2009

There are various forms of acne, named according to how or why the acne started. Some of the types of acne are: acne conglobata (chronic boils); acne fulminans (an extreme form of conglobata); acne cosmetica (caused by cosmetics); acne keloidalis nuchae (from shaving); acne medicamentosa (caused by starting or stopping a medication); acne rosacea (redness on the face); baby acne; hormonal acne; cloracne and the common variety, acne vulgaris (also known as ‘puberty spots’). In this article, we will concentrate on acne vulgaris.

Acne vulgaris may be described as: ‘an inflammatory disease of the skin, caused by changes in the pilosebaceous units (skin structures consisting of a hair follicle and its associated sebaceous gland). Acne lesions are commonly referred to as pimples, spots or zits’ (from Wikipedia).

Acne is most often found in Western teens, although it does occur in every country in the world, so there could be a genetic predisposition to it. It is possible that it may be an abnormal reaction to quite average levels of testosterone. For most sufferers, the condition lasts only until adulthood, probably only a few years or at most ten. For others, however, it can be a life-long recurring problem. It most often affects the face, upper-chest, upper-arms and back. However, an occasional spot is not the same as acne.

Acne vulgaris shows itself in different many forms, including: whiteheads, caused by pores that are completely blocked, trapping sebum (oil), bacteria, and dead skin cells, causing a white spot on the surface; blackheads, caused by pores which are only partially blocked, allowing some of the trapped sebum, bacteria, and dead skin cells to slowly drain to the surface (the black colour is not caused by dirt, but is a reaction of the skin’s own pigment, called melanin, with the oxygen in the air); papules, which are inflamed, red, tender lumps with no head and pustules, which are similar to whiteheads, but are inflamed, and appear as red circles with a white or yellow centre.

Whiteheads do not often last for a long time; blackheads do last a long time and pustules are what people usually refer to as spots or zits. Severe acne vulgaris is characterized by nodules and cysts. A ‘nodule’ is a rather larger and much more painful kind of pustule and can often last for months. Nodules are large, hard bumps just under the skin. They often cause scarring and should never for any reason be squeezed, since this could make them last for months longer.

A ‘cyst’ may appear similar to a nodule, but it is full of pus and has been defined as having a diameter of at least 5mm and, again, can cause scars and cause irritation. Squeezing an acne cyst may cause a more severe infection and more acute inflammation which can last quite a lot longer than if it had not been squeezed. Skin experts have ways of reducing the swelling and preventing scarring with both nodules and cysts. It is just not true that acne sufferers are not careful about washing.

In fact, over washing can exacerbate acne. There are many, many fake ‘treatments’ on the market and many, many old wives’ tales, but any good dermatologist would tell you that there is no known cure for acne and that the patient should follow a strict regimen of cleansing until the acne just ‘goes away’ of its own accord.

Are you experiencing trouble treating acne? If you are or you’d like to find out more about acne, please go to our website entitled http://treating-acne-scars.com

Acne Does Not Equal Zits

Monday, October 12th, 2009
by Frank Williams

There are several different types of acne, depending on how or why the acne arose. Some of the forms of acne are: acne conglobata (chronic boils); acne fulminans (an extreme form of conglobata); acne cosmetica (caused by cosmetics); acne keloidalis nuchae (from shaving); acne medicamentosa (caused by starting or stopping a medication); acne rosacea (redness on the face); baby acne; hormonal acne; cloracne and the common variety, acne vulgaris (also known as ‘puberty spots’). In this article, we will concentrate on acne vulgaris.

Acne vulgaris may be defined as: ‘an inflammatory disease of the skin, caused by changes in the pilosebaceous units (skin structures consisting of a hair follicle and its associated sebaceous gland). Acne lesions are commonly referred to as pimples, spots or zits’ (from Wikipedia).

Acne is most usually found in white Western teenagers, although it is to be found in every country in the world, so there may be a genetic weakness to it. It is possible that it could be an exceptional reaction to quite normal levels of testosterone. For most afflicted, the condition lasts only until the age of twenty or so, probably only a few years or at the most ten. For other people, however, it may be a life-long problem. It most often appears on the face, upper-chest, upper-arms and back. However, an occasional spot is not the same as acne.

Acne vulgaris manifests itself in many forms, including: whiteheads, caused by pores which are completely blocked, trapping sebum (oil), bacteria, and dead skin cells, causing a white appearance on the surface; blackheads, caused by pores which are only partially blocked, allowing some of the trapped sebum, bacteria, and dead skin cells to slowly drain to the surface (the black colour is not caused by dirt, but is a reaction of the skin’s own pigment, melanin, with the oxygen in the air); papules, which are inflamed, red, tender bumps with no head and pustules, which are similar to whiteheads, but are inflamed, and appear as red circles with a white or yellow centre.

Whiteheads do not often last for a long time; blackheads do last a long time and pustules are what people call spots or zits. Severe acne vulgaris is distinguished by nodules and cysts. A ‘nodule’ is a much larger and more painful sort of pustule and can sometimes last for months. Nodules are large, hard bumps just under the skin’s surface. They often result in scarring and should never for any reason be squeezed, since this could cause them to last for months longer.

A ‘cyst’ can appear similar to a nodule, but it is pus-filled, and has been defined as having a diameter of at least 5mm and, again, can leave scars and cause pain. Squeezing an acne cyst may cause a deeper infection and more painful inflammation which will last very much longer than if it had been left alone. Skin experts have ways of lessening swelling and preventing scarring with both nodules and cysts. It is not true that acne sufferers are not careful about their hygiene.

In fact, over washing can exacerbate acne. There are many, many false ‘cures’ on the market and many, many old wives’ tales, but any good dermatologist would tell you that there is no known cure for acne and that the patient should follow a religious regimen of cleaning until the acne just ‘goes away’ of its own accord.

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Strategies for Curing Acne

Sunday, September 20th, 2009

Most sufferers of acne try to treat their itchy skin with creams, face washes, expensive soaps, lotions and treatments. However, the easiest way to treat acne is by changing your diet and avoiding acne-causing things such as fried food. A healthy regimen, rich in natural unprocessed foods such as vegetables, fruits, grains and beans is the first recommendation for curing acne.

Foodstuffs containing trans-fatty acids, milk, milk products, margarine, shortening and synthetically hydrogenated vegetable oils, as well as oily foods, should consumed. It seems the prevalence of acne in the United States is caused by the typical American diet. Americans tend to eat fried food in large quantities, usually cooked in the most harmful of fats and oils.

However, not all fats are bad, but the fats that typical Americans eat make them more prone to develop acne and other skin problems. Items that can irritate are ice cream, cheese, bacon, and milk. Furthermore, acne cannot really be treated using creams and soaps because the root cause of the condition lies beneath the skin.

Pimples, spots or zits and blemishes are caused by bacteria and other irritants lying underneath the skin’s oil glands and hair follicles, which are usually produced by insufficient hygiene, scratching or squeezing and poor diet.

This poor diet could be a result of too high an amount of items such as processed, fatty, fried and sugary foods in your diet. A diet that is healthy for your skin emphasizes raw or lightly cooked vegetables, especially green, leafy vegetables that contain valuable trace minerals and fibre. Fresh green vegetables are essential, however you should also eat more lean protein sources, such as fish and chicken and complex carbohydrates, such as rice, whole-grain bread and potatoes in your diet.

These fibre-rich foods will help ensure a healthy gastrointestinal tract, which is so vital to the management of acne. You should eat three healthy meals every day in order to provide you with sufficient important nutrients and lower your craving for sugary or/and oily, fried food.

Furthermore, you should eat much more food that is rich in vitamin A, such as apricots, watermelons, and broccoli, along with lean beef, nuts, legumes and whole grains, because they are rich in zinc, which is also be helpful in reducing acne breakouts. It is also imperative to drink lots of water to help clean out of the body all the poisons which encourage the development of acne.

Are you having trouble treating acne? If you are or you would like to find out more about acne, please go to our website called http://treating-acne-scars.com

Treating Acne Scars

Saturday, August 22nd, 2009
by Gail Jones

Acne scars are a sad reminder of the having suffered pimples or even acne. They are intolerable because of their apparent permanence and their non-complimentary look. Normally speaking, acne scars are rather difficult to treat, but tissue regeneration is not impossible these days with all the fantastic technological developments.

In general terms, when referring to acne scarring, we mean the healed lesions resulting from an acne infection. While most scarring is temporary and will probably disappear on its own in time, scarring from the more severe forms of acne can be permanent.

Acne scarring can be prevented if the patient sees a doctor when it is in the incipient stage, especially if nodules or cysts accompany the red pustules on the skin’s surface. If the breakouts of acne have marked your skin, you will have to approach the issue from another perspective, which usually involves surgery.

Laser resurfacing is one possibility of removing the damaged skin areas and stimulating the natural regeneration of the tissue underneath. The procedure requires only local anaesthesia and can take between a few minutes and an hour depending on the extent of the damage.

Fractional laser therapy is one of the most recent forms of removing acne scarring. It involves surgical intervention at deep skin layers. The treatment is superior to both dermabrasion and laser resurfacing in terms of quality and involves a very reduced healing period. Nevertheless, fractional laser therapy lies within the reach of only those few lucky sufferers, who can afford it, since it is the most expensive acne treatment available these days.

Sometimes, further sessions are necessary to improve the condition of the upper layers of skin, before they can tackle the deep level treatment of the acne scar. The doctor may inject collagen into the scars in order to raise the normal skin level or she/he may recommend micro-dermabrasion for the very same purpose. Trying to perform chemical peels for acne treatment at home could be a bad idea given the risk of aggravating the condition by irritating the scars even more.

As for the forms of acne scarring, they can be classified according to the formation pattern. Scarring can result because of an increase of tissue or due to a loss of tissue They both have an adverse impact on the way the face looks. Specialists’ evaluation of the nature of the scars is a very important factor in deciding on the adoption of one form of treatment or the other.

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Are Acne Scars Permanent?

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
by Gail Jones

Acne scars are a sad reminder of the having suffered pimples or even acne. They are intolerable because of their apparent permanence and their non-complimentary look. Generally speaking, acne scars are rather difficult to treat, but tissue regeneration is not impossible these days with all the fantastic technological developments.

In general terms, by acne scars, we mean the healed lesions resulting from an acne breakout. While most scarring is temporary and will probably disappear on its own over time, scars from the more severe forms of acne can be permanent.

Acne scars can be prevented if the sufferer sees a doctor when it is in the incipient stage, particularly if nodules or cysts accompany the red pustules on the skin’s surface. If the bouts of acne have marked your skin, you will have to approach the issue from another perspective, which usually involves surgery.

Laser resurfacing is one possibility of removing the damaged skin areas and stimulating the natural regrowth of the tissue beneath. The procedure requires only local anaesthesia and can last between a few minutes and an hour depending on the extent of the problem.

Fractional laser therapy is one of the most recent methods of eliminating acne scars. It involves surgical intervention at deep skin layers. The therapy is superior to both dermabrasion and laser resurfacing in terms of quality and has a very reduced healing period. Nevertheless, fractional laser therapy lies within the reach of only those few lucky sufferers, who can afford it, since it is the most expensive acne treatment currently available.

Sometimes, other sessions are necessary to improve the condition of the upper layers of skin, before they can tackle the deep level treatment of the acne scar. The doctor may inject collagen into the scars in order to raise the normal skin level or she/he may recommend micro-dermabrasion for the very same purpose. Trying to perform chemical peels for acne treatment at home could be a bad policy given the risk of aggravating the condition by irritating the scars even further.

As for the forms of acne scars, they can be classified according to the formation pattern. Scars can result because of an increase of tissue or due to a loss of tissue They both have an adverse impact on the way the face looks. Specialists’ evaluation of the nature of the scars is a very important factor for the decision of adopting one type of treatment or another.

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Acne Scars

Saturday, August 15th, 2009
by Gail Jones

Acne scarring are a sad reminder of the having suffered pimples or even acne before. They are intolerable because of their apparent longevity and their non-complimentary look. Normally speaking, acne scars are rather hard to treat, but tissue regeneration is not impossible nowadays with all the amazing technological advancements.

Generally speaking, by acne scars, we mean the healed lesions caused by an acne infection. While most scarring is temporary and will probably disappear naturally over time, scars from the more severe forms of acne can become permanent.

Acne scarring may be avoided if the patient visits dermatologist when the acne scarring is in an early stage, especially if nodules or cysts accompany the red pustules on the skin’s surface. If the bouts of acne have scarred your skin, you will have to approach the problem from a different perspective, which most of the time means surgery.

Laser resurfacing is one possibility of removing the damaged skin parts and stimulating the organic regeneration of the tissue beneath. This operation only requires local anaesthetic and can take between a few minutes and an hour depending on the extent of the damage.

Fractional laser therapy is one of the most recent forms of eliminating acne scarring. It involves surgical intervention at deep skin layers. The treatment is superior to both dermabrasion and laser resurfacing in terms of quality and involves a very reduced healing period. Nevertheless, fractional laser therapy lies within the reach of only those few fortunate people, who can afford it, since it is the most expensive acne treatment available so far.

It can happen that additional sessions are required to improve the condition of the upper layers of skin, before they can tackle the deep level treatment of the acne scarring. The doctor may inject collagen into the scarring in order to elevate the normal skin level or she/he may suggest micro-dermabrasion for the same reason. Trying to carry out chemical peels at home could be a bad policy because of the risk of aggravating the condition by irritating the scars even further.

As for the types of acne scars, they can be classified according to the formation pattern. Scars can result because of an increase of tissue or due to a loss of tissue They both have an adverse impact on the way the face looks. Specialists’ evaluation of the nature of the scars is an extremely important factor in deciding on the selection of one type of therapy or another.

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Dry Sensitive Skin

Friday, August 14th, 2009
by Mona Jones

Dry skin is very often sensitive too, which just makes it harder to deal with. Dry sensitive skin feels tight because of the lack of natural oils and has a tendency to develop small expression lines that will eventually evolve into wrinkles. Moreover, this kind of skin makes one more exposed to allergic reactions, rashes, capillaries breaking and sudden flushes. Therefore, taking care of dry sensitive skin can be a real challenge sometimes. It is worth mentioning that it affects people of all ages, colours and genders.

You have to follow stringent steps in your choice of cleansing, moisturising and make-up products when you have dry sensitive skin to take care of. First of all, you need to minimize the amount of products you put on your face. The fact is, the more chemicals you come into contact with, the higher the chance of developing rashes. The products have to be fragrance-free and hypo-allergenic so that you don’t develop red, irritation blotches. Blusher and foundation could present some difficulties for dry sensitive skin.

Try not to use too much make-up in order to permit your skin to breathe adequately. When you are shopping for make up, other than looking for the hypo-allergenic label, you should also try to make sure that they are oil-free. Furthermore, foundation and blusher should be water-based because they don’t clog your pores. Moreover, oil-absorbing foundations are not recommended for dry sensitive skin, because they will make your skin even drier.

Furthermore, the use of exfoliants or astringent products is not to be recommended on dry sensitive skin because they can irritate the thin upper layers of skin. The same thing has to be said in relation to cleansing - too much washing of the face can result in eliminating the natural oils that oil the skin, which will produce increased dryness.

Furthermore, your day-time moisturiser ought to have a sun-protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 in it. However, however much you may like sunbathing, dry sensitive skin does not really allow you to enjoy such outdoor, skin-parching pleasures.

Don’t expose dry sensitive skin to the sun unnecessarily to tan it, because you will only achieve early ageing and possibly even fairly serious health problems. And last but not least, a warning must be given that you should change some of your cosmetic products for others along the lines mentioned above.

If you decide to change to another skincare brand, it is important to test the product on a small section of skin in order to check whether it triggers any negative manifestations.

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Acne Skin Problems

Thursday, August 13th, 2009
by Gail Jones

Acne is one of the most common skin problems to afflict mankind and it affects all people irrespective of age, caste, colour or gender. Acne is an extremely embarrassing and troublesome problem, because it is so noticeable and off-putting. Acne can be described as red eruptions on the skin, usually filled with a white puss, causing discomfort and pain. The most common form of acne is called acne vulgaris or puberty spots.

Acne vulgaris can be defined as follows: … an inflammatory disease of the skin, caused by changes in the pilosebaceous units (skin structures consisting of a hair follicle and its associated sebaceous gland) . Acne lesions are commonly referred to as pimples, spots or zits - [source: Wikipedia]. It is an upsetting affliction that we do not seem to have complete control over. However, there are various methods in which to treat acne: you can try medication from a skin specialist or you can try home or natural treatments.

Home remedies are less time consuming, less expensive and have no side effects. However, they do require a little more patience, since a few routines have to be followed diligently in order to get rid of the problem for good. A natural remedy for acne is equally efficacious as any medication. Here are a few natural remedies to cure your acne. To start with, your daily consumption of water ought to be a minimum of eight to ten glasses. This helps you to cleanse your system and destroy the harmful bacteria that give rise to acne.

A surfeit of oily food also leads to acne, therefore fried and spicy food should be strictly avoided. A near complete abstinence of fried and fatty food will have a marked, beneficial effect on an outbreak of acne. Furthermore, including chromium and zinc in your diet also helps to cure acne. There has to be the correct balance of diet and skin care.

A solution of grated nutmeg with unboiled milk regularly daubed on the afflicted area also helps to cure acne. Cinnamon powder mixed with honey is just as efficacious in eradicating. The cooled liquid from boiled Neem leaves applied to acne works as a disinfectant. [The Neem Tree is a tall, usually evergreen East Indian tree (Azadirachta indica) widely cultivated in tropical Asia for its timber, resin, bitter bark, and aromatic seed oil, which is used medicinally and as an insecticide (source: ‘Free Online Dictionary’)].

The infected area should be cleansed with anti-acne soap at least three or four times a day. Make-up should be strictly avoided when suffering from acne. Make-up makes acne worse. Acne should never be squeezed as it may cause infection or / and make it spread. Squeezing your acne may also lead to permanent scars on your skin, which leaves your skin looking unsightly. Don’t let your hair touch the acne-infected area too.

Your hair ought to be kept tied back to prevent contact with the acne. Pillow covers should be washed on a daily basis to prevent the germ spreading. The regular cleansing of your skin should be done to keep it free from bacteria. Besides this, a healthy lifestyle ought to followed with a proper, balanced diet, exercise and sleep. Remember if you take good care of yourself, ailments will have trouble affecting you, especially a small thing like as acne!

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Adult Acne Treatment - How it works

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
by Dan Siemens

Unfortunately, there are many individuals that do not seek adult acne treatment when they are adolescents and end up having very damaged skin with scars in it. Although the adult acne treatment is not always effective, it is usually beneficial in preventing the breakout from getting worse and for targeting the worst problem areas in the skin.

Adult acne treatment can also improve scarring or prevent scarring altogether. Some methods can help diminish scarring after it has occurred but will not eliminate the scars completely.

In addition, the age of the person seeking the treatment, the type and severity of the scar and tolerance to different medicines or procedures also affects the success of the adult acne treatment.

Methods

The first type of acne treatment is subcision. This method lifts the surface of the scar back to the level of the skin to help the skin look smooth again. Several sessions is required for subcision.

Side effects from subcision is bruising because of repeated treatments. The bruising can last for almost a week after treatment. Individuals can also have bleeding issues and it is better to take some time off work to facilitate healing.

There is another method of adult acne treatment that is used for mild scarring and is called the TCA cross. In this method, there is an acid called trichloracetic that is put on each scar on the face. It seems to help the skin to produce the collagen it needs to bring the base of the scar up to the surface of the skin so that the skin is made flat again.

Individuals with severe acne scar damage can opt for the injection of a synthetic gel to literally fill the scars in. The result is a smoother more natural looking skin.

Another method for deep acne scars is called the ice-pick or boxcar scars. The scar is removed and the skin is sewn back together, this creates a thin barely noticeable scar when healed. If compared with acne scars it is definitely the better option.

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Acne Problems

Sunday, August 9th, 2009
by Gail Jones

Acne is one of the most common skin problems to afflict the human race and it it can be present in all people irrespective of age, caste, colour or gender. Acne is a tremendously embarrassing and troublesome problem, because it is so obvious and off-putting. Acne can be described as red eruptions on the skin, sometimes filled with a white puss, causing discomfort and irritation. The most usual type of acne is called acne vulgaris or puberty spots.

Acne vulgaris can be defined as: an inflammatory disease of the skin, caused by changes in the pilosebaceous units (skin structures consisting of a hair follicle and its associated sebaceous gland) . Acne lesions are commonly referred to as pimples, spots or zits - [source: Wikipedia]. It is a problem over which we do not have complete control. There are different ways to treat acne; one can go for medication from a skin specialist or one can also try home or natural remedies.

Natural treatments are less time consuming, less costly and have no side effects. However, they do take a bit more patience, because a few routines have to be followed rigorously in order to get rid of the problem once and for all. A natural cure for acne is just as effective as any medication. Here are a few home cures to eradicate your acne. To start with, your daily consumption of water should be a minimum of eight to ten glasses. This helps you to cleanse your system and kill the harmful bacteria that give rise to acne.

Too much oily food also leads to acne, so fried and spicy food should be strictly avoided. Complete abstinence of fried and fatty food will have a marked, beneficial effect on an outbreak of acne. Furthermore, including chromium and zinc in your diet also helps to cure acne. There needs to be a combination of the right nutritional balance and proper, hygenic skin care.

A mixture of nutmeg powder with unboiled milk regularly applied on the afflicted area also helps to cure acne. Cinnamon powder mixed with honey is equally effective in treating. Boiled Neem tree leaves applied to acne acts as a disinfectant. [’Neem’: A tall, usually evergreen East Indian tree (Azadirachta indica) widely cultivated in tropical Asia for its timber, resin, bitter bark, and aromatic seed oil, which is used medicinally and as an insecticide (source = ‘Free Online Dictionary’)].

The infected area should be cleansed with special anti-acne soap a minimum of three or four times a day. Make-up should be strictly avoided when afflicted by acne. Make-up makes acne worse. Acne should never be squeezed as it may cause infection or / and make it spread. Squeezing your acne could also lead to permanent scars on your skin, which leaves your skin looking rough. Don’t let your hair touch the acne-affected area either.

Your hair ought to be kept pulled back to avoid touching the acne. Pillow cases should be washed on a daily basis to avoid the germ spreading. The regular cleansing of your skin should be observed to keep it free from bacteria. Besides this, a healthy lifestyle ought to followed with a proper, balanced diet, exercise and sleep. Remember if you take proper care of yourself, ailments will have trouble affecting you, especially a small thing like as acne!

About the Author: