Acne

What is Acne?

Acne is a common skin condition that occurs in more than 80% of the population. It's when bacteria grows in a plugged follicle.

Anyone can experience acne at any time. While it is most common in teenagers, everyone experiences it at some point in their life. It most commonly occurs due to hormonal imbalances such as puberty. A less severe form of acne can occur during menopausal women.

Usually Acne occurs on the face, neck and chest area. The large and deep pimples are called cystic lesions and can cause painful infections and scarring. Its primary cause is from elevated hormone levels particularly testosterone, which stimulates the sebaceous glands to produce more oil, or sebum, which is secreted through the hair shafts to lubricate and protect the skin.

Sebum combines with dead skin cells forming pore clogs and leading to pimples.

The actual cause of acne is not known, however we do know that the pores block sebum (oil) from escaping, but it's not fully understood why this happens.

It's important to note however, that one of the worst things you can do is to confuse your skin with lots of different chemicals. The problem with doing that is it upsets the delicate pH balance and often results in drying and loss of your skin's condition.

The skin is a very sensitive organ, not ot meniton that it's also the largest organ of our bodies. Your skin is your first line of defense as well as an integral part of your immune system, subjecting it to too many synthetic chemicals can compromise your immune system and lessen your defenses.

Acne Prevention Tips

While some products come very close to curing acne, there's no real 'cure'. Your efforts are better spent being pro-active and using acne prevention methods instead.

Products such as benzoyl Peroxide and acutane are the closest things to acne prevention, however, there are also things that you can do at home to keep acne at bay or from getting worse.

• Gently wash your face every day. Take care not to scrubtoo hard or use scrubbing materials. Also do not wash too often. Once or twice a day is generally sufficient.

• Avoiding excessive sweating. Since sweating can be hard to avoid,wash soon after participating in activities that cause you to sweat. Anti-bacterial wipes for your face are a good idea to carry with you for times that you may sweat excessively.

• Wash your hair often if you hair is oily. Also try to keep it off your face as much as possible.

• Avoid hair care products such as gels, mousses, cream rinses or hair products that contain lots of oils. These can actually make your acne worse.

• Shaving and Acne - Gentlemen, shave with care. Those who shave and who have acne can test both electric and safety razors to see which is more comfortable. If you use a safety razor, you should use a sharp blade and soften your beard thoroughly with soap and water before applying shaving cream. Nicking blemishes can be avoided by shaving lightly and only when necessary.

• Avoid Frequent Handling of your Skin - Never squeeze, pick or pop a pimple. If you do, you risk developing scars or dark blotches. People should avoid rubbing and touching their skin lesions. Please don't pop pimples, no matter how small the pimple, it can leave scars.

• Choosing Makeup - All cosmetics should be oil free, be sure to read the label. It may be hard to apply foundation evenly during the first few weeks of treatment because the skin may be red or scaly, particularly with the use of topical tretinoin or benzoyl peroxide. Oily hair products may eventually spread over the forehead, causing closed comedones or closed pores. Products that are labeled as noncomedogenic (do not promote the formation of closed pores) should be used. Keep in mind that even though certain products may claim to be recommended for acne prone skin they can sometimes still cause acne, so be careful with makeup.
  
• Always use a sunscreen. The sun is never good for your skin. Many of the medications used to treat acne can make you sensitive to the sun and cause burning. A sunburn that reddens the skin or suntan that darkens the skin may make blemishes less visible and make the skin feel drier. However, these benefits are only temporary, and there are known risks of excessive sun exposure, such as more rapid skin aging and a risk of developing skin cancer.