HEALTH: SKIN ACNE - CURE (ACNE - SKIN CARE) SKIN - TREATMENT

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HEALTH:  SKIN ACNE - CURE (ACNE - SKIN CARE) SKIN - TREATMENT

What is Acne?

Acne occurs when tiny holes on the surface of the skin, called pores, become clogged. Each pore is an opening to a canal called a follicle, which contains a hair and an oil gland. Normally, the oil glands help keep the skin lubricated and help remove old skin cells. When glands produce too much oil, the pores can become blocked, accumulating dirt, debris, and bacteria.

Hormones likely play a role in the development of acne, making the condition most common in teenagers. But people of all ages can get acne. Some adult women experience mild to moderate acne due to hormonal changes associated with pregnancy, their menstrual cycles, or starting or stopping birth control pills.

Teenage and adult acne can take months or years to treat successfully. Depending on its severity, acne can cause emotional distress and lead to scarring of the skin.

The good news is that effective treatments are available. Acne treatment for mild cases usually involves self-care measures, such as washing your skin daily with a gentle cleanser and using an over-the-counter acne cream. Acne treatment for severe cases usually includes one or more prescription medications. Once acne is under control, prevention strategies can help keep your skin clear of breakouts.


Health: Various Types of Skin Acne

Acne (acne vulgaris, common acne) is not just a problem for teenagers; it can affect people from ages 10 through 40. It is not unusual for women, in particular, to develop acne in their mid- to late-20s, even if they have not had breakouts in years (or ever). On the positive side, those few individuals who have acne into their 40s may well grow out of it. Acne can appear on the skin as any of the following:

  • Congested pores ("comedones"),


  • Whiteheads,


  • Blackheads,


  • Pimples ("zits"),


  • Pustules, or


  • Cysts (deep pimples, boils). The pus in pustules and cysts is sterile and does not actually contain infectious bacteria.

These blemishes occur wherever there are many oil (sebaceous) glands, mainly on the face, chest, and back.

You can do a lot to treat your acne using products available at a drugstore or cosmetic counter that do not require a prescription. However, for tougher cases of acne, you should consult a physician for treatment options.


Health: Risk Factors of Skin Acne

Hormonal changes in your body can provoke or aggravate acne. Such changes are common in:

  • Teenagers, both in boys and girls
  • Women and girls, two to seven days before their periods
  • Pregnant women
  • People using certain medications, including cortisone

Other risk factors include:

  • Direct skin exposure to greasy or oily substances, or to certain cosmetics
  • A family history of acne — if your parents had acne, you're likely to develop it too
  • Friction or pressure on your skin caused by items such as telephones or cell phones, helmets, tight collars and backpacks


Health: Causes of Skin Acne

Acne occurs when the hair follicles become plugged with oil and dead skin cells. Each follicle is connected to sebaceous glands. These glands secrete an oily substance known as sebum to lubricate your hair and skin. Sebum normally travels up along the hair shafts and then out through the opening of the hair follicle onto the surface of your skin. When your body produces an excess amount of sebum and dead skin cells, the two can build up in the hair follicle and form together as a soft plug.

This plug may cause the follicle wall to bulge and produce a whitehead. Or, the plug may be open to the surface and may darken, causing a blackhead. Pimples are raised red spots with a white center that develop when blocked hair follicles become inflamed or infected. Blockages and inflammation that develop deep inside hair follicles produce lumps beneath the surface of your skin called cysts. Other pores in your skin, which are the openings of the sweat glands onto your skin, aren't normally involved in acne.

It's not known what causes the increased production of sebum that leads to acne. But a number of factors — including hormones, bacteria, certain medications and heredity — play a role.

Contrary to what some people think, foods have little effect on acne. Acne also isn't caused by dirt. In fact, scrubbing the skin too hard or cleansing with harsh soaps or chemicals irritates the skin and can make acne worse.

Three factors contribute to skin acne:

  • Overproduction of oil (sebum)
  • Irregular shedding of dead skin cells resulting in irritation of the hair follicles of your skin
  • Buildup of bacteria

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Natural Cure for Skin Acne:                                            ACNE FREE IN THREE DAYS
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Health: Conventional Treatment of Skin Acne

Acne treatments work by reducing oil production, speeding up skin cell turnover, fighting bacterial infection, reducing the inflammation or doing all four. With most prescription acne treatments, you may not see results for four to eight weeks, and your skin may get worse before it gets better.

Your doctor or dermatologist may recommend a prescription medication you apply to your skin (topical medication) or take by mouth (oral medication). Oral prescription medications for acne should not be used during pregnancy, especially during the first trimester.

Types of acne treatments include:

  • Topical treatments. Acne lotions may dry up the oil, kill bacteria and promote sloughing of dead skin cells. Over-the-counter lotions are generally mild and contain benzoyl peroxide, sulfur, resorcinol, salicylic acid or lactic acid as their active ingredient. These products can be helpful for very mild acne. If your acne doesn't respond to these treatments, you may want to see a doctor or dermatologist to get a stronger prescription lotion. Tretinoin (Avita, Retin-A, Renova) and adapalene (Differin) are examples of topical prescription products derived from vitamin A. They work by promoting cell turnover and preventing plugging of the hair follicles. A number of topical antibiotics also are available. They work by killing excess skin bacteria. Often, a combination of such products is required to achieve optimal results.
  • Antibiotics. For moderate to severe acne, prescription oral antibiotics may be needed to reduce bacteria and fight inflammation. You may need to take these antibiotics for months, and you may need to use them in combination with topical products.
  • Isotretinoin. For deep cysts, antibiotics may not be enough. Isotretinoin (Accutane) is a powerful medication available for scarring cystic acne or acne that doesn't respond to other treatments. This medicine is reserved for the most severe forms of acne. It's very effective, but people who take it need close monitoring by a dermatologist because of the possibility of severe side effects health wise. Isotretinoin is associated with severe birth defects, so it can't be taken by pregnant women or women who may become pregnant during the course of treatment or within several weeks of concluding treatment. In fact, the drug carries such serious potential side effects that women of reproductive age must participate in a Food and Drug Administration-approved monitoring program to receive a prescription for the drug. In addition, isotretinoin may increase the levels of triglycerides and cholesterol in the blood and may increase liver enzyme levels. Although cause and effect hasn't been proved, studies have reported the development of inflammatory bowel disease with isotretinoin use.
  • Oral contraceptives. Oral contraceptives, including a combination of norgestimate and ethinyl estradiol (Ortho-Cyclen, Ortho Tri-Cyclen), have been shown to improve acne in women. However, oral contraceptives may cause other side effects that you'll want to discuss with your doctor.
  • Laser and light therapy. Laser- and light-based therapies reach the deeper layers of skin without harming the skin's surface. Laser treatment is thought to damage the oil (sebaceous) glands, causing them to produce less oil. Light therapy targets the bacterium that causes acne inflammation. These therapies can also improve skin texture and lessen the appearance of scars, so they may be good treatment choices for people with both active acne and acne scars.
  • Cosmetic procedures. Chemical peels and microdermabrasion may be helpful in controlling acne. These cosmetic procedures — which have traditionally been used to lessen the appearance of fine lines, sun damage and minor facial scars — are most effective when used in combination with other acne treatments.

Acne scar treatment
Doctors may be able to use certain procedures to diminish scars left by acne. These include fillers, dermabrasion, intense light therapy and laser resurfacing.

  • Soft tissue fillers. Collagen or fat can be injected under the skin and into scars to fill out or stretch the skin, making the scars less noticeable. Results from this acne scar treatment are temporary, so you'd need to repeat the injections periodically.
  • Dermabrasion. Usually reserved for more severe scarring, dermabrasion involves removing the top layer of skin with a rapidly rotating wire brush. Surface scars may be completely removed and deeper acne scars may appear less noticeable. Dermabrasion may cause pigmentation changes for people with darker skin.
  • Microdermabrasion. This newer acne scar treatment involves a hand-held device that blows crystals onto skin. These crystals gently abrade or "polish" the skin's surface. Then, a vacuum tube removes the crystals and skin cells. Because just the surface cells are removed, the skin isn't damaged. However, results are subtle and scars may still be noticeable, even after several sessions.
  • Laser, light source and radiofrequency treatments. In laser resurfacing, a laser beam destroys the outer layer of skin (epidermis) and heats the underlying skin (dermis). As the wound heals, new skin forms. Less intense lasers (nonablative lasers), pulsed light sources and radiofrequency devices don't injure the epidermis. These treatments heat the dermis and cause new skin formation. After several treatments, acne scars may appear less noticeable. This means shorter recovery times, but treatment typically needs to be repeated more often and results are subtle.
  • Skin surgery. A minor procedure (punch excision) cuts out individual acne scars. Stitches or a skin graft repairs the hole left at the scar site.


Health: Prevention and Skin Care Tips for Acne

Having acne prone skin is not that uncommon, and taking care of if is something that a lot of acne sufferers have been discussing with each other over the years. The basic skin care for acne prone skin tips that you get from other people are often the result of trial and error, as well as advice from dermatologists who know what can and cannot aggravate an acne situation. Skin care requires attention to detail as well as dedication in order to help keep your skin clean and clear. Skin care may also require the use of selected products that are formulated to clean the skin without irritating it.

A lot of products made for skin care for acne prone skin are usually oil free, and they contain certain ingredients that clean and disinfect the areas that are prone to bacteria. Since acne is a result of many factors, some of which are dirt, bacteria and excess oils, keeping your skin clean and bacteria free is one of the ways that you can keep acne from appearing. Usual products are cleansers, soaps, toners and acne creams. These are produced with formulations that are aimed at treating the elements that can cause bacteria, and if coupled with a regimen that ensures clean skin, they can prove to be very effective in getting rid of acne problems.

Of course, the use of acne treatment products is not the only option for individuals who need skin care for sensitive skin. The need for careful protection of the skin that is treated with acne medication is also one of the basic rules you need to follow if you want to keep your skin free from acne. Sunblocks that are non-comedogenic and acne treatment products that have sunscreen in them are just some of the things you may have to use to keep the harmful rays of the sun away from your skin. You may also need to shield yourself from the sun with the use of a baseball cap, a sun visor or even an umbrella on really hot days.

Aside from cleaning, treating and protecting your skin to keep acne at bay, another tip can be included in the list of basic skin care for acne prone skin tips. Shaving can cause your skin to break if you are not careful. If you have acne prone skin or skin that has a few acne lesions on it, you may need to exercise caution when running that razor over your face. These little cuts may cause scarring or may even cause the presence of bacteria to increase. Using alternative methods for shaving, like electric razors, may be a worthwhile practice in skin care.

A good acne skin care is so important for blemish-prone skin. A daily skin care regimen helps remove excess oil, keeps pores clear, and speeds healing of breakouts. Luckily, your daily acne skin care routine doesn’t have to take a lot of time. Follow the guidelines below to help keep your skin feeling refreshed and clean.

  1. Cleanse twice daily with a mild cleanser. Using only your fingertips (no washcloths or scrubbing pads, please) thoroughly cleanse the face, including your jaw line, neck, and in front of and behind the ears. Use a gentle foaming cleanser, such as Dove or Neutrogena or, if you have inflamed breakouts, choose a cleanser with benzoyl peroxide. Do a double-wash at every cleansing: Cleanse, rinse well, and repeat.

  2. Use a toner or astringent. Apply toner to a cotton ball or pad and gently smooth over the face and neck to remove any leftover makeup or cleanser residue, and excess oil. Choose an alcohol-free toner if your skin seems overly dry. Alcohol can be drying and irritating for some people, especially to skin that is already irritated by breakout activity.

  3. Apply any acne medications or creams, if needed. After your toner has dried completely, smooth on your treatment creams as directed. This could be a medication prescribed by your doctor, or an over-the-counter acne gel or cream. Let the medication absorb or dry completely before proceeding to the next step.

  4. Apply an oil-free moisturizer or gel. It may seem counter intuitive to moisturize your already oily skin, but don't skip this important step. Many acne medications over-dry the skin, leaving the skin thirsty for moisture. To reduce the chance of dry and peeling skin, apply a light moisturizer twice daily. Moisturizing gels and lotions are generally lighter than creams. Either way, choose one that is labeled oil-free and noncomedogenic.

Basic skin care regimen:

These are all good basic skin care regimens that may help with the acne battle:

  1. Cleanse twice daily with a 5% benzoyl peroxide wash. An alternative for those who are allergic to benzoyl peroxide is 2% salicylic acid.


  2. Apply a gel or cream containing 5% benzoyl peroxide; an alternative is sulfur or resorcinol.


  3. At night, apply a spot cream containing sulfur to the affected areas.


  4. Use a light skin moisturizer and oil-free makeup.

Once your acne improves or clears, you may need to continue your acne medication or other treatment to prevent new acne breakouts. In some cases, you might need to use a topical medication on acne-prone areas, continue taking oral contraceptives or attend ongoing light therapy sessions to keep your skin clear. Talk to your doctor about how you can prevent new eruptions.

You can also prevent new acne breakouts with self-care measures, such as washing your skin with a gentle cleanser and avoiding touching or picking at the problem areas.  You can avoid or control most acne with good basic skin care.

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Disclaimer:  This information is not presented by a medical practitioner.  Therefore any content of this site is strictly intended for educational and informational purpose only.  Any access to this site is strictly on a voluntary basis and at the sole discretion of the user.  No content of this site is intended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, nor constitute the practice of any medical profession or health care provider.  The information provided on this site is here to educate visitors on health issues that may affect their lives.  Otherwise, always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.  And never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read.

Sources:  NIH News In Health/National Institutes of Health/National Library of Medicine/Dept of Health and Human Services

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