Wednesday, March 30, 2011

What Causes Adult Acne?

For many people the question of "what causes adult acne" has been a tireless quest in search of an answer to a problem that plagues many individuals worldwide. For instance 90 percent of all adolescents and almost 25 percent of all adults are acne sufferers. In terms of gender approximately 50% of all adult men and 50% of all adult women suffer or have suffered from some form of acne. One difference in gender is where the acne outbreak takes place and the severity of zits and blackheads that form. Males more often have the severe form of acne rather than females, due to their hormones. Generally the infected areas that tend to break out most frequently (the chest and back) are unfortunately more difficult to treat.

The real cause of acne can actually be a blend of several factors. Typically there are several steps that lead to zits, pimples, blackheads and minor skin blemishes. The main cause of acne is due to the blocking or clogging of hair follicles, more commonly know as pores. Unfortunately the reasons and combination of events that cause pores to become clogged isn't fully known. There are many contributing elements for teenagers and adults alike, which can include hereditary factors such as whether or not there is a history of acne problems and if so, to what extent, hormones, dietary and vitamin supplemental intake and stress related factors. Other forces or events that can strongly influence the development of acne and pimples include your body's normal function of eradicating itself of its dead skin cells. If this cycle gets out of whack or becomes irregular due to climate and other environmental forces or overall body health at the time it can cause your hormones and their effect on your own body's sebum production to increase which is bad for your complexion but outstanding for breeding acne.

When the body's function of shedding dead skin cells becomes irregular the normal dead skin cells that combine with your body's natural sebum oil as it drains through the skin's surface become clogged and cause blocked pores. This substance becomes somewhat sticky, further clogging the passageway. This allows the cultivating and incubating of bacteria, which begins to grow around these clogged areas. As a normal reaction your body's white blood cells attack the bacteria, fighting it and pushing it out of the body. The outcome of this battle between the white blood cells and bacteria leads to a growth usually within 14-day to 21-days. These growths are referred to as microcomedones. Microcomedones turn into comedones, which are more commonly referred to as blemishes, pimples or acne.

As you can see the formation of acne is based on a series of events, which starts with the blocking of pores. The outcome is usually an increase in production of microcomedones which results in the very noticeable skin blemish known throughout the world as zits, blackheads, acne or pimples

What exactly is Acne?

What causes acne?
Acne occurs when the hair follicle pores become blocked. The oil called sebum builds up inside the pore and becomes infected with bacteria. When the infection remains under the skin surface, it develops into a whitehead. When the infection partly reaches the surface and changes color, it develops into a blackhead.

Shouldn't I just try to eliminate sebum from my body?
No. When it isn't blocked in your pores, sebum helps keep your skin healthy.

Why does acne usually start at puberty?
No one knows for certain. What is known is that the sebaceous glands that produce sebum get much larger at puberty than they were before.

Why does the skin around a pimple turn red?
This redness is caused by the body's inflammatory response. Inflammation is a sign that your immune system is working to fight an infection. However, the inflammatory response doesn't always work perfectly, and can even be the cause of scarring.

If my skin turns red, does that mean that I'm going to have scars?
Usually, no. Even when there will be no permanent scar, the aftereffects of the inflammatory response can leave the skin red for months, sometimes for more than a year.

What are free radicals?
Free radicals are byproducts of oxidation in your body. We all need oxidation to occur as part of our life process, but there is concern that the buildup of unrecycled free radicals contributes to many conditions, including skin damage.

Your Guide To Acne Skin Care

Contrary to popular belief, acne is not caused by dirty pores or eating chocolate. Acne is actually caused by overactive sebaceous glands. Hormones in you body cause acne to appear. Acne is extremely common in people ages 12-24, when our hormones are very active due to puberty, but many people continue to have acne outbreaks throughout their lives. Acne can show up on the face, neck, chest, back, and shoulders. While it is not life threatening, acne can cause scarring and emotional distress to those that suffer from it. This is why acne skin care is so important.

Many things can cause outbreaks of pimples and zits. Allergies, heredity, stress, weather, menstruation and even over washing can cause acne. There are lots of ways to treat acne. For mild to moderate cases, experts recommend washing your face twice daily and after any exercise. They also recommend over the counter acne products that contain ingredients like benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. These products can have some side effects of burning, redness and irritation, but often decrease or even disappear with continual use. The acne treatment industry is a multi-million dollar industry, and scientists come up with new ways to treat pimples regularly.

For moderate to sever acne, it is advisable to consult with a dermatologist. A dermatologist can diagnose the problem and has many treatment options for acne to choose from. Some treatments include used prescribed topical medications for the treatment of your acne, and even oral antibiotics, which help reduce acne outbreaks. Not everyone will receive the same kind of acne treatments, and your dermatologist can tailor the treatments to your specific needs.

Taking care of your skin is the best way to reduce pimples. Choose cleansing products that are not overly harsh and are oil-free. Wash your face after sweating heavily. For young women, the use of makeup can exacerbate acne problems, so it is a good idea to pick cosmetics that are non-comedogenic, because they do not clog pores. Never go to sleep at night without washing your face. It is also imperative that you do not squeeze or pinch zits. You may be tempted to do it, but it can lead to scarring. Don't spend a lot of time scrubbing your face, because it can make acne worse. It is also smart to avoid putting your hands on your face a lot, because the oil on your hands gets transferred to your face and can cause further outbreaks.

Pimples are a part of life for most of us. While that may not be much consolation to someone who is suffering from acne, it may help to put it in perspective. Acne happens to everyone at some point in his or her lives. The good news is that there are many products available to treat acne, and severe acne can be improved by seeing a dermatologist. Acne skin care does not have to be painful or embarrassing. By taking care of your skin and tackling pimples as they appear with common sense and some good acne products, you can improve the overall look and feel of your skin. 

Your Ultimate Guide For Acne Home Remedy

Acne is a skin problem widely known and experienced by almost all of our people especially teenagers and young adults. When not given enough attention and care, acne can actually give you serious problems. Nowadays, doctors and advertisements offer us different products that might help solve our worries about acne. However, it is still better if you can actually cure it before seeing or consulting your doctor. There are actually acne home remedies that you can find and use inside your home or in your garden. All you have to do is to know how you can use that acne home remedy to finally say goodbye to your acne worries.

It's not just for your teeth!

There is still no scientific basis nor findings yet that discusses how the toothpaste can actually lessen, if not cure, the spread of acne. In fact, it is one of the most widely used acne home remedy by people! It might be a result of trial and discovery that made the toothpaste serve not only to clean the teeth but also as an unusual acne home remedy! To use it, just apply it directly to your zits before sleeping. This is believed to help control the swelling overnight. Just make sure that it is not the gel but the paste.

The salty-sour way to get rid of Acne

It is actually previously proven that salt can be used as an acne home remedy. Just prepare a salt solution (salt added to warm water) and wash your face with it twice everyday. This will remove the excess oil in your face, the main cause of pimples. You actually have an option to add vinegar to it. Apply it directly on the affected area and leave for 15-20 minutes.

Fruity Procedures

Fruits are definitely not just for food! They are not only good for inner nutrition but can also be used as cure for outer health problems. You can actually use some of them to be your acne home remedy! One thing you can do is to place strawberry leaves just directly on the affected part. Another is by applying fresh lemon juice mixed with rose water in your face, leaving it there for 15 minutes. A continuous application of this for 15 days is believed to give you amazing results! On the other hand, ground orange peel added with water to make a paste and applied to the acne can also make your face free of acne again. Lime combined with rose water is also a recommended acne home remedy! Just apply it on your face and leave it for 15-20 minutes then rinse with warm water. Juice made of Papaya apllied on the affected area is another great option. In addition, a paste made of ripe tomatoes is also an effective solution! That's so many great acne home remedies to choose from!

The power of the plant species against acne

Like the fruits mentioned above, there are herbs and other plants that also proved to serve as a good acne home remedy. You can try methi (fenugreek) leaves made to a paste and applied to stay in your face for 10-15 minutes. Two cloves of crushed garlic applied twice a day is another choice, just bear with the strong smell of this acne home remedy! A combination of witch hazel, tea tree and sweet fennel essential oils put into water can also give satisfactory results. Just always stir or shake it before applying to the swellings twice or thrice a day. Use cotton wool everytime you put it on.Aloe vera is also proven to be great as an acne home remedy! Just make a juice out of it and apply it twice a day for the fast healing of your lesions. Cucumber will never be out of the list for beauty regimen. Apply a paste of it as a mask and leave it for 30 minutes. A paste of ground radish, as well as ground sesame seeds are also very good options when curing your acne.

Take it in!

Paste or mask applied to the face is not only the way of curing acne.



Treatment Tips for Acne Sufferers

Get plenty of fresh air and sunshine. Not only will your skin
appreciate the vitamin D, your body and mind will enjoy the
oxygen and stress reducer of just being outside in the fresh
air.Remember to use sun protection or tanning lotion if you're
out for any period of time.

Even "good" stress can trigger internal chemical responses that
result in acne, so plan ahead to deal with extra stress when
planning a wedding, graduation, move, new job, job transfer, new
baby, etc. Get help around the house, take time off, exercise
have fun or whatever you need to do. But be proactive.

When you control stress, you help control the stress hormone
cortisol - reducing its release as you reduce stress, reduces the
effects of acne. Activity and exercise help improve blood flow
and circulation and are natural healing aids for your skin
enabling improved waste management, via your skin pores.

Both blackheads and whiteheads are filled with trapped sebum and
bacteria. So prevention and treatment advice for how to handle them is important.

Drink plenty of water daily. A recommendation is three to four
tall glasses of mineral or filtered water. If you don't drink
enough, it can lead to dehydration, which leads to dead skin
cells not naturally falling off or sloughing properly. This
results in blocked pores which ultimately turns into acne.

Acne has nothing to do with dirt, so don't over-wash or
over-scrub your face or the rest of your body. Too much washing
and scrubbing can result in dry skin. Dry skin means your skin
creates more oil. which leads to extra dead skin cells and
blocked pores which trigger acne flare-ups.

Add more fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts to your regular diet.
Add salads, dried fruit and nut snacks, juices and other healthy
treats to your daily diet plan

Decrease your intake of caffeine, sugar and refined
carbohydrates. Some studies show caffeine can increases levels of
stress hormones inside your body, provoking or worsening acne
conditions.

Sugar and refined carbohydrates, such as that in white bread,
rice, flour, pasta, etc., can result in an insulin surge,
resulting in an excess of hormones stimulating the skin to
discharge lots of sebum.

Decrease your dietary intake of red meat and dairy products.
Since they are more difficult to digest, it's thought their
acid-forming properties are linked to our bodies's health. It's
thought when the body puts effort into the digestion of high
levels of animal protein, waste products are not completely
processed as quickly as they should be, i.e. they shed slowly,
blocking pores which causes acne.

Red meat and dairy products may contain high levels of hormones
that may generate higher levels in humans thus causing acne.

Use natural products on your skin. Avoid unnecessary chemicals in
skin/body products that may be harmful.
Use non-pore clogging or noncomedogenic products like make-ups
and tanning lotions.
Look for any combination of these terms on labels: natural
ingredients, antibacterial, antiseptic, anti fungal, anti
parasitic, antiviral and / or antimicrobial agent.

Taking these basic steps can help you control your acne.

The problems With Acne

Acne is a skin condition that shows up as bumps and lumps
anywhere on the body. These bumps include blackheads, whiteheads,
pimples and cysts.

Teenagers get acne because of their raging hormonal changes that
come with puberty, and unfortunately if your parents had acne as
teenagers it's possible you will be more prone to developing acne
as well. The good news is that, for many people acne disappears
almost completely by the time they hit their twenties.

The type of acne most teenagers get is called acne vulgaris, and
it usually shows up on the face, neck, shoulders, upper back, and
chest.

The hair follicles, or pores, in human skin contains sebaceous
glands (also called oil glands). They make sebum which is an oil
that lubricates hair and skin. Most of the time, sebaceous glands
make the right amount of sebum, but as a teenagers body begins to
mature and develop, hormones stimulate the sebaceous glands to
make more and more sebum, and the glands become overactive.

The pores of the skin become clogged if there is too much sebum
and too many dead skin cells and bacteria (especially a bacteria
called Propionibacterium acnes) get's trapped inside the pores
and multiply, thus causing swelling and redness - the start of
acne.

Reports show over 90 percent of all adolescents and almost 25
percent of all adults are acne sufferers. And though acne affects
about 50 percent of all adult women, acne affects males and
females worldwide, regardless of nationality.

Acne has a significant impact on a person's outlook on life, and
recent studies have detected the following as common among people
with acne:

. Social withdrawal

. Decreased self-esteem

. Reduced self-confidence

. Poor body image

. Embarrassment

. Feelings of depression

. Anger

. Preoccupation

. Frustration

. Higher rate of unemployment