acne problem
Acne describes whiteheads, blackheads, and pimples. (You may also recognize slang terms like zits). Most teenagers get the type of acne called acne vulgaris, which can show up on the face, neck, shoulders, back, and chest. Sometimes if a skin pore gets clogged beneath the skin with excess oil and bacteria, the dreaded acne raises its head.
Whiteheads occur when a skin pore gets clogged, closes, and then bulges out. If a pore gets clogged but stays open, the top may darken and then you get a blackhead. Pimples are caused when dead skin and bacteria work their way under your skin. This leads to a small infection that makes your skin look red.
Causes of acne
Facial acne is easier to treat than body acne, but has a bigger chance of coming back in the form of flare-ups. Dust, air pollution, cosmetics and shaving are all factors that work in favor of acne by irritating your skin or clogging your pores. Moreover, dust and air pollution also bring the bacteria, which are responsible for pimples. Whenever a pores is clogged with sebum and dead skin cells, bacteria seize the chance and start multiplying in the sebaceous follicle. Before long, the follicle turns into a blackhead or a whitehead (in mild cases), or even into pustules or papules (in severe forms of acne).
Even though everyone is different, acne is usually caused by the buildup of oil and dead skin in a skin pore. This build up of oil and dead skin occurs because of:
- Natural hormones - particularly active in your teens.
- Plugged skin. Skin cells can close the oil glands or pores, creating blackheads or whiteheads, (as mentioned above).
- Bacteria. Bacteria can easily infect oil glands and pores and grow very fast.
Family background. If you have acne, your kids are more likely to have it as well.
Different types of acne
Severe forms or acne affect few people. However, these conditions are very hard to bear by those who are indeed affected. They are extremely disfiguring and are usually accompanied by psychological effects.
Acne conglobata
Acne conglobata is a chronic and severe form of acne vulgaris (common acne). It is usually characterized by deep abscesses, severe inflammation, severe damage to the skin and scarring. Blackheads are usually conspicuous and widespread. It often appears on the face, chest, back, thighs, upper arms and buttocks. It usually affects people between the ages of 18 and 30.
In acne conglobata, inflammatory nodules form around multiple comedones, gradually increasing in size until they break open and discharge pus. Deep ulcers may form under the nodules, leading to keloid-type scars, and crusts may form over deeply ulcerated nodules, Acne conglobata may be preceded by acne cysts: papules or pustules that do not heal, but instead rapidly deteriorate. Occasionally, acne conglobata flares up in acne that had been dormant for many years.
Acne fulminans
Acne fulminans is a sudden onset of highly destructive inflammation, which normally afflicts young men. Symptoms of severe nodulocystic, often ulcerating acne, aching joints and fever are apparent. It may result from unsuccessful treatment of acne conglobata. It does not respond well to antibiotics, so accutane and oral steroids are normally prescribed. Corticosteroids or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications may be given to reduce inflammation. Attacks of acne fulminans may recur, and the patient may develop acne that requires long-term treatment with isotretinoin.
Gram-negative folliculitis
Gram-negative folliculitis is a complication of abused and long-term use of antibiotic. Patients with this type of acne are usually treated with accutane since it is known to be effective against gram-negative bacteria. The word “Gram” refers to a blue stain used in laboratories to detect microscopic organisms. Certain bacteria do not stain blue and so they are called “Gram negative.”
Pyoderma faciale
Pyoderma faciale is the type of acne that affects females, mainly from the 20-40 age group. It is confined to the face, appears suddenly as both deep and superficial cystic lesions of the face with interconnecting “tunnels” between cysts, reddish inflammation of the skin, and slight swelling (edema) of the skin. It rarely persists more than a year or so, and is not associated with oily skin.
Servere types of acne cannot be treated at home. Take my word for it. Go and see your doctor or dermatologist before your condition worsens. Remember that beautiful skin reflects satisfactory health.
Acne Vulgaris (common acne) includes several types of lesions, usually called blackhead, whitehead, papules, pustules, nodules and cyst.
Mild to moderate acne vulgaris is characterized by:
Blackheads are caused by partially blocked pores. The black appearance is caused by melanin pigment from dead skin cells. Blackheads tend to be stable structures, and often take a long time to clear.
Whiteheads are caused by completely blocked pores. The white appearance is caused by the bacteria inside turning the sebum into free fatty acid. The whitehead differs in color from the blackhead because the opening of the plugged sebaceous follicle to the skin’s surface is closed or very narrow, in contrast to the distended follicular opening of the blackhead.
How To Reduce Your Acne Problem
- Do NOT squeeze, pick, scratch, or rub your skin because it makes the problem worse, and it may even cause scarring.
- Regularly shampoo your hair, and try to keep it off your face if possible - especially at night.
- Keep a diary to verify if you are one of the few people whose acne gets worse if they eat certain food.
- Exercise regularly to get the old blood flowing, and make sure you get a wash as soon after as possible.
- Avoid touching your face unnecessarily.
- Try to minimize your stress levels as much as possible.
- Avoid getting sunburned.
- Change your wash cloth every day because bacteria grow on damp cloth.
- Wash your face twice daily with a gentle soap like Dove or Lever 2000.
- Always rinse really well with plenty of water.
- Only wear makeup on special occasions, and then be sure to remove it completely.
The best acne treatment on the market
However, we do recommend a skin cleansing system that held our interest through both its quality of ingredients and safety record, since no customers complained of side effects. The Proactiv System is composed of deep facial and body washes, a herbal supplement and protection creams for face and body. The washes are based on the effective SD Alcohol and Salicylic Acid solutions that open the pores and cleanse the skin of dirt and bacteria, while the herbal supplement helps the body fight bacteria from the inside.
Unlike other skin cleansing products, Proactiv does not leave your skin shining with excess sebum or dry and swollen. By opening the pores to remove dirt and by fighting bacteria at the roots, the system makes sure you’ll no longer have to suffer whiteheads and blackheads on your face. It also helps reduce inflammation and rebuild damaged skin cells in order to make your skin healthy and smooth. And if this was not enough, the product is backed by an amazing 6-month money back guarantee that makes usage virtually risk free for you. What more could one ask?
Why spend your time feeling bad about your face and body when you can put an end to this nuisance with the help of the 3-part Proactiv System? We recommend it to all those who are struggling to hide or fight acne. No more will you have to be afraid of meeting new people. No more will your skin stand between you and a good time. With Proactiv, you can turn the tide of this struggle and win!
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download: Acne Problems (69.27KB) added: 13/10/2009 clicks: 48 description: Acne describes whiteheads, blackheads, and pimples. (You may also recognize slang terms like zits). Most teenagers get the type of acne called acne vulgaris, which can show up on the face, neck, shoulders, back, and chest. Sometimes if a skin pore gets clogged beneath the skin with excess oil and bacteria, the dreaded acne raises its head. Whiteheads occur when a skin pore gets clogged, closes, and then bulges out. If a pore gets clogged but stays open, the top may darken and then you get a blackhead. Pimples are caused when dead skin and bacteria work their way under your skin. This leads to a small infection that makes your skin look red. |
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