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particularly how does one deal with adult acne? Well, to just give up and
resign oneself to the supposed inevitable is not the answer either. You see
adult acne is much like being over weight in that you don't feel good about
yourself; your self esteem takes a major knock and you are convinced that when
people look at you they do not see YOU but are rather focused on just the area
that is riddled with acne. You hate going out in public, you do not want people
to look at you because you hate looking at yourself. I know this because I have
been there. Adult acne is embarrassing. It is one thing if you were a teenager
because society seems to be more accepting; it is what almost the
"norm" is for teenagers. People sympathize and "tut tut" it
away as just a natural process of life. I'm not taking away for one moment what
teenagers go through (they have "strange" hormones to deal with on
top of it all) but there seems to be a stigma attached to adult acne. People
just look at you differently. There seems to be this misconception that if you
suffer from adult acne you don't wash your face and you must be dirty. Just
like in the case of someone who is overweight people don't sit back and think
that it may most likely be due to hormonal changes and/ or sometimes it may
just be hereditary. It seems to be in people's nature to assume the worse. Acne
doesn't just lead to physical scars (which are really depressing and more
damaging to the psyche) but more concerning it leads to emotional scarring.
Well your choices in dealing with adult acne can be put into two categories.
You can "roll over and just accept" that this is your X OUT Acne lot in life or
you can become active, take charge and find ways to help the situation. Acne
may not be curable but it can be controlled and eventually you may even grow
out of it. Let's take a quick look at what acne is and once we understand how
it comes about we can look at how to deal with it. Acne is generally
characterized by black heads, white heads, red bumps (also known as blind
pimples) and in some cases scarring. Acne is the result of overactive oil
glands at the base of the hair follicles that become blocked or inflamed. It
may appear anywhere on the body but it tends to be primarily on the face. There
are different forms of acne; mild inflammatory acne, moderate to severe
inflammatory acne and severe acne. The problem with acne treatments is that
what works for one person may not work for the next. Due to how severe your
acne may be you will need to find out which is the best course of action for
you. This is best done seeking the advice of your health practitioner or a
dermatologist. However you can do a few things to help yourself. As tempting as
it may be DO NOT SQUEEZE OR PICK AT YOUR FACE. It may be tempting and you may
just want to get rid all the spots and you think that by squeezing them all out
you will be rid of it once and for all. Well if only it was that simple. It is not.
The pus (and thus the germs) spreads across your face causing you more acne, or
you just end up pushing the pus deeper into your skin causing more of an
infection. In some cases you are left with scars. Scaring brings on a whole
different level of anxiety and depression. Do not spend too much time in the
sun.
There seems to be this myth that the sun will "cure" your acne.
The hope seems to be that it will dry up the oily glands. But how will it when
the follicles are blocked? You see the sun damages your funicular walls
causing further blockage and in turn more acne. The sunlight also produces free
radicals in the skin which diminishes the skins ability to heal. There has been
no scientific evidence that has proven that acne and diet are related. I have read
various reports saying that acne and diet are related and some say that there
is no relation whatsoever. So not affirmed either way but cut down on some
foods and see if it makes a difference at all. Maybe you have an allergy that
aggravates the situation. Start with the highly refined sugars and things like
seafood, mushrooms and salt. Deep fried food is generally not good for your
over all health and some say that it is really bad for your skin. Drink more
water, water flushes your body of toxins and so in turn is a great internal way
of aiming for that healthier looking skin. Stay away from coffee. It does not
matter if it has caffeine in it or not. Coffee stimulates the production of
cortisol. Cortisol is a hormonal steroid that the body produces when it is
under stress. (Stress does not cause acne but it certainly aggravates it)
Cortisol helps our bodies maintain homeostasis during time of stress yet it
causes problems when it stays is our body for a long period of time because
what cortisol does is it destroys tissue, which then releases small protein
molecules from the destroyed cells. These remainders of cell-protein partly end
up in the skin which ends up contributing to acne. Watch out for foods packed
with hormones. It does not help hormonal acne. Interesting fact, non
Westernized people did not suffer from acne until their diet changed to what we
eat and then oops they joined our ranks in the acne department.
The problem is
that so much of our diet tends to rob us of vitamins and minerals that are
essential for good healthy skin. Vitamin A has been known to be a great
preventative of acne. Give it a try, eat less "junk" and more fresh
fruit and vegetables high in antioxidants, there is no harm in it and maybe it
will help. Remember acne is not caused by dirt and so DO Not scrub your face.
It generally makes the acne worse. You aggravate the glands that produce the
oil and they then produce more oil and then spread the bacterium that causes
your acne around the face making it worse. Don't use a face cloth because germs
tend to stick to them and then you are just smearing them all over your face.
Your hands are the best thing to use and they are a lot gentler on your skin
too. Smoking does not cause acne but it does make the skin look unhealthy and so
much older, this is because the nicotine reduces the blood circulation to your
skin. Some case studies have shown that smoking can irritate the acne, making
it worse. Avoid things that rub against your skin, like collars, don't wear too
much make up and when you do choose products that are oil free or are made
specifically bearing acne in mind. These products would be
"non-comedienne" or "non-antigenic." Wash your hair as
often as you need to and keep it off your face. Bear in mind the following when
receiving advice about your acne: Most over-the-counter acne treatments are
topical and the most popular ones contain Benzyl Peroxide.
The problem is that
once you stop the treatment the acne just flares up again and some people say
that as the skin becomes used to it so the effectiveness of it lessens. Benzyl
Peroxide is also known to cause excessive dryness, and for some people
itchiness which then further irritates the skin. It is also a bleach so be
careful when using it that it does not ruin your clothes. Antibiotics tend to
aim at inhibiting bacteria. The problem is bacteria are not the cause of acne.
The irony is that bacteria are essential in keeping the skin flexible and
inhibiting it just speeds up the aging process. Then of course it needs to be remembered
that antibiotics are also well known for reducing a person's immune system. I
am not going to give you a whole list of unpronounceable names of various
chemicals found in anti-acne treatments but I am going to give you a run down
of what some of the side effects are. After all that is what matters most. o
Liver disease (sometimes resulting in a needed transplant) o Jaundice and life
threatening membranous colitis. o Autoimmune disease, acute inflammation
of the lung and a blue black disc louring of your skin, mucous membranes, nails,
adult teeth and Internal organs. o Benign intracranial hypertension. Early
warning signs are headaches, nausea, vomiting and visual disturbances.
Decreased night vision, inflammatory bowel disease, an increase in the size of
your bones, raised cholesterol levels. o Heart risks o Further skin problems.
As if acne is not enough you suffer too from dry skin, skin fragility, itching,
nosebleeds, inflammation and cracking of lips.
Eczema like rash, thinning of
hair, peelings of palms and soles of feet, skin infections, gastrointestinal
problems, urogenital problems and tiredness. Then to top the list off you also
have things like seizures, dizziness, nervousness, insomnia, depression (as if
the acne hadn't caused enough now the "cure" adds to it too) gum
inflammation, arthritis and so we can go on but I think you have got the point.
I am not trying to scare you off finding what can help your acne, just
informing you of what some of these products may do to you. Don't loose hope,
acne can be controlled and in many cases people do find what aggravates or
causes it through trial and error. Don't give up and you will eventually find
the solution that works best for you. Acne scars result from skin damage caused
by healed acne wounds. The types of acne scars are as varied as the types of
acne lesions. This variety arises because of the multiplicity of ways an acne
lesion can form. For example, an acne eruption may originate deep within the
fatty tissue of the skin as the in the case of cysts or nodules. Then again,
the acne mark may form just beneath the epidermis as a result of pore
irritation as in the case of the comedone. A non-inflamed closed comedone is a
pore blocked by excess oils, keratin and/or skin cells. Because excess bacteria
and free fatty acids irritate the pore, the proceeding localized inflammatory
response causes the pore to expand. However, once the inflammation is removed,
the acne lesion can begin the healing process. The origin of the acne lesion
within the skin will impact if and how an acne scar forms. Another factor that
shapes the development of an acne scar is how the lesion was treated.