Many people experience acne at some time in their lives. Severity can vary from a few annoying spots and pimples through to serious outbreaks that can require specialist medical attention. Unfortunately there is currently no cure for acne, just treatment for the break outs. Read the rest of this entry

Acne, or as it is known by its scienitific name acne vulgaris, is a very common skin condition caused by changes in our pilosebaceous units. Pilosebaceous unit is a fancy name for a hair follicle and a sebaceous gland. Almost 90% of all teenagers are affected by acne to some degree and it is quite common for the problems to continue into adulthood. Read the rest of this entry

In order to take care of your face and portray your natural beauty, protecting your facial skin is extremely important. For the purposes of facial skin care, the goal is to manage your facial blemishes and still care for your overall skin. Since this is the most exposed area, you have to identify with external and internal toxins to get treatment.

When you think about all the different elements we have to deal with each and everyday, it’s not surprising that they can cause intrinsic and thwarting damage to the facial skin. In order to overcome these challenges, you have to protect your face as much as possible. One of things to start off with is a facial analysis. You will find that these are performed by health care professionals who determine your skin care needs. This will give you an inside look at whether or not your skin is too oily, too dry, or a combination of the two.

It will also determine whether or not there are skin problems that exist. The most common ones will be acne, premature skin aging, psoriasis, Rosacea, skin discoloration, skin cancer, and several others. There are times when this takes place and other health conditions are found, which could be the reason for the current appearance of facial skin.

Experts have declared that every disease induces a mineral deficiency within the body that can be determined by a facial analysis. Bottom line, this process is imperative in order to prescribe appropriate facial skin care treatments as well as implement appropriate treatment procedures and routines. The objective is to avoid further skin complications and improve overall skin health.

Your first order of business is to start cleansing. Granted, you can’t simply pick up a cleanser and go, instead research needs to be done. When you do find the right one for you, it’s crucial to continue to do it. Trying it out for a week, then stopping, then starting up again won’t help. The best thing to do is get a creamy one for dry skin and one without oil for oily skin. You also need to keep in mind that over doing it can have more regressive results. If this occurs you will notice rashes or adult acne. It’s also recommended that you refrain from using soaps to cleanse the face this they will dry out the skin.

If you experience dry, itchy skin, continue to cleanse the skin regularly. In addition, gently exfoliating the surface of the skin allows you to remove the top layer of dead skin cells that tend to dull the complexion. Once you begin exfoliating your skin, you will immediately notice a difference. Skin care professionals suggest that if you exfoliate once a week, it will take five (5) years off your face. This procedure is particularly important in cold and dry climates, which often cause dry skin. Suggested methods of exfoliating include microdermabrasion, chemical peels, and retinoids.

Other basic facial skin care regimens include moisturizing and applying sunscreen. We all agree that preserving healthy skin is significantly important. Therefore, you should begin utilizing natural home resources to do so.

Another important factor is having a healthy diet. If you drink adequate amounts of water, and eat plenty of whole grains then you will keep the skin healthy. You should avoid smoking, overuse of makeup, or anything else that will help in your skin aging prevention. Makeup can contain harsh chemicals when can damage pores and cells of the skin.

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You are probably aware that HORMONES are the start of the cycle- For millions of women, it happens like clockwork every month: cramping, bloating, mood swings, and acne. Experts know that acne is influenced by hormones, but research on the subject has been relatively limited – until now that is!

Recently a study conducted by dermatologist Alan Shalita, MD, confirmed that nearly half of all women experience acne flare-ups during the week preceding their period. This is known as hormonal acne. Hormonal acne may fail to respond to traditional therapies, such as topical retinoid and systemic or topical antibiotics.

Here are several hints or physical evidence which can help your doctor identify hormonally-influenced acne: Acne flare-ups preceding the menstrual cycle A history of irregular menstrual cycles Increased facial oiliness Hirsutism (excessive growth of hair, or hair in unusual places) Elevated levels of certain androgens in the blood stream. Any one of these is possible evidence of Hormonal Acne.

While hormonally influenced acne typically begins between the early to mid twenties, it can also strike teens and mature women as well, and is most persistent in women over the age of Thirty. Patients usually experience lesions on the lower face, especially the chin and the jaw line. Some may have breakouts on the chest and back, most have blemishes exclusively on the face.

Hormonally influenced acne is usually very moderate and limited to inflammatory papules and small inflammatory nodules as well as occasional comedones. So how does it start? Well, Puberty is where it all begins. Starting sometime before adolescence (around the age of nine or ten) the adrenal glands begin to produce dihydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), an androgen. Other androgens – the “male” hormones at work in a woman’s body – such as testosterone and dehydrotestosterone (DHT), join in at the onset of puberty. These hormones stimulate the sebaceous glands to secrete more of the skin’s natural oil, or sebum. This is why oily skin and acne are so prevalent among teenagers. Naturally, since boys have more “male” hormones, teen acne tends to be more severe in males.

Acne treatment in teenagers can be very challenging. This is because their hormones are in a constant state of flux. They may initially respond very well to first-line treatments, such as topical retinoids and benzoyl peroxide, perhaps accompanied by an oral antibiotic. As their bodies develop, however, they may undergo severe hormonal shifts – and stop responding to the current medications. Courses of acne treatment may need to be adjusted more often with teenagers to accommodate these hormonal changes.

There are many women pass into adulthood without “outgrowing” their acne. Others may not develop it until their twenties or thirties, experiencing persistent breakouts the week before their period. Why does this happen? During the course of a normal menstrual cycle (if a woman is not taking any kind of hormonal birth control pill), estrogen levels peak at mid-cycle, then decline as she nears her period. After ovulation, the ovaries begin to produce progesterone, another hormone which stimulates the sebaceous glands. And with the extra oil comes acne.

Hormones are also responsible for acne in a percentage of pregnant women. The sebaceous glands go into high gear during the third trimester, causing oily skin and frequent breakouts. There are some women who even experience acne after menopause, when estrogen levels begin to taper off and testosterone becomes the dominant hormone.

What is the best course of action? The “wait and see” attitude is particularly ineffective for hormonal breakouts: “Acne that worsens during a woman’s monthly cycle isn’t something that women will grow out of as they get older. Seeing your dermatologist to determine the best treatment plan for acne flare-ups is recommended for the most successful result.

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Cystic acne is a more advanced stage of acne. This severe form of acne takes the shape of large and painful boils showing up on the skin of the face. If cystic acne is not treated properly, it can leave painful and ugly scarring on your face.

Right now there are studies being carried out regarding the elusive causes of cystic acne. Right now however, the tests show that it is an outbreak of human hormones. These hormones interact with oil glands in the skin, causing them to produce an excess of oil.

This causes the swelling of the oil glands under the skin, which then begin to harden instead of secreting the oil into the hair follicle linings on the surface of the skin like they should.

The oil glands then become inflamed. This is an infection, and cystic acne is what results. They begin to appear all over the skin in the form of red lesions.

It’s somewhat hard to actually treat cystic acne, though a dermatologist might be able to help you. He or she will tell you to use pharmaceutical drugs such as Isotretinoin, or even antibiotics that will fight your infection.

You need to try to resist the urge to squeeze the acne. It will provide you with a little relief, and you might think that everything is fine. Yes, you will scar, and you might believe that you can live with a little scarring. What you probably can’t live with is the cystic acne coming back and being a lot worse than it actually was.

There is treatment, and it will involve you staying away from moisturizers and makeup for some time. For example, if you were to used chemical based makeup during the infection, it will cause more harm that good. You can however exfoliate the skin, which will remove those dead cells. Be careful with infected areas however. Use antiseptic soap and warm water.

Make sure that you avoid going into the sun during this time. Cystic acne is prone to burn under the hot sun. You definitely don’t want to have a sunburn to compliment your cystic acne! If you do need to go into the sun, then make sure that you cover your infected areas with cucumber juice to keep them moisturized.

Natural treatment will likely be your best route. Wash your infected areas with the following mixture of ingredients: one teaspoon of buttermilk, turmeric in two parts white gram flour, and honey.

This is a great way of ridding yourself of the cysts. In addition that it is the best exfoliating agent that you can use, at least among the natural ones.

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