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Acne Care Solutions - Acne Skin Care Regime

We present this site as an informative guide to understand acne and its treatments.What is Acne?

Acne is a common inflammatory skin disease characterized by pimples on the face, chest, and back. It occurs when the pores of the skin become clogged with oil, dead skin cells, and/or bacteria.

  • Acne vulgaris, the medical term for common acne, is the most common skin disease.
  • It affects nearly 17 million people in the United States.
  • Nearly 85% of people develop acne some time between the ages of 12 and 25 years old.
  • Up to 20% of women develop mild acne.
  • Even it is found in some newborns.
  • While acne can arise at any age, it usually begins at puberty and worsens during adolescence.

Understanding Acne and its Types

The sebaceous (oil-producing) glands lie just beneath the skin’s surface. They produce sebum, an oily secretion that helps to preserve the flexibility of the hair and moisturizes the skin. These glands and the hair follicles within which they are found are called sebaceous follicles. These follicles open onto the skin through pores that allow the sebum to reach the hair shaft and the skin.

In certain situations, the glands excrete excess sebum and it cannot be cleared from the pores efficiently. This happens, for instance, at puberty when increased levels of the androgen hormones cause overproduction of sebum. In addition, cells lining the follicle are shed too quickly and begin to clump together. The excess sebum combines with the dead cells and forms a plug, or comedo (also called comedones), that blocks the pore, which is not usually seen. When the follicle begins to bulge and show up as a small whitish bump mostly under the skin, it is called a whitehead. If the comedo opens up, the top surface of the plug darkens, and it is referred to as a blackhead.

Infection results when a plugged follicle is invaded by Propionibacterium acnes, a bacteria that normally lives on the skin, and possibly other microorganisms. The bacteria produce chemicals and enzymes that bring on inflammation. Pimples are the result of infected blackheads or whiteheads that rupture, releasing sebum, bacteria, dead skin, and white blood cells onto the surrounding tissues.

  • Inflamed pimples near the skin’s surface are called papules; they are red and raised, and may be quite tender to the touch.
  • The papules may become filled with pus, and are then called pustules.
  • If the follicle continues to enlarge rather than rupture, it forms a closed sac, called a cyst, which can be felt as a lump under the skin.
  • Large hard swellings deep within the skin are called nodules. Both nodules and cysts may cause pain and scarring.

Acne Causes

 

Sometimes when acne in women is due to excess male hormone production, it is diagnosed by an onset of the condition in adulthood; excessive growth of hair, especially in places not usual on a female, called hirsuitism; irregular menstrual cycles; and premenstrual flare-ups of acne.A 2001 study demonstrated that menstrual cycle does affect acne. Surprisingly, the study revealed that 53% of women over age 33 experienced a higher premenstrual acne rate than women under age 20. Many alternative practitioners assert that acne is
often related to a condition of toxicity in the intestines or liver. This may be due to the presence of bacteria such as Clostridia spp. and Yersinia enterocolitica, a low-fiber diet; a lack of friendly gut flora such as Lactobacillus spp.; an intestinal overgrowth of Candida albicans; and food allergies.

The interaction between the body’s hormones, skin protein, skin secretions, and bacteria determines the course of acne.

Several other factors have also been shown to affect acne

  • Age. Teenagers are more likely than anyone to develop acne.
  • Gender. Boys have more severe acne and develop it more often than girls.
  • Disease. Hormonal disorders can complicate acne in girls.
  • Heredity. Individuals with a family history of acne have greater susceptibility to the condition.
  • Hormonal changes. Acne can flare up before menstruation, during pregnancy, and menopause.
  • Diet. Although they are not the primary cause of acne, certain foods may bring on flare-ups or make the condition worse.
  • Drugs. Acne can be a side effect of antibiotics, oral contraceptives, and anabolic steroids.
  • Personal hygiene. Use of abrasive soaps, hard scrubbing of the face, or handling pimples will often make them worse.
  • Cosmetics. Oil-based makeup and hair sprays worsen acne.
  • Environment. Exposure to oils and greases, polluted air, and sweating in hot weather can all aggravate acne.
  • Stress. Emotional stress may contribute to acne.
  • Friction. Continual pressure or rubbing on the skin by such things as bicycle helmets, backpacks, or tight clothing, as well as hard scrubbing of the skin, can worsen acne.

The most common sites of acne are the face, chest, shoulders, and back, since these are the parts of the body where the most sebaceous follicles are found. In teenagers, acne is often found on the forehead, nose, and chin. As people get older, it tends to appear towards the outer part of the face. Adult women may have acne on their chins and around their mouths. The elderly often develop whiteheads and blackheads on the upper cheeks and skin around the eyes. Inflamed lesions may cause redness, pain, tenderness, itching, or swelling in affected areas.

Science of Acne in Layman’s Terms

Although there are many reasons behind the development of acne, there is no definitive set of things that apply to everyone affected by acne. Acne often occurs when for some reason or several reasons, a hair follicle, or pore, becomes clogged. Studies have not found a definitive reason that pores become blocked, however there are many contributing factors to consider. These factors include; genetics, hormones, dietary and vitamin deficiencies and other physical or mental stress related occurrences.

Additional factors are physiological, and include looking at how your body eliminates dead skin cells. Also, the climate in which you live can also affect your entire body and not just your skin.   Hormone levels control the amount of sebum produced by the body. This is especially common in female acne patients.

Dead skin cells, mixed with sebum oil accumulate within a hair follicle. When the body fails to push the oily combination out of the pore, the mixture drys and becomes sticky, further reducing the bodies ability to eliminate the combination. When bacteria accumulate in the clogged hair follicle, the body provides white blood cells in order to fight the infection and to remove it from the skin.
After about 2 weeks from the first sign of a clogged pore, a growth on the outside of the skin, commonly called a pimple appears. The technical name is microcomedones. Microcomedones will eventually turn into comedones, and the result is a blemish.

There are four different types of acne that may appear; whiteheads, blackheads, pimples and nodules. Whiteheads occur when the sebum and bacteria become trapped under the surface of the skin and a white head actually appears on the skins surface.   Blackheads are less visible, and occur when sebum and bacteria are less trapped and are able to drain slowly from the skin’s surface. This turns black due to the coloration of your skin’s melanin or pigmentation. Smaller than whiteheads and blackheads are pimples. Boil like lesions that lie beneath the skin surface are called nodules.

Acne is generally classified as mild, moderate or severe. Mild is usually represented by occasional whiteheads or blackheads. Sometimes mild will also be represented by pimples. Moderate acne usually means more pimples and pustules located on the face. However some appear on either the back or chest or both. Severe acne usually means that many nodules develop.

They are usually large and sore, and appear on the face as well as the back, chest and other parts of the body. Severe acne is the most common type to leave scars, however if not treated correctly, all forms of acne can leave scars.   If you suspect that you have nodular acne, it is important to discuss the situation and remedies with you physician as soon as possible in order to prevent further infection or worsening of the condition.

Although as we discussed earlier, females experience acne more often than males. However, males with acne are more likely to experience nodular acne than females. This is because of the hormones present in the body. Another difference between males and females with acne tends to be the areas of the body that are most affected. Females get blemishes on their faces, while males tend to break out on the chest and back.

  

Acne Diagnosis

Acne has a characteristic appearance and is, therefore, not difficult to diagnose.

  • A complete medical historyshould be taken, including questions about skin care, diet, factors that improve or worsen the condition, medication use, and prior treatment.
  • Physical examination includes the face, upper neck, chest, shoulders, back, and other affected areas.
  • Under good lighting, the doctor can determine what types and how many blemishes are present, whether they are inflamed, whether they are deep or superficial, and whether there is scarring or skin discoloration.
  • Blood tests are done when the patient appears to have hormonal or other medical problems.
  • Stool tests can be helpful in determining whether there is a bacterial or yeast overgrowth contributing to the condition.
  • Food allergy testing should also be considered.

Note: You think you have got pimples and red, rashy skin, but you may actually have rosacea, an inflammation of the oil glands.

Acne Skin Care Regime

The first most important thing for an acne prone skin is hygiene. A healthy skin care regime should include no harsh scrubbing or over-washing, because this can cause possible skin irritation or over production of oil to replace what has washed off, clogging pores in the process. Products with gentle exfoliation ingredient should be used; i.e. not scratchy nut or fruit shell pieces that can tear skin. Also skip alcohol products when possible; these can take off the top layer of your skin and cause your glands to produce more oil, further causing clogging pores in the process. If you do spot acne-troubled areas, do NOT mess with them.

For best acne skin care effects, using a mild cleanser or toner once in the morning, noon and evening, and after doing a heavy work out, will help you achieve a clear skin. Pick that zit. People who prick pimples and blemishes as if pricking a bubble only aggravates the risk of skin inflammation and acne scars. Avoid hand contact with your face for better acne skin care results. For men, shaving should be done with care. Choose the best electric shavers and safety razors you can trust for years. They’ll be more comfortable to use. Men need not use a super sharp blade to get rid of that beard. A regular shaver used with soap and water, or shaving cream will help you get that smooth finish. Doctors advised men to shave lightly, and shave only when necessary for acne skin care maintenance.

Here you can find many home remedies for acne. http://www.acne-care-solutions.com/acne-home-remedies.htm

Products for daily skin care regime

1 Glycerin is a good moisturizer. Glycerin is known to moisturize from the inside out, pulling in moisture from the outside environment. It’s typically found in better quality, more expensive soaps like a hand made soap or good cleanser. Lower grade, commercially produced soaps usually remove the glycerin and use more cost effective chemicals which are much more destructive to the skin.

2 Tea Tree Oil and Eucalyptus are terrific for cleansing. Tea tree oil is considered to have some of the best natural antiseptic / antifungal properties in the world. Eucalyptus oil has been shown to fight infection-causing bacteria, fungi, and viruses very effectively.

3 Pure Aloe Vera - the absolute best moisturizer.

Always remember what is best for your body is best for your skin, especially since your skin is the largest organ of your body. So remember to watch your diet and consume healthy vitamins, minerals and other supplements. This will help to prevent and help conquer acne breakout.

To find more information on acne go here: http://www.acne-care-solutions.com/    

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