Whats The Real Cause Of Acne?
Most acne medications only mask the symptoms of acne and does nothing to stop the real cause of acne. This is why people buy acne products month after month (year after year). And every time they stop using the product acne would come back again and again.
What you need to do is find out what the real cause of acne is and stop it.
So what's the real cause of acne?
Acne occurs when your body contains more toxics than your kidneys and bowels can remove. (Your kidneys and bowels are the two primary channels of elimination that your body expel toxics and waste products through.)
These toxics can be the accumulation of fat stored chemicals the liver can not wash out or there may be a problem with fat digestion, fat accumulation, food allergy, or even the accumulation of hormones that your body produces.
Once these toxics build up, your kidneys and bowels can get overloaded and clogged up, causing it to not function properly. When that happens some of the load will be dumped onto your liver. One of your liver's main roles is to metabolize pile up fat into usable energy for your body.
This means, your liver will be doing some of your kidney's work. So now, your liver gets overloaded and it too will not work at full capacity.
What happens when your bowels, kidneys, and liver gets overloaded?
When that happen your body will expel toxins through your lungs and skin (your secondary channels of elimination). And this is when acne occurs. This is when your skin starts to breakout.
But whatever the toxic source is that's causing this problem, acne is a sign that your bowels and kidneys are overloaded with toxins, waste products, or hormones.
It is a sign that your liver is growing weaker in its detoxification abilities (and it will continue to grow weaker if you do not do what it takes to get rid of the toxics in your body).
So if you think that acne is your only problem, think again, your liver, kidneys, and bowels are getting weaker every time you breakout.
Houa Yang is the author of "The Definite Guide To Acne Free Skin." It reveals the same method he personally used himself to get rid of acne in 3 days and stop it from ever coming back for the past 4 years...without any prescription drugs or acne medications! For more info visit:
Acne & Wrinkles at My Age?
Puberty brought bouts of acne. In your 20s, finding Mr. or Mrs. Right was of chief consequence. When the 30s hit, you worked to raise little Johnnie or Suzie to be a model kid. Now that your hitting the fabulous 40s, you should be coasting through life, right. Well, why are you suddenly dealing with the cosmetic double whammy of acne and wrinkles? Even your insurance company figures that you should have gotten rid of acne by the age of 25.
The number people over 30 needing acne treatments has climbed to the extent that a report published in Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology recommends raising the age for insurance coverage of the acne drug tretinoin to at least 40. The authors of the report, Drs. Steven Feldman and Alan Fleischer, add that many insurance companies refuse to pay for tretinoin prescriptions for patients older than 25.
Cosmetic Catch 22 Even if your insurance company leaves you to fend for yourself, you still have options for freeing yourself from acne and wrinkles. At first, coping with acne and wrinkles may seem like a cosmetic catch 22. Do you dry your skin with acne cleansers containing benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, and worsen your wrinkles? Or, do you smear on the moisturizer to smooth the wrinkles, but cope with the zits brought on by the extra oil or sensitivity to a new product?
There's a smarter way to handle acne and wrinkles.
1. Interpret the acne
2. Allow your skin to improve as you use self-awareness to remove zits.
Interpret the acne
While dealing with acne and wrinkles, target the acne first because acne is an autoimmune disease. Having an autoimmune disease means that your thoughts, emotions, and/or environment are affecting you in an adverse way and require immediate attention. Thus, acne may reveal that you need to relax more, change your eating habits, reframe your interpersonal dialogue, stop dating that jerk from the office and/or make another beneficial alteration to your lifestyle.
Zits arrive on your face to report on some unpleasant activities within your body and life. Once you get feedback from these zits, you can take action to send the zits away while augmenting your health in the process.
Acne is usually an indication various hidden or overlooked health problems. Here's a sample of the questions you should ask yourself when dealing with acne so that you can unravel the mystery behind your zits. Are you:
Regular?
About 70% of your immune system is located in your intestines. If this area is blocked with waste, your immuno-defenses are down. So, instead of waste leaving your body via the rectum, it chooses to leave through the skin. Waste leaving the skin can cause an infection that presents itself as acne.
Tense?
Tension likewise reduces the vigor of the immune system. Take a few deep breaths throughout the day to calm your body. Take a long walk in the fresh air to wind down.
Eating nutritionally?
Cases of acne have been improved with consuming foods containing zinc, essential fatty acids, vitamin A and a host of other nutrients. All of these vital nutrients are available in leafy green vegetables, fruits and olive oil.
Worried about unresolved issues?
Not resolving personal issues creates conflict and tension in the body. Again, these issues most be addressed to avoid undue stress within the body.
Exercising daily?
Exercise reduces stress and gives you an opportunity to subconsciously contemplate challenges that you may be facing. Physical activity also keeps your muscles and intestines toned, which keeps encourages regularity.
Changing pillowcase frequently?
Using a dirty pillowcase aggravates an acne condition. Your face naturally secretes oils during the night. These oils are sticky. So if you pillowcase if dirty, you are allowing your face to collect extra waste during the night, which could further clog your pores.
Moving or changing your job/career?
New demands or feelings of lose can sometimes accompany change. Transfer these emotions into something constructive by writing in a journal or envisioning how these changes are going to benefit you. Find comfort in these changes and opportunities for new beginnings.
Experiencing excessive facial hair growth and erratic periods?
Conditions such as acne, excessive facial hair, and erratic periods could indicate an androgen disorder or other underlying hormonal imbalances. Your doctor can provide you with a series of endocrine tests to ascertain your hormone levels and what corrective actions you should take. Ricardo Azziz, M.D, who serves as Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Director of the Center for Androgen-Related Disorders at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, estimates that 80 percent of women with excessive androgen levels suffer from an endocrine disorder called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Dr. Azziz adds that women with PCOS often have insulin resistance and are at increased risk for developing Type II diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
Once the acne is under control you can move on to the wrinkles. Another reason for treating the zits first is because if you alter your lifestyle in such as way as to free yourself from acne, and you doing this in a healthy and patient fashion, you will actually lessen the number of wrinkles you have.
Health is wholeness and beauty is a reflection of robust health. You'll never buy robust health in a jar. It is a mind, body, spirit and environmental support system that garners full-bodied health. Lets look at want you actually need from a "beauty cream".
Face Cream Education There are five basic ingredients in any given anti-aging or anti-wrinkling cream.
1. The oil or moisturizer
2. The preservatives to keep the cream from spoiling.
3. A scent or flavor
4. A color
5. The active ingredient.
Only one of these components is essential, the oil. The preservative is only needed to keep the cream useful. Your face does not need preservation because the skin is alive. Since some people have allergies to scents and colors in cosmetics, the body says that these two ingredients are not necessary. The active ingredient is usually the latest cosmetic drug or multivitamin that is supposed to lift or dramatically reverse your age by 5-20 years.
Researchers S. Jay Olshansky, Leonard Hayflick and Bruce A. Carnes bluntly comment on the antics of cosmetic companies in their report No Truth to the Fountain of Youth, published in the June 2002 edition of Scientific American. The authors warn everyone aiming to reverse the signs of times on their face that, "? anyone purporting to offer an anti-aging product today is either mistaken or lying".
I bet you are thinking, "Won't that oil make acne worse?" The answer is not if you are using the right oil. Some essential oils such as bergamont, lavender, lemon, neroli, sandalwood, tea tree and ylang ylang have cleansing and antibacterial properties which help combat acne infections. Other essential oil like geranium, clary sage and orange regulate the production of oil on the face. When mixed with a carrier oil such as jojoba or camellia, these essential oils are ideal moisturizers.
Nothing that you put on your face will truly change your appearance. Creams are useful, but they are only one instrument in an orchestra of anti-aging concerts. Health starts on the inside. If you want to improve your beauty start with how you treat yourself and feed yourself. I mean not only what foods you eat but what thoughts you eat.
You may eat thoughts of the sort, "I can't?", "I had a stressful day", "I'm tired of?", "I can't wait until?", "I'm getting old", "My body isn't as healthy as it used to be". The menu is endless. If you want to look young and healthy, you have to think young and healthy thoughts. Here's steps to jumpstart your quest:
Start by changing your thinking. Develop your own youth model, i.e. with steps you'll take to maintain your vitality and stick to it.
Enjoy nutritious foods. A study in the Journal of American College of Nutrition found that eating a variety of fruits and vegetables and using olive oil every day could help keep wrinkles away. The researchers found that people who ate a diet rich in green leafy vegetables, beans, olive oil, nuts and multigrain breads, while avoiding butter, red meat and sugary goodies, were less predisposed to wrinkling. Researchers believe that antioxidant vitamins, such as A, C and E, which are found in fruits and vegetables, may help protect the skin from environmental damage.
Use a gentle cleanser each day.
Steam your face everyday for 5-15 minutes, especially if your have acne. The steam removes waxy build-up on the skin while it stimulates circulation. This combo of benefits cleans to pores to reduce the possibility of acne while firming up the skin and facial muscles.
Exfoliate your skin daily.
Moisturize your face in the morning and evening with natural oils. In addition to the acne fighting oils listed above, you can mix essential oils such as frankinsense, myrrh, neroli and rose to help encourage the growth of new skin cells. You can create a moisturizer by diluting 1-3 of your favorite essential oils in a carrier oil such as jojoba or camellia oil in a ration of 1 part essential oil to 3 parts carrier oil.
Massage your face daily when you apply your facial oil.
Lie down on an incline bench for 5-20 minutes each day to let the blood flow to your head.
Wear a sunhat in the sun.
Give yourself a light skin peel once a month.
Finally, forty can still be fabulous and your beauty-plan a lot less enigmatic. Just remember the basics, interpret the messages of your zits, and educate yourself about wrinkle creams- you don't need them.
Acne Solution
Million of people suffer from acne breakouts young and old. If your doctor has you on topical or oral treatment and it is not working try other ways to cure the breakouts.
For example: Topical retinoids (Retin-A, Differin and Tazorac, for example)are helpful for mild to severe acne especially when they are used early on combining with hormonal antibiotics,or benzoyl peroxide treatments. When you discontinue the antibiotics you can maintain clear skin with retinoids. Another way to treat your acne is with laser light. The doctor applies a chemical called aminole-v-vulinic acid and then exposed to a sunlump called Clearlight. You need two to four treatments to kill bacteria and keep skin clear for 5 months or up to 2 years.
Over the counter products aren't strong enough to treat severe acne. Try using a product with 10% benzoyl peroxide plus another product with 2% percent salicylic acid. Keep a daily routine faithfully and if your skin doesn't improve see your dermatologist.
Proven Acne Medications
There are a plethora of acne medications currently on the market. Some of these are prescription medications, such as accutane. Others are over the counter chemical compounds, such as benzoyl peroxide. There are even herbal based acne medications, such as tea tree oil. However, many of them are not as effective as advertised.
Part of the problem with finding the right acne medication is that there is no "one size fits all" when it comes to acne. Different people respond differently to the various medications and treatments. However, there are several acne medications that have been clinically proven to be effective in treating acne, and these are the medications that will stop acne for most people.
Prescription Acne Treatments
Of the prescription medications, Accutane is one of the best. It is a chemical derivative of vitamin A, and is often referred to as the "miracle drug" for acne. Accutane is most effective in the treatment of severe cystic acne, and not to be taken lightly. For some people, the many side effects can be worse than the acne itself. However, this is one treatment that works.
Retin A and Renova are also prescription medications. These are topical derivatives of vitamin A, and are also good at clearing up fine lines, wrinkles, and slight skin discolorations. One of the biggest downsides is sunlight and other topical acne treatments must be avoided while using either of them. However, they are proven to reduce acne.
Birth control pills and antibiotics round out the acne medications most commonly prescribed. Birth control pills are used exclusively by women to help regulate hormones, and therefore lessen the hormonally related acne that many women experience. Antibiotics work by attacking the acne causing p.bateria as it grows deep in skin pores.
Over the Counter Acne Treatments
There are some over the counter acne treatments that work well. The two best are benzoyl peroxide, and salicylic acid.
Benzoyl peroxide works by penetrating the skin pores, and eliminating the acne causing bacteria that grows deep in the skin. Benzoyl peroxide is the most commonly used acne treatment because it is affordable, easily available, and nearly as effective as most prescription medication.
Salicylic acid works by removing the top layers of dead skin cells. This helps the skin renew itself faster, and decreases the chance for pore blockage and a subsequent acne breakout.
Herbal Acne Treatments
The vast majority of acne treatments fall under the heading of "herbal" acne treatments. The reason is because of the lack or regulation for herbal products. This can be very frustrating to the general consumer, because it is impossible to tell which herbal treatment will work to stop acne, and which ones will do very little at all.
Of every herbal treatment available, there are only 2 that are currently proven to stop acne. Tea tree oil will help get rid of acne, and so will green tea cream.
Tea tree oil is an oil derived from one tea tree plant that is unique to Australia. For several hundred years it was touted as a cure all, until penicillin was introduced to fight bacteria. However, tea tree oil has seen a recent revival due in part to study conducted in 1990 that proved it is as effective in treating acne as 5% benzoyl peroxide. Furthermore, it had none of the side effects that benzoyl peroxide does.
Green tea cream has been validated more recently, at the 2003 American Academy of Dermatology conference. It was proven that green tea is as effective in treating acne as a 4% benzoyl peroxide solution. Though the study has not been corroborated yet, it demonstrated that there is another herbal treatment besides tea tree oil.
These are some of the acne medications proven to work. For those who are experiencing acne, any of the aforementioned treatments would be well worth trying.
How to Choose an Over The Counter Acne Medication
There are literally hundreds of various treatments available to reduce acne. There is everything from all natural herbal remedies, to powerful chemical pharmaceuticals such as Accutane.
However, the most commonly used acne treatments in the United States are over the counter acne medications. They are generally inexpensive when compared to prescription medications, and some work very well.
Benzoyl peroxide is the most commonly used over the counter acne medication, and for good reason; Benzoyl peroxide is one of the most effective acne treatments available.
A 5% solution is usually all that is needed to treat acne, and it has almost no side effects for most people who use it. Unlike antibiotics and other prescription medications, Benzoyl peroxide can be used for months, even years at a time, and there are really no long term side effects (including a tolerance) that can be associated with it.
Furthermore, benzoyl peroxide has been compared to some of the prescription medications for acne, and it is nearly as effective as many acne antibiotics. Over all, benzoyl peroxide is the most successful over the counter acne medication.
However, there are others that can be very beneficial as well, including salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid, and it works as an astringent to remove dead skin cells. By removing the dead cells, this helps eliminate clogged pores, as well as help the skin renew itself faster.
Since acne is caused by p.bacteria that builds up in sebum in the pores of the skin, it is very important for the sebum to have a way of draining out of the pores before it becomes infected. Once salicylic acid is used to eliminate the dead skin cells, then the sebum is much less likely to become trapped under the skin and infected.
Salicylic acid is often sold as a makeup remover, but it is most commonly used in acne treatment via stridex pads or oxy pads.
Sulfur is also used in some over the counter acne medications. Sulfur is one of the oldest acne treatments, and reacts with the skin in such a way that it makes it dry, and peel. This works on acne by drying out the Sebum, and therefore, stopping the bacterial growth.
Many soaps and facial cleansers have sulfur in them. Sulfur is effective in getting rid of whiteheads and blackheads. It doesn't work well against the more inflamed cystic acne. One of the drawbacks is that it can increase skin cell adhesion to the skin, and therefore help cause more pimples in the future. It is best to use a gentle exfoliator when using sulfur to treat acne.
Sulfur also has a strong odor, and some people have skin that reacts harshly to sulfur, causing excessive redness and peeling.
Resorcinol is another over-the-counter chemical that is used to treat a variety of skin conditions, including acne. It works by breaking down hard skin. For acne, this means less clogged pores, and faster skin growth. Resorcinol is commonly used with sulfur to treat acne. It is also good for eczema and dandruff.
Because it is a strong chemical, don't use resorcinol with other astringents or cleansers unless advised by a dermatologist to do so.
These are the most commonly used over the counter acne treatments. For anyone who is suffering from acne, these 4 over-the-counter treatments have a good chance of helping to reduce or eliminate acne.
Herbal Acne Treatments That Work
In the United States alone, there are over 40 Million people who struggle with acne. Many of these people treat acne using chemicals such as antibiotics, prescription drugs, benzoyl peroxide, and salicylic acid.
However, there is a growing number of people who choose herbal acne treatments over traditional medications. Usually, herbal medications have far fewer side effects, and are not as dangerous as some of the prescription drugs.
The problem however, is that the United States does very little to regulate the herbal supplement industry. Unlike traditional chemical medications, herbal medications are not required to be clinically proven to work, or even to be safe. An example of this lack of regulation recently came to light with ephedra related deaths, and ephedras subsequent ban.
This lack of regulation results in many different acne products on the market. All of which claim to heal, prevent, or even cure acne with few, if any, side effects.
The truth is, there are very few herbal acne treatments that are scientifically proven to work. Traditional chemical treatments are still the most effective in stopping acne.
There are only 2 herbal treatments that have been clinically proven to help stop acne, tea tree oil and green tea cream.
Tea tree oil is a natural oil, derived from the Melaleuca alternifolia, a particular type of tea tree found exclusively in Australia. While it has been used from hundreds of years by the native aboriginals as a treatment for just about anything, it has only recently been accepted by modern medicine as being a viable anti-bacterial agent.
Even though tea tree oil has been suspected as an anti-bacterial agent for some time, A groundbreakings study was conducted in 1990 by I.B. Bassett, which compared tea tree oil to benzoyl peroxide in the treatment of acne. It was found that tea tree oil is as effective as a 5% benzoyl peroxide solution. It takes longer (6 weeks) for the tea tree oil to be as effective, but participants in the study reported none of the side effects associated with benzoyl peroxide, such as redness, skin irritation, or dry skin.
This study has helped tea tree oil become a recognized and legitimate herbal acne treatment. However, there is no need to purchase an expensive cream that contains tea tree oil. Just applying several drops of the oil directly on the acne has shown to be the most effective way to apply tea tree oil.
This was the only herbal acne treatment that had been proven to work until recently, when Dr. Jennifer Gan-Wong conducted a study that shows green tea can also effectively fight acne.
Dr. Gan-Wong compared a green tea cream with 3% green tea, to a 4% benzoyl peroxide solution, and found that the results in treating acne where the same for both the tea and the peroxide. These results were recently presented at the 2003 annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.
These findings are relatively recent, and are not yet corroborated by additional independent studies. However, this evidence does demonstrate that the natural anti-bacterial properties of green tea can be effective to treat acne.
For those of you who are confused by the plethora of herbal acne treatments available, there really are only 2 that have been proven to be effective in fighting acne. Green tea cream, and tea tree oil. While many other herbal acne treatments may be good to moisturize the skin, or reduce oils, these are the only two that should be considered truly effective acne treatments.
Acne Home Remedy
Acne or pimples are caused by hormonal changes, wrong food habits and improper skin care. Acne remedies given below are based on herbs and natural ingredients that treat your acne like magic and help improve the skin disorders.
Grind nutmeg with unboiled milk and apply on affected area. This works as a magic. Pimples should disappear without leaving a mark.
Make a paste by mixing 3 tablespoons of honey and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. Repeat for two weeks, pimples will disappear forever.
Apply a mixture of 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder.
Make orange peel paste by grinding it in some water. Apply on and around pimples.
Rub fresh garlic on and around pimples. Pimples will disappear without a mark with regular applications.
Mix 1 tablespoon groundnut oil with 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice to prevent formation of blackheads and pimples .
Apply fresh mint juice over the face every night for the treatment of pimples, insect stings, eczema, scabies, & other skin infections.
Apply a paste of fresh fenugreek leaves over the face every night for 10-15 minutes and washed with warm water. This will prevent pimples, blackheads, and wrinkles.
Apply juice of raw papaya (including the skin and seed) on swelling pimples.
Apply fresh lime juice mixed to a glass of boiled milk as a face wash for pimples.
Mix lime juice and rose water in equal portions. Apply on affected area. Wash it off after 20-30 minutes with lukewarm water.
Apply ripe tomatoes pulp on pimples and kept up to 1 hour, then wash.
About Acne, itsTypes & Symptoms
What is Acne?
Acne is a chronic disorder of the hair follicles and sebaceous glands. Some of the characteristics of acne include black heads, pimples, cysts, infected abscesses, and rarely scarring. Acne usually occurs during adolescence in both men and women. To be more specific, acne starts during puberty and tends to get worse for people with oily skin. Acne badly affects teenage boys. Only mild to moderate forms of acne occur in middle-aged women. Acne can be seen most commonly on the face. The other places where it can occur include the neck, chest, back, shoulders, scalp, and upper arms and legs. Most forms of acne are the result of heredity and hormonal problems and has nothing to do with a harmful diet or poor hygiene.
Types of acne
Acne starts in a similar way for all but can take different forms and can react in a unique way according to the body conditions of the individual. A basic lesion called the comedo is the begining of acne. The comedo is an enlarged hair follicle plugged with oil and bacteria residing under the surface of your skin, that waits for the right conditions to grow into an inflamed lesion. Whenever the skin produces more oil, the bacteria grows within the swollen follicle. The surrounding skin becomes increasingly inflamed as your white blood cells fight against the intruders. Two main types of acne include non-inflammatory acne and inflammatory acne.
Non-inflammatory acne
Closed comedo:
If the plugged follicle stays below the surface of the skin, the lesion is called a closed comedo. This usually appears on the skin as small, whitish bumps. This condition is otherwise called as whitehead.
Open comedo :
If the plug enlarges and pushes through the surface of the skin, the lesion is called an open comedo. The dark appearance of the plug is not due to dirt, but due to the buildup of melanin, the pigmentation element of the skin. This condition is otherwise called as blackhead.
Inflammatory acne
Papule:
This appears on the skin as a small, firm pink bump. The papules are tender in nature and are often considered an intermediary step between non-inflammatory and clearly inflammatory lesions.
Pustule:
These are small round lesions that are inflamed and contain visible pus, which appear red at the base with a yellowish or whitish center. Pustules do not contain a large amount of bacteria. The inflammation is caused by chemical irritation from sebum components such as fatty free acids.
Cyst:
These are large pus-filled lesions that are usually present deep within the skin. The cysts are very painful lesions, as they are inflamed. Cysts form as a result of the contents of a comedo spilling over the surrounding skin and due to the response of the local immune system in producing pus. The cysts often leave deep scars.
Acne conglobata:
This is a rare but serious form of inflammatory acne that develops primarily on the back, buttocks, and chest. In addition, to the presence of pustules and cysts, there may be severe bacterial infection.
Symptoms
The common symptoms of acne include persistent, recurrent red spots or swellings on the skin known as pimples. The pimples become inflamed and get filled with pus. The pimples usually occur on the face, chest, shoulders, neck, or upper portion of the back. Some of the other symptoms include dark spots with open pores at the center, which are known as blackheads, bulged spots under the skin without openings, which are known as whiteheads, and red swellings or lumps filled with pus, which are known as pustules. The pustules can develop from blackheads or whiteheads. Inflamed fluid-filled lumps under the skin known as cysts are also a symptom of acne. These cysts can become as large as an inch across.
Shopping for Sensitive Skin: A Guide for the Acne and Rosacea Conscious
Acne and rosacea patients take note- you must know about proper skin-care and cosmetic usage to successfully manage your sensitive skin. This is the counsel of Dr. Diane Berson, who runs a dermatology practice in New York City.
A critical step in reducing skin sensitivity is understanding the importance of the stratum corneum. The stratum corneum is the outermost layer of the skin and is composed of dead, flat skin cells held together by the protein keratin. This skin barrier prevents molecules from passing into and out of the skin and thereby protects the lower layers of skin while reducing skin sensitivity.
Healthy, uninjured skin is more effective at preventing skin irritations that may result from using cosmetics and skin care products. Individuals with altered nerve endings or more neurotransmitters under their skin are more susceptible to minor skin irritants in cosmetics and skin care products. When the skin is excessively dry or damaged, it cannot adequately protect these nerve endings. Sound moisturizing and a strong immune system help minimize possible skin irritants.
Some of Dr. Berson's recommendations for caring for sensitive skin include:
Selecting mild cleansers. Use mild cleansing agents that have synthetic detergents or lipid-free cleansers. Resist using abrasive cleansers since they can cause microscopic tears in the skin and damage the protective layers of the skin.
Rosacea patients should not use alcohol-based products such as toners or astringents.
Acne patients will benefit from toners that contain salicylic acid or alpha hydroxy acid. However, when starting a retinoid treatment, temporarily discontinue using a toner or astringent since the combination may make the retinoid more irritating. Acne patients must also limit or abstain from excessively rough cleansing and washing. Julie Harper, M.D., who directs a clinic to treat acne at the University of Alabama at Birmingham laments, "Teenagers think they have acne because they do not wash enough, but usually they are washing too often with harsh scrubs that make their symptoms worse."
Using moisturizers. Tracy L. Grosick, a key skin care product researcher with Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati says that when the skin's moisture barrier is intact, it helps the skin to combat environmental attacks that are encountered on a daily basis. When acne and rosacea patients are using treatments that dry the skin, moisturizers may improve the skin's barrier function. Dr. Benson recommends using moisturizers with the least amount of ingredients.
Rosacea patients should choose a moisturizer with only glycerin, petrolatum, or aloe vera, which might be anti-inflammatory.
Acne patients should also stick with products containing the least amount of ingredients.
Using noncomedogenic sunscreens. Rosacea patients need to use a physical-blocking products containing zinc oxide or titanium dioxide because these ingredients will not irritate red, inflamed skin and will provide optimal protection.
Acne patients with oily skin should use noncomedogenic, non-pore clogging, products. Select an alcohol-based or gel-based sunscreen.
Preservatives. The best preservatives for sensitive skin are those containing parabens like methyl paraben and butyl paraben.
The key to keeping sensitive skin less susceptible to irritation is ensuring the integrity of your stratum corneum, the skin's primary defensive barrier. You can start by using a minimalist moisturizer, and noncomedogenic sunscreen.
The Kill the Bacterial and Cure the Acne Myth
All life forms strategize to survive and procreate. Weeds, worms, birds, fungi and bacteria all work to sustain their own lives on this planet. In fact, we humans survive because of the biological games constantly unfolding in our mist.
Propionibacterium acnes, or p acne bacteria, are no different. They want and need to survive. Skin bacteria perform an important function. Bacteria use the secretions of our sweat and sebaceous glands (sebum is the oil that makes our skin look shiny) as nutrients. P acnes that are in balance with your body prevent colonization by more harmful bacteria.
P acne bacteria only encourage acne formations if the production of oil on the face is excessive. This surplus of oil of prompted by hormonal, nutritional, environmental and/or psychological changes in the body. So to prevent acne, you do not what to kill bacteria per se, but keep the amount of bacteria on your skin at an optimal balance. You optimize your oil secretion by understanding and controlling your response to hormonal, nutritional, environmental and/or psychological changes.
If we upset the balance of bacteria in our bodies by taking antibiotics, our resident flora is upset and this enables harmful bacteria (such as Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii) to colonize our skin. What's more, antibiotics can destroy the balance of intestinal flora and cause constipation.
In short, using antibiotics on bacteria is a battle amongst intelligent parties involving the bacteria, the body, and the human mind. If we fail to appreciate the bacteria as bodily maintenance workers and continue dousing them with antibiotics, the bacteria just become more resistant to our antibiotics. The bacteria are practiced at playing dead as a tactic for survival. Even people who have used the strongest acne drug on the market, Accutane, have witnessed the cunning behavior of bacteria as zits reappear some months after using this course of acne treatment. These people have discovered that bacteria do not die; they silently and strategically multiply. If you do not want your bacteria out of balance, do not provide them an environment conducive to acne
Source: Collected from Internet
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KARUNAKARAN
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