Acne Skin Care

Author: Joely Mench
Source: ezinearticles.com

Suffering from Acne can be a deeply frustrating and confidence draining experience. There are so many different treatments on the market that it’s almost impossible to choose one that will be effective. It’s not uncommon for acne sufferers to actually grow out of the condition before they’ve found a treatment that actually works!

The condition itself is caused by several things. Essentially, the sebaceous glands that lie deep within the skin tend to overproduce natural skin oils. These glands are part of the follicle and are supposed to lubricate the follicle hair and surrounding skin.

Over-activity of the sebaceous glands is often stress related, which explains why teenagers tend to suffer from the condition around the time they leave school or sit examinations.

If the body is producing too many of these oils, the skin will eventually become blocked and the oils will be trapped beneath the skin pores. The pores will then begin to form a blockage when these oils mix and clog with shed skin and a blackhead or whitehead will appear. The causes for the blockages aren’t known, but poor hygiene is not a reason for it.

Because oil is trapped in the pores, bacteria will grow and alter the composition of the oil. This will cause inflammation which is usually characterised by swelling, blotchy red marks, heat and discomfort.

Thankfully, there are effective treatments for the condition. Possibly one of the best pieces of advice is to use dermatological soap and pad the face gently with a clean towel after washing. It is important to dry the kin with a patting action instead of wiping. This will irritate the skin and possibly cause more blockages as secreted oil, bacteria and skin are spread over the face.

Alternatively, there are a series of full skin care systems available that have been proven to help acne sufferers. Possibly the best continues to be the Pro-Activ system which consists of cleansers, toners and repair lotions. Using benzoyl peroxide as its active ingredient, Pro-Activ is available without prescription and comes with a proven track record in the fight against acne.

There are also topically-based treatments that are available on prescription only. These include Accutane and Retin-A. The former is normally only prescribed in very persistent cases and has a series of potential side effects, while Retin-A is helpful with  acne as well as skin scarring, stretch marks and wrinkles.

As always, there are also some more natural treatments available. The most popular of these is the use of natural essential oils such as tea-tree oil and lavender oil. When diluted with grapeseed oil, these can be used to cleanse the skin and have produced excellent results over a period of time.

Surprisingly, even some ‘old wives tales’ can be very effective too. Rubbing a fresh clove of garlic on the pimples helps reduce inflammation and irritation. Toothpaste is said to do help as well.

Drinking plenty of water will help in hydrating the skin, while fresh mint juice, honey and cucumber have all been proven to have a positive effect in the treatment of acne.

To learn much more about the different types of acne problems, visit allaboutacnetreatments.com where you’ll find this and much more, including acne antibiotics and home acne treatments.