How To : Treat and take care of acne

Unfortunately for many of us, acne is a part of life and not just as a teenager. Many of us suffer from various types of acne throughout our entire lives whether we like it or not and it won't go away. With proper treatment and care though, it becomes a lot less painful, and a lot less annoying!

What causes acne?

There's as many theories as there are people who suffer from acne but the basics are proven. Everyone's skin produces oils, or sebum to protect the outer layer of our skin. If the pore is blocked by dead skin cells the oil will build up and develop into a blackhead or whitehead. This is why people who suffer from acne tend to have it more on their face, chest, back and shoulders.

nih.gov

One of the biggest myths surrounding acne is that it's caused from not washing good enough. This myth creates a number of problems around acne, including making teenagers and those that suffer from acne feel guilty about this and become subject to bullying. The real reason teenagers suffer from acne is because of the hormone androgen being produced in much higher amounts during puberty causing the body to produce much higher amounts of sebum. Couple this with differences in genetics and immune systems between people and there you have it, the cause of all the pain and suffering is that simple.

Types of acne

Acne is more severe in some people than in others. Doctors distinguish between mild, moderate and severe forms of acne. There is also a difference between inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne. Non-inflammatory acne is a mild form, which most people would refer to as “pimples” or “blackheads” rather than “acne.”

Unlike normal pimples, acne develops over a longer period of time and stays longer. It sometimes leaves small red marks or scars behind. “Normal” pimples usually arise quickly and go away again soon after.

• Mild acne: People who have mild acne have comedones (blackheads or whiteheads), which are clogged pores in the skin. The dark color of blackheads has nothing to do with dirt: it looks dark because this kind of blackhead is “open,” and the skin pigment melanin reacts with oxygen in the air. Whiteheads are closed, and have a white or yellowish head. The more the oil builds up, the more likely it is that bacteria will multiply and lead to inflammatory acne. Acne is also considered to be “mild acne” if someone only has a few pimples, or small ones.

• Moderate acne: People who have moderate acne have noticeably more pimples. Inflamed pimples are called “papules” (small bumps) or “pustules” (filled with yellow pus).

• Severe acne: People who have severe forms of acne have a lot of papules and pustules, as well as nodules on their skin. These nodules are often reddish and painful, and can leave scars behind.

How should I take care of my skin?

The most surprising, and sometimes the hardest part about taking care of our skin when we suffer from acne is that LESS IS MORE! The more you poke, prod, rub and scrub your skin the worse it gets. Many soaps have a high pH level and make acne worse. The best thing for you and I both, is a soap-free cleansing products that won't irritate your skin more than it already is.

Vanicream Cleansing Bar, Fragrance Free(Pack of 3)
Something like this will work wonders for you. You can choose your own brand, but it's hard to find in store(and as we all know, I love Amazon because it saves me a killing each year).

Also avoid lotions and greasy products that will clog the skin more, and for women, learn from trial and error and try and avoid greasy products for your make-up so you don't clog your pores as well.
Should you squeeze them? NO! I know it's more comforting and easier to leave the house without the big white heads. Squeezing a pimple here or there won't cause significant problems, but too many too often can cause scarring and even make the conditions worse.


Last but not least, don't buy into all these fancy products out there for hundreds of dollars to try and take care of a natural skin condition. It happens to all of us and it's OK! The problem we need to solve is people judging each other on physical appearance more than anything else, and forcing the stereotype that people with acne are dirty or lesser than others. 

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Source : NIH.gov