Natural Skin Care

There are various kinds of acne, named according to how or why the acne started. Some of the kinds of acne are: acne conglobata (chronic boils); acne fulminans (an extreme form of conglobata); acne cosmetica (caused by cosmetics); acne keloidalis nuchae (from shaving); acne medicamentosa (caused by starting or stopping a medication); acne rosacea (redness on the face); baby acne; hormonal acne; cloracne and the common variety, acne vulgaris (also known as ‘puberty spots’). In this article, we will take a closer look at acne vulgaris.

Acne vulgaris can be described as: ‘an inflammatory disease of the skin, caused by changes in the pilosebaceous units (skin structures consisting of a hair follicle and its associated sebaceous gland). Acne lesions are commonly referred to as pimples, spots or zits’ (from Wikipedia).

Acne is most often found in white Western teenagers, although it does occur in every country in the world, so there could be a genetic predisposition to it. It is possible that it may be an exceptional reaction to quite normal levels of testosterone. For most sufferers, the condition lasts only until adulthood, probably only a few years or at the most ten. For other people, however, it can be a life-long problem. It most often affects the face, upper-chest, upper-arms and back. However, an occasional spot is not the same as acne.

Acne vulgaris appears in various forms, which include: whiteheads, caused by pores which are totally blocked, trapping sebum (oil), bacteria, and dead skin cells, resulting in a white appearance on the top; blackheads, resulting from pores which are only partially blocked, allowing some of the trapped sebum, bacteria, and dead skin cells to slowly drain to the surface (the black colour is not caused by dirt, but is a reaction of the skin’s own pigment, called melanin, with the oxygen in the air); papules, which are inflamed, red, tender lumps with no head and pustules, which are like whiteheads, but are inflamed, and appear as red circles with a white or yellow centre.

Whiteheads do not usually last for a long time; blackheads can last a long time and pustules are what people call spots or zits. Severe acne vulgaris is distinguished by nodules and cysts. A ‘nodule’ is a much larger and more painful type of pustule and can often last for months. Nodules are large, hard bumps just under the skin’s surface. They often cause scarring and should never for any reason be squeezed, since this could cause them to last for months longer.

A ‘cyst’ may appear similar to a nodule, but it is full of pus and has been defined as having a diameter of at least 5mm and, again, can leave scars and cause pain. Squeezing an acne cyst can cause a deeper infection and more painful inflammation which will last very much longer than if it had not been squeezed. Dermatologists have methods of reducing the swelling and preventing scarring with both nodules and cysts. It is a myth that acne sufferers are not meticulous about washing.

In fact, excessive washing can irritate acne. There are many, many fake ‘treatments’ on the market and many, many old wives’ tales. However, any honest skin expert would advise you that there is no sure-fire remedy for acne and that the patient should follow a religious regimen of cleansing until the acne eventually ‘disappears’ of its own accord.

Are you experiencing problems treating acne? If you are or you’d like to find out more about acne, please go to our website entitled http://treating-acne-scars.com This and other unique content ” articles are available with free reprint rights.

Technorati Tags: acne, advice, alternative medicine, beauty, cosmetics, health, how to, nutrition, other, pimples, self help, Skin Care, supplements

Tags: acne, advice, alternative medicine, beauty, cosmetics, health, how to, nutrition, other, pimples, self help, Skin Care, supplements

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