At least 90% of adolescents have acne — it affects teens of every size and shape, in every country from America to Zimbabwe. A recent study by the American Medical Association revealed (not surprisingly) that acne is one of today’s teenagers’ biggest worries. “Acne can, without question, affect self-esteem,” says Diane Berson, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology at New York University School of Medicine. “Some kids have it so severely that they don’t even want to go out of their house. They make excuses for not going to social functions.”1

It seems unfair, doesn’t it? Just when you’re beginning to grow up and get some ideas about exactly who’s behind the face in your mirror, you’re staring at a minefield of bumps and blemishes. It can be downright depressing — but since everyone has acne, you’re supposed to **** it up and suffer through it… right? Wrong! Today we know more about fighting acne than ever before. And the best way to stop acne is to find out why it starts when it does — during adolescence. Get rid of your acne with Proactiv® Solution – GO NOW!

Why does acne strike teens? At the onset of puberty, the body begins to produce hormones called androgens. These “male” hormones are a natural part of development for both boys and girls, but boys tend to produce more of them — and therefore tend to have more severe breakouts. Why? Our faces and bodies are covered with tiny hairs, each one fitting snugly into a hair follicle, sometimes called a pore. Deep within each follicle, oil glands are hard at work producing sebum, which travels up the hair and out onto the surface of your skin. Sebum’s job is to form a protective layer between your skin and the world, keeping it soft and smooth.

But when androgens enter the picture, your oil glands go into overdrive. They produce extra oil, which can clump together with the dead skin cells on the top layer of your skin. When this sticky mixture finds its way into your pores, it acts just like a cork in a bottle — trapping oil and bacteria inside. Unfortunately, your oil glands just don’t know when to stop; they keep producing oil, and the follicle becomes swollen. Your body’s natural defense system, white blood cells, rush to the area to clean up the mess. The result? Red, painful bumps. Yucky black spots. Zits. Blackheads. Pimples. Acne. It has nothing to do with what you eat, or how often you wash your face.

How can I strike back against teen acne? The best way to zap zits is to prevent them from showing up in the first place! Following are a few simple practices than can help you minimize your breakouts.

A Tip on Avoiding Teen Acne – Keep it clean. Since teenagers produce more oil, it’s important to wash twice a day with warm water and a mild cleanser. Since your skin does need some sebum in order to stay healthy, don’t be tempted to overwash; your glands could pay you back by producing more oil.

Teen Acne Advice – Skip harsh scrubs. It’s okay to exfoliate, but be sure to use a gentle formula with small, smooth grains. Avoid products with almond or apricot shell fragments; they can irritate or even tear your skin and further aggravate your acne.

Avoiding Teen Acne – Say no to alcohol. If you use a toner, avoid products with high concentrations of isopropyl alcohol, or common rubbing alcohol. Alcohol strips the top layer of your skin, causing your glands to produce more oil. The result? Dry, flaky skin — and possibly more blemishes.

Ways to Avoid Teen Acne – Don’t squeeze or pick. Squeezing or picking your blemishes with fingernails, pins or anything else can force bacteria deeper into the skin. This can cause greater inflammation and infection, increasing the chances that your pimple will leave a permanent scar. Remember, a zit that’s bugging you today will go away if treated properly; if you pick at it, it may stick around forever.

Being Smart about Teen Acne – Hands off! The bacteria that causes acne, Propionibacterium acnes, hangs out on your skin all the time; it doesn’t lead to acne until it gets trapped inside the hair follicle. Touching your face, including rubbing or even resting your chin in your hands, can drive bacteria into your pores — where it can begin its dirtywork.

Dealing with Teen Acne – Choose products wisely. If you wear make-up, be sure it’s oil-free and non-comedogenic — that means it won’t clog your pores and make your breakouts worse. The same goes for your sunscreen and even your hair products; sticky sprays, gels and pomades can aggravate acne, too.

Getting Ahead of Teen Acne – Be smart about sun. If you think tanning helps your acne, you’re right — and wrong. Small amounts of sun exposure may improve acne for a few days. But suntans (and burns) also make you shed your dead skin cells faster, so in the long run, you’ll end up with more clogged pores. And that means more acne. Another thing you should know: some kinds of acne medication make skin more sensitive to the sun. So if you’re headed outside in sunny weather, be sure to slather up with sunscreen. Look for sun protection products that are oil-free and have a “sun protection factor” (or SPF) of at least 15 for both UVA and UVB rays.

Avoiding Teen Acne – Accessorize wisely. Heat and friction (rubbing) can cause acne flare-ups. So steer clear of hats and headbands — and if your sports team requires you to wear a helmet or any other equipment that might rub against your skin, try lining it with a layer of clean, soft cotton. And remember to shower immediately after exercising — don’t sit around in a sweaty uniform, no matter how cool you look.

Teen Acne Treatment – Find a regimen and stick with it. Most cases of mild acne can be improved with “over-the-counter” products, or products that don’t require a prescription from your doctor. There is a wide range of treatments available, and there’s a good chance one of them will work for you. If you start treatment before your acne gets severe, you’ll have a better chance of avoiding physical and emotional problems down the road. But if your acne gets worse or lasts more than a couple of weeks, see a dermatologist. Here’s a quick listing of the most common products used to treat acne — click on the links that interest you for more information on that course of treatment.

• Benzoyl Peroxide: Kills the bacteria that causes acne.

• Proactiv® Solution: A dermatologist formulated Combination Therapy® acne management system. Click Here and receive 2 free bonuses when you try Proactiv® Solution Risk-Free for 60 Days!

• Salicylic Acid: Unclogs your pores and encourages skin renewal.

• Tretinoin (Retin-A®): Promotes healthy sloughing.

• Antibiotics: Kill bacteria and reduces inflammation.

• Oral Contraceptives: Help regulate hormone levels.

• Anti-Androgens: Inhibit the body’s production of acne-causing hormones.

• Isotretinoin (Accutane®): Treatment for severe cystic or nodular acne.

Relax — it’s not your fault. The most important thing to remember about acne is that it’s not your fault. You didn’t make your face break out by eating too many french fries, wearing make-up or daydreaming about your crush. Now you know a few of the things that can aggravate acne in teenagers. But since acne is different for everyone, you should watch your own skin carefully for things that trigger breakouts — and avoid them. If your acne still hangs around, see a doctor.

Kerwin Chang writes for http://www.acnestuff.net where you can find out more about acne and other skin care topics.



By: Kerwin Chang

About the Author:

Caffeinated Content

Acne Cure – A Few Simple And Natural Steps To Get Rid Of Acne

Acne is a skin problem that affects most people during puberty when the hormonal changes occur. A male hormone called Testosterone in both men and women, and insulin-like growth factor are the two hormones most closely linked to acne. Testosterone stimulates the sebaceous glands of the skin to enlarge and produce oil called sebum. Too much sebum and dead skin cells often form a plug and block the pores and provide a breeding place for bacteria causing redness, swelling and bulges out from the skin.

Thousands of people from all over the world suffer from acne, the skin disorder that affecting 70 to 95% teenagers during puberty period. Sadly to say this skin disorder not only affecting teenagers but also adults between the age of 20 to 50. Imagine if you suffer this skin order endlessly until your adult life. It cost you a lot from swollen and sore ****** skin, feeling unhappy, gross, depress and less confidence and spending lots of money for skin care product and treatment.

Some people are lucky enough that after passing the puberty cycle the acne problem go away without leaving any scar, but some are so unfortunate left with a deep permanent scar.

Believe me having acne for more than 30 years are far from FUN!

Being Asian living in the tropics, I had larger and more sebaceous glands with thicker epidermis that are prone to acne easily. Highly polluted and dusty air is also another factor that make my skin easily clogged by mixture of excess oil and dirt which cause acne.

I was one amongst the many people who suffered from pimples during my teenage years and suffered from whiteheads, pustules and severe cysts (deep pimples and boils) during my adult life.

In senior high as a typical teenager, I suffered from a hormone imbalance and started having pimples all over my face. It began to worry me as I experience quiet severe acne then. The peer pressure amongst children was very cruel. With no time I began experiencing and living in horror everyday being harassed as a “greaser” and “speckled face” name calling. Little by little I felt stressful and less confidence and asked my parents to seek treatment.

Treatment after treatment seemed endless and lead me nowhere, until my brother who studied in US introduced me with a tetracycline as antibiotics that were recommended by the US dermatologist at that time to cure acne. I started taking tetracycline without knowing what the side effects is. At that time I only concern that the pills helped me to clear the pimples away. Later in life I regretted for taking that so-called wonder drug.

If I knew the side effect, I would rather live with acne and sought other treatment than taking tetracycline. I guess I was one of the generations that got victimized by the pills. Through the year my teeth started experiencing discoloration, leaving overall gray cast in the enamel, accented with darker horizontal lines. It kept me away from wide happy smile as this was a permanent embarrassment to me.

Later in life, it cost me further as my teeth regularly had cavities and need filling and with times the teeth became so brittle and easily breaking off for no reason. If I could turn back the time, I would definitely seek other natural cure for acne rather than taking tetracycline.

The story was not ended here, I was fortunate enough to be able to move to US for my college year. My skin got better as I lived in a sub-tropic California and the four-season state of Ohio.

But again, like the ugly shadow at the age of 22 the breakout returned and followed me around for the next twenty years. Why Me? I even wondered and asked “Mirror, mirror on the wall when will be my acne gone for all?”

I tried different type of acne lotion and ointment from over the counter products. I even tried toothpaste and squeezing out the vitamin E soft caplet, applied them to the swollen acne expecting that they would be drying off and it would sooth the swollen and redness. I even tried the papaya skin mask to no avail (had to be careful that it can only be done within 5 to 8 minutes or my skin would be damaged from the sap of the papaya skin).

I spent lots of money to seek treatment from different beauty salon and dermatologist. When I came back to my country my acne became worst and I start living in nightmare. I had severe acne that affecting all over my face, chin and neck. It was no longer whiteheads or pustules. it was a cyst of deep pimples and boils.

I felt angry, hopeless, and gross. I started seek treatment from a local salon and using a traditional herbal mask. As the boils hurt like hell and swollen, I had no choice and let the dermatologist to cut open the acne and squeeze it out. I watched in horror as acne scars began to accumulate on my face.

Later as the condition worsened I seek treatment from a so-called famous dermatologist specialized in acne treatment, the doctor did the same procedures as the previous beauty salon, cleaned my face, cut open the acne, squeezed it out and sealed the wound using electrocautery. It hurt and smelled like a barbecued meat. I was once again horror as I watched that acne scars became worse and creating deep bean-sized hole, similar to the Chicken pox scar all over my face and chin.

When the acne breakout started to stop, I stopped taking the prescription drugs and it turned out that I was having yet another even worse breakouts.

After a while I felt tired of seeking treatment and taking drugs from a doctor, and I follow one of the doctors that recommended me to start cleansing my face using baby soap and decided to stop taking drugs. I was beginning to worry that I would have to take the same drugs for the rest of my life. It worked wonder for a while but my skin became so dull in appearance.

It took me more than five years to have my smooth, vibrant healthy looking skin back and lots of trial and error to find the natural ways to do it:

First, of course clean your face whenever necessary Wash your face with the left-over tea leaves, or cover your face by steam from the tea leaves in a pale of hot water Make sure your wash your hair regularly Never neither touch nor scratch the acne no matter how hurt and itchy, as the bacteria will harvest on the skin and the area will be filled with more acne Never squeeze or pop up the acne When experiencing breakout never scrub your face, use scrub lotion only when you have no breakout on your face If you need to use ****** products such as lotion or moisturizer making sure it has no alcohol and fragrance content Ladies: avoid using thick make-up Drink lots of water, try avoiding cola Stay away from a second-hand smoke Be Happy and try not to live in stress or depression Exercise regularly. Exercise help reducing elevated insulin that trigger hormone imbalance and assist better blood circulation Take yoga class regularly. Yoga can help you less stress, detoxify and clean the impurities of your body Use an Aromatherapy that also works as Oxygen therapy to enhance skin repair and cell regeneration for a smoother, vibrant and healthy looking skin Choose a healthy diets with a protein rich and a low Glycemic Index food (Fiber, tofu and vegetables) and eat more fruits rich in antioxidants (vitamin C and vitamin E) such as Goji Berry, Berry, Citrus and Oranges Make sure you have enough sleep at least 8 hours a day. Avoid sleep deprivation.

The aforementioned are few steps done to accomplish my face acne free for life and get a smooth and vibrant looking skin. These might takes a year or two to accomplish.

Recently I accidentally found a better option from one of the famous e-book: Chris Gibson acne free in 3 days. Though the title seemed to good to be true for those of us who suffers from severe acne and scars, however all the steps mentioned in these e-book make sense and easily to follow, at least within 3 days of practicing the steps you will see the difference on your skin.

Hopefully all the information in this article will help those who desperately seek a natural way to cure acne and be acne-free for the rest of life, get back the self-confidence that are lost due to severe acne and feel great about yourself and appearance. Stop hiding yourself behind make-up, hats or veil.

Keep Smiling, Feel Happy and Confident at all time!



By: Irwan Lee

About the Author:

acne

leviate Your Acne Problem by: Charlene J. Nuble

Acne brings huge problems to teenagers. Teenagers who have acne feel isolated, ugly, and insecure. Who wouldn’t when everywhere you look, only clear skinned people are put on the pedestal.

You tried every acne product out in the market but nothing seems to work. At this point, you feel that your social life is doomed but fret not because acne won’t stay forever if you take the proper actions early.

First step to take is to understand what acne really is and from there you can take the necessary actions in curing or at least reducing your acne problem.

Acne is the term for plugged pores (whiteheads and blackheads), pimples, and deeper lumps (nodules) that happens in the face, neck, chest, back and upper arms. Acne is caused by build up of excess oil and dead skin in a pore. The causes of this are natural hormones, clogged skin and bacteria.

The onset of acne happens between the ages of twelve to seventeen. Almost all teenagers had acne. Many of them used non-prescription treatments to alleviate acne but more than 40% of teenagers in their mid-teens have severe acne cases. Normally, it goes away in the early twenties. Then again, there are many cases wherein acne starts or continues into adulthood.

It is interesting to note though that young men who are more likely to have severe acne, don’t consult dermatologists as much as young women do. But then again, young women are more likely to have irregular acne due to hormonal changes during menstrual cycle or due to the cosmetic products they use. This kind of acne may afflict women even into adulthood.

The ultimate question now is how do you reduce acne?

Knowing the facts that debunk the myths and misconceptions about acne may help you alleviate your acne problem.

Myth 1: Acne is caused by poor hygiene.

This may be true if you don’t wash your face at all. But if you resort to frequent and vigorous washing, it will definitely cause scarring which will worsen acne. The best approach is to gently wash face twice a day with mild soap and use appropriate acne treatment after.

Myth 2: Acne is caused by diet.

Scientific studies debunked this having found that there is no connection between food and acne.

Myth 3: Acne is caused by stress.

Stressors are not important factors in acne. Only severe stress that needs medication can cause acne as side effects.

Myth 4: Acne is just a cosmetic disease.

Acne does affect how people look but there’s no serious threat to physical health. However, acne can result to serious scarring which can affect how these people live their lives.

Myth 5: You just have to let acne run its course.

The truth is, acne can be cleared up using acne products available in the market today. If they don’t work for you, then try seeing a dermatologist.

According to Thiboutot (2000), cure of acne lies in knowing three things:

* That resolution to cure acne takes time;

* That what works for one may not work for another;

* and that a dermatologist’s help may be needed if all actions you take to cure your acne fail.

Remember that acne responds well to early treatment. So to prevent scarring have your acne treated as soon as acne starts showing up on your face.

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Note: This article may be freely reproduced as long as the AUTHOR’S resource box at the bottom of this article is included and and all links must be Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.

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©Charlene J. Nuble 2005. For up to date links and information about acne, please go to: http://acne.besthealthlink.net/ or for updated links and information on all health related topics, go to: http://www.besthealthlink.net/



By: Info.article-on.info

About the Author:

Caffeinated Content

 

We all keep hearing about “acne” especially from women but do not really know about it. Let us find out what this condition actually is. Acne is a disease of the skin that affects  the hair and oil glands. It manifests itself in the form of pimples, black and white heads, reddishness of the skin and  even cysts. Acne on the face adversely affects your looks whereas acne on the body makes  you very uncomfortable. Some people tend not to give importance to acne or its cure/treatment and consider it only as a minor problem. But ask anybody suffering from acne and see how strongly he/she disagrees with this view. Therefore, the importance of ‘Acne skin care’ cannot be belittled in any way. Those already suffering from acne should never try to touch them or squeeze them; it can lead to permanent scars. 

Acne problems mostly occur during teenage and early adulthood. At this time the skin glands are most active and they produce more sebum or oil which is the root cause of this problem. This is also the time when a person is particularly conscious about his/her looks and hence the concern especially about ****** acne. Hence, preventive measures of skin care should really be taken without waiting for the problem to start, i.e. before the acne actually appears. You have to be pro-active and the following care of your skin may be helpful:

‘Acne skin care’ starts with the most elementary thing – cleanliness. So the morning shower is the best and easiest way of keeping the skin clean. Night showers will also help. They not only help in keeping your skin clean but also provide relaxation to your body thereby enabling good sleep in the night. If you are living in a hot /humid/ dusty place, a night shower becomes essential. In fact, a shower is recommended after any activity that causes high levels of sweat formation. It is the natural and most effective ‘acne skin care’ technique.

Acne skin care also involves wearing clean clothes. Tight clothes can cause sweat to accumulate quickly; so soft, sweat absorbing and comfortable clothes are recommended. Cotton clothes are ideal in this regard. You must also always use clean pillows. And also ensure regular cleaning of your make-up brush and any equipment that you use on your body.

You should use a cleanser that must be water-soluble, and without oil and soap for keeping your whole face, front of your neck and arms clean. Above all, it must be mild. The most important part of any acne skin care routine is of course cleaning and cleansing. Cleaners are necessary for removing dirt, pollutants, grease and excess oil from your skin. You should remove your make up with a make up remover, and this should invariably be done before you go to bed .

 There are many acne skin care products available which can be classified into 3 broad categories – 

* General acne skin care products which are essentially preventive, 

* Specialized acne skin care products available over-the-counter, 

* Acne skin care products for which prescription is required.   

 Now let us examine them.

The general acne preventive skin care products include cleansers, make-up removers and similar other products that help prevent acne. Actually speaking, these acne skin care products should be part of your daily routine. These acne skin care products act against the causes of acne viz. limiting the production of sebum/oil, preventing clogging of skin pores, cleaning the skin surface, etc. Actually, these products prevent the oil from getting trapped in pores and hence restrict the growth of acne causing bacteria. The general acne skin care products include exfoliation products also like skin peels which help in removing dead skin cells, again reducing the possibility of pore-clogging and bacteria development.

Then there are specialized acne skin care products that are available over-the-counter but without the requirement of a prescription. 

For example, vanishing creams which extract the extra oil from the skin. These acne skin care products are mostly based on benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid; both are enemies of bacteria (and hence acne). Start with a product that has lower concentration of benzoyl peroxide (e.g. 5%) and observe how your skin responds to it. Alpha-hydroxy-acid based moisturizers are also well-known as acne skin care products. You may have to try out several products. This is a trial and error method. Each individual’s skin is different. The same product may be very effective for one person but totally ineffective or even harmful for another. So it may take some effort and time before you are able to zero-in on the acne skin care product that is effective for you. 

Then there are the acne skin care products prescribed by a dermatologist. These include ointments that can be applied on the affected area or oral antibiotics or just any topical treatment. Dermatologist could also suggest a minor surgical procedure to remove the contents of the pustules. But never ever try to squeeze or do this by yourself, it can lead to permanent scars on your skin. Your doctor could also prescribe a hormone-based treatment since hormonal changes are also known to cause acne. If your problem is due to hormones, then this treatment will be very effective.

All these methods will help you in controlling the problem of acne. But there is another simpler method.Chronic Acne Sufferer Finds A Scientifically Proven Way To Permanently Clear Skin In Just Three Days, And Finally Reveals The Unbelievably Easy, Step-By-Step Actions You Could Already Be Taking To Look Better, Feel Better, And Have A Renewed Sense of Self-Esteem!For details, please go to:  http://nunus-behealthy.ucoz.com

 





By: nunuram

About the Author:

Kansieo.com

Getting rid of acne scars is the next challenge we must face after acne. Some scars left by acne after it heals can be superficial scars; other scars left by acne can be deep scars. If an acne is not treated early with medication or any advance procedures that stops acne it can lead to scarring, these scars can sometimes be deep. If the scars left by acne are on the face, it can affect a person’s self-esteem, it can affect his or her social life, so it is very important to avoid acne scars, you can do this by treating your acne if it is juts starting to develop at an early stage, this way you can stop it from spreading and after it heal you can avoid acne scars.

Use a medication that can remove acne scars, you may want to purchase a medication that has elements that can remove and get rid of acne and acne scars, this kind of medication is a great powerful medication to stop acne and remove acne scars, whether you have no more acne and is just left with acne scars you need this kind of medication because even if you are just using a medication that can only get rid of acne scars but can’t get rid of acne you are only doing the same thing over again, because the medication you have doesn’t have the power to stop acne but can only remove or erase acne scars.

It is very important that whenever you purchase any medication that can remove acne scars it must also contain the power to stop acne, because if it doesn’t have this kind of capability to stop an acne you will just be moving in circles, you can’t focus alone on how to get rid of acne scars, you need to also focus on how you can stop your acne, because if you stop your acne while erasing acne scars using any medication that has this kind of capability, you will be able to get rid of your acne and acne scars fast.

Purchasing such medication that has no power to stop an acne is risky because there is a big tendency that your acne may develop again, giving you more acne scars. You can’t just rely on medications that can only remove acne scars, because the more acne you will have the more scars you will have.

You need to focus on the source that produces acne scars and the source is acne. It is advisable to have this kind of medication that has double action effect it not only stop acne but will also remove all the scars left by acne.

An example of these elements that stops acne while erasing acne scars are the benzoyl peroxide and aloe Vera.

Benzoyl peroxide plays a vital role when it comes to stop acne, this element go deep inside the skin and kills all the bacteria to prevent it from developing, benzoyl peroxide can eliminate acne fast it can eliminate any kinds of can, prevent future breakouts and can stop redness on the acne affected skin, benzoyl peroxide is an outstanding substance when it comes to fight acne, it beats acne from the inside-out and it really works because it penetrates the skin deep.

Aloe Vera is known to remove, minimize acne scars or any scars on the skin. Aloe Vera has enzymes that regenerate skin tissues, it moisturizes the skin and it has an anti-inflammatory agents and anti-bacterial properties that fight infection. It is use to heal cut, psoriasis, pimples and many skin disorders.

These are very important elements that you can use to get rid of acne and acne scars, if you follow this simple tips and advice, you will be able to free yourself from acne and the scars left by acne, and the best move you can do now, is to start treating you acne now.



By: beating acne now

About the Author:

Kansieo.com