Acne seems to be a mainstream problem especially among the teens and when they undergo puberty. Acne as we know is often manifested or characterized as pimples, white heads, black heads and breakouts all over the skin in large numbers. They most often appear on the face and the back. It is believed that all the skin blemishes are activated by the over reaction of the sebaceous glands, which is our natural oil producing glands on our body.
This natural oil that our body produces is called sebum. Their role is to protect make the skin and hair waterproof and to protect them from drying out. However, the problem begins when excess of this oil is produced. This excess sebum gathers on your skin with the dead skin cells and blocks hair follicles and pores. Due to these blocked pores, the excess sebum than accumulates bacteria which feed on the sebum and that results to the birth of acne or pimples.
Then these skin blemishes take on in various forms of white & black heads and tender red lumps. These skin blemishes are like a clicking time-bomb, waiting to explode. If they are not treated in time, it will lead to some catastrophic conditions. Severe cases will lead to permanent scarring forming nodules and cysts.
There are various reasons for the cause of acne. The most common likely culprits are stress, fatigue, cosmetics and even due to humidity. But if I really go further deep into this, the list of causes can grow on and on.
Now I’ll list down a few of the Do’s and Don’ts on the acne prone skin.
It’s always best to approach a dermatologist if you suffer from any form of skin blemish. It probably would have become severe as a result of your lengthy ignorance. If you ask your friends, their advice could probably turn fatal to you! Because they are certainly not skin specialists and the thing is, everyone’s skin is unique.
Different skin reacts differently to a similar medication. Unless if yours is just a mild form of acne, then you can purchase any over-the-counter medications recommended by your friends who have similar condition.
For the case of severe adult acne, upon consulting a dermatologist, they will be able to provide you with proper customized acne medications meant just for your unique skin type that will control the over-active sebaceous glands, hormonal imbalance and even problems related to stress.
Do not ever squeeze or pop the pimples or acne with your own fingers! There will be nearly a 100% chance of getting your face infected with more foreign objects! The foreign objects I meant here is about the type of bacteria or germs your fingers might be housing. The infection can lead to swelling of the popped area of your acne and could even lead to permanent scarring. Even if you wash your hands thoroughly before proceeding to pop the pimple, there is a proper method of doing it.
Since I’ve mentioned it, I might as well tell you how to do it. First and foremost, wash your hands thoroughly with anti-bacterial hand wash soap or foam. Then cleanse your face with normal facial cleanser and rinse it off with warm water gently. This is to soften your skin. Do not scrub your face vigorously as it will worsen skin blemish and could even block the pores.
Do not wipe across, but pat dry your face with a clean face towel. Next, take a brand new needle and sterilize the tip of it either with boiled water or running it through a flame. Then using the tip of the needle, prick at the tip of the pimple. I would rather recommend you wear a tight-fitting medical glove before proceeding with the pricking.
Once you’ve done that, you will notice pus oozing out of your pimple. Apply pressure gently around the area till you see some blood and clear fluid coming out. Take a face tissue and wipe it off gently and in one direction. Using a tissue is the best as it will absorb as much fluid as it can.
In fact, the best way to protect your skin from acne is by not applying any cosmetics at all. But that is impossible or even unacceptable especially in today’s much commercialize world. Appearance matters. If you need to use cosmetics, then use those which are water-based. They are usually less harsh on your skin unlike the much commercialized cosmetics which are oily and intensively chemical based.
Make sure that the first thing you do when reaching home after a long tiring day at work, is to wash off your makeup. You might tend to succumb to the home comforts of the sofa and slump yourself to a long deep sleep with the makeup on your face throughout the night. This could result in skin irritation and the chemicals of the cosmetics could have already done some damage to your skin.
Your forehead is one of the most acne prone areas on your face. One of the main reasons could be your hair, which is home to multiple bacteria and oil, usually in the form of grease, pomades and lice. This usually is the case for those who have long hair which they style it with chemical based gels and hair spray.
Upon constant contact of your hair on the skin of your forehead is an open invitation to acne. Thus, regular shampooing of your hair is needed. Make sure you wash your hair before going to bed.
If you need to go for a suntan, then it’s best to apply sunscreen lotion so as to avoid sunburns. All the more, it’s best to avoid sun tanning if you are suffering from adult acne. Acne prone skin can make your skin hypersensitive. So the sun’s ultraviolet rays can cause further damage to your skin. It will lead to dryness and soreness of the skin. Obviously it’s a welcome message to adult acne.
For mild and moderate cases of adult acne, you can buy over-the-counter products that contain salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. You can read more about the benefits of using medications that contain benzoyl peroxide.
