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Monday, 30 June 2008

How to Get Rid of Blackheads - Here's How!

The best way that is recommended on how to get rid of blackheads is to work on the causes. If you just keep removing new blackheads without addressing the cause then they will be sure to keep reappearing and you'll never achieve clear skin.

Before you can treat the causes you have to know what blackheads are and how they are formed. Blackheads (also known as open comedones) are caused by blocked pores. Although the black appearance is often thought to be dirt, it is actually caused by the air oxidising the sebum (oil) in the blocked pore and the melanin pigment from the dead skin cells.

So the best way to get rid of blackheads is to control the sebum (oil) and remove dead skin cells regularly to prevent them blocking pores. Try to avoid strong products that contain man made ingredients. Since these ingredients aren't natural they can strip the skin of oil, causing it to produce excessive sebum to compensate for the lose of oil which leads to blocked pores.

You can make use if cleansing products that have natural oils, such as jojoba or coconut oil. These oils are similar to the oils our skin produces so they don't block the pores.

It is beneficial to use a gentle exfoliating product every day to remove dead skin cells so they don't block pores. Make sure you don't rub too hard or you could aggravate the skin even more.

Here are product ingredients you should stay clear of:

alcohol

isopropyl mystate

lanolin

sodium lauryl sulphate

sodium laureth sulphate

propylene glycol

mineral oil

parabens

Sunday, 29 June 2008

Acne Symptoms

There are 4 kinds of obvious symptoms that are linked to acne, all of them are visible, and by the end of this article, you will be able to see if you have acne and exactly what each of the 4 symptoms look like. Without even having to visit a doctor or dermatologist! So get reading, the 4 symptoms i was talking about are;

Blackheads
These are tiny, dark colored pores; the black color is not from dirt, as it is commonly believed but instead from the skin pigment when it opens and the pore is oxidized. These are the most common sign of acne and are most common in oily skin; read this article to see how to get rid of them;

Whiteheads
Whiteheads are very similar to blackheads except it is white, mainly because the pore is closed and so therefore the pore can not oxidize. You should not try to pop Whiteheads, as it will just break the skin. Want to get rid of whiteheads?

Pustules
These are puss-filled spots, you can tell it's a pustule as it will form a 'balloon' or 'volcano' like shape filled with white/yellow puss and usually a yellow 'head' will form as the spot begins to heal.

Nodules
These can be very painful, burrowing deep down into the skin and often cause scars, they are also usually found in the form of large lumps and are the commonest symptom of severe acne, often running together in groups.

For more information about acne, including Help, Support and Treatment/Medication advice you can REALLY trust, visit Acne101, for everything acne.

http://www.acne101.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harry_Wallett

Saturday, 28 June 2008

The Differences Between Teen and Adult Acne You Must Know

Many people do not know how widespread adult acne is in today's world. Some don't even know the existence of it. Many thought their nightmare with acne ends the moment they leave their high school. How wrong they are! Grown-up acne is so common in today's world that up to 50% of the female adults and nearly 25% of the male adults are affected by it. Imagine the statistics and you will definitely be amazed why there are still so many grown adults who do not know that they can still be a victim for acne. Perhaps this group of people needs to be taught a lesson by having a few zits grow across the center of their face.

Let's spare a thought of them. Since many people are confused with difference between teen and adult acne. I shall talk further about the three differences between the both terms.

1) Adult acne is harder to treat than teen acne!

-->This is perhaps the most important difference between teen and adult acne which any acne sufferers need to know. Teen acne is basically caused by the occurrence of puberty in ones body. It causes hormonal imbalance which as a result causes oily skin. It would eventually cause acne. Most importantly, normal teen acne sufferer has oily skin.

Adult acne sufferers however, come with both oily and dry skin types. The difference skin types have different treatments. Many OTC (over-the-counter) products cater to those with oily skin type. Many or nearly all OTC products have the side effects of drying up your skin and causing your skin become red. This is because many of the useful and commonly used acne products ingredients include topical products, such as the most frequently seen, benzoyl peroxide.

Hence, many acne sufferers with dry skin have a hard time finding suitable acne treatment products. For this group of people, a moisturizer can be used occasionally to moist up the skin and reduce the dryness. Luckily, there are many treatments out there that do not require us to apply lotion on your acne spot. If you are one with dry skin, NEVER overlook the effect of dry skin! Simply because if you have skin redness or swelling, it could cause a further irritation on your skin and it further worsen your acne condition.

2) Adult acne sufferers are more prone to severe acne

-->Reports have shown that adult acne sufferers are more prone to severe acne than teen acne sufferers. And among the two sexes, the males tend to have a higher rate of having severe acne as compared to the females, who generally have a higher chance of having adult acne.

One reason why they are more prone to severe acne problems could be because many adults tend to treat acne lightly. Some might that it would be a come-and-go thing and for some, like I said earlier, don't even know that acne can happen in grown-up. Besides, teen acne sufferers are normally exposed to a higher social pressure. This could be partly due to puberty. Hence, they would be more anxious to have their acne treated .If you're a grown-up with acne reading this, arm yourself with adequate knowledge before you try to treat adult acne. Acne; or rather Adult Acne is never a come-and-go thing. If you do not take action, acne will take action. Sitting back and relax will only mean that your days of severe acne are counting by. Don't let the word "lazy" ruin your golden years.

The third difference between teen acne and adult acne is the causes. If you want know the third differences, or if you want to know more about adult acne, you can visit my blog, there is a link below with a link to my blog. See you in my blog! Do remember to give your honest comments.

Sign up for our acne e-course "STEP-BY-STEP Tips For Your Adult Acne Treatment" for FREE and you will receive FREE subscription for our newsletters.

What's more, it's all available for FREE, you definitely can't miss it!

Collect NOW at http://www.AdultAcneTips.com

"STEP-BY-STEP Tips For Your Adult Acne Treatment" provides you step by step tips and information for your acne treatment from educating you about types of acne, diet for acne, to acne treatment.

To read up more about freshly updated tips on adult acne and Never-Told-Before secrets about adult acne, you can visit our acne blog at http://AdultAcneTips.com/blog/ - There will be tons of valuable information about acne for you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryan_Liao

Valid Acne Solutions

There are many acne solutions out there, but only a few are actually valid. There are lots of companies trying to earn money by selling the next "miracle" cure. Unfortunately, most pills, creams, lotions, etc don't work. And there's a good reason why. It's not that these creams are poorly made. It's that they're targeting the wrong cause of acne. This article will show you the truth about acne.

Acne is something that happens on your skin externally. So it would make sense to clear acne by putting creams on your acne. It would even make sense to use those acne "machines" that heat your acne "bacteria" and get rid of acne. But that's not the way the body works.

Your skin is your largest organ. It is highly responsible for removing toxins and clearing your skin. There are pores all over your body responsible for this. Now, when you get rid of toxins on your face acne can happen. For those with oily skin, the combination of oily skin and toxins can cause lots of acne. So, instead of fixing the pimples, you should go and fix the toxins and the oily skin or sebum.

Oily skin is caused by lots of different things. It can be in the genes. Some people get oily faster and others are dry. The best solution to this is to be sure you don't have toxins to release and mix up with the oil and cause acne.

Toxins are a very common part of modern life. If you live in a city you breath plenty of toxins. If you eat fast foods you eat lots of unhealthy foods that are toxic and lead to cholesterol problems, heart disease, etc.

So, instead of trying to solve acne externally, go to the root problem. Because when you solve the root problem, that is when the problem is finally cured for good.

Tim Longwell shows people a natural cure for acne that can clear your skin within 1 week.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Longwell

Friday, 27 June 2008

The Major Acne Aggravator

When I was younger and had acne, I'd always say that it was aggravated by things like too much oil on my skin, a hot day that makes my skin all oily, or not washing my face enough. This article will give you some real aggravators that are actually causing your acne. It will also guide you on how avoiding these problem makers can clear your skin.

First off, let's go into acne a little...

Acne is NOT an outer body issue. Sure, your pimples will form on your skin and be external. But this is not mean to solve acne you work with your outer skin. It's an internal issue.

Your skin is the largest organ and is used to release toxins and such from your body. When there are too many toxins in your body, it can release lots of toxins out through your skin. Now, this is one major cause of acne. However, it isn't the only cause. Because if it was, you'd have acne all over your skin everywhere.

Acne is also caused by your hormones. When you have imbalanced hormones, you can get acne. Hormonal imbalance isn't only caused by puberty or that "time of the month". It's actually very influenced by what you eat.

Unhealthy foods have major impacts on your hormones. Especially since most unhealthy foods are filled with omega 6 fats. Omega 6 fats are essential to your body. But in modern times, our diet is way too filled with these. The results can be clogged arteries, heart problems, and inflammation.

Omega 6 fats are found in fatty foods. Many nuts and such are filled with these. And when you turn those nuts into "vegetable oil" it becomes an acne problem. Vegetable oil is very bad for your skin. It can cause an acne breakout within hours. Simply avoid this food and you should start seeing clearer skin within days. It all depends how much of this food you've been eating. Veggie oil can be found in cooking sprays, cookies, donuts, fast food, packaged foods, and a number of other foods. The best thing is to look at the ingredients of your foods. If it has "peanut oil, safflower oil, soybean oil" or oil that is "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" then it's bad. Avoid it and look for a similar item without this.

Tim Longwell shows people a natural cure for acne that can clear your skin within 1 week.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Longwell

Acne Medication - 4 OTC Acne Medications and Side Effects

Most people experience mild cases of acne breakouts. So, it is not unusual for people to go to their local drugstores and get over-the-counter or OTC medications for acne. They opt for this than go to their doctor and seek prescription medications for acne. This is perfectly alright since this treatment works wonderfully as long as you have a good skin care regimen.

There are actually several OTC acne drugs that are sold in the market. You should know your options before you actually purchase one. If you're not comfortable with purchasing a popular brand, you could consult with your healthcare provider before you opt for any OTC acne medication.

There are several options that you can consider when choosing your OTC drugs. Here are some of the OTC acne medications:

1. Benzoyl Peroxide - This is one of the most common ingredients for acne treatments. In fact, this is the primary OTC choice of many people suffering from mild acne. This medications works by killing the bacteria which causes the acne. It also helps in shedding off dead skin cells in order to clear blocked pores. The popularity of this medication may be attributed to the fact that it is one of the oldest OTC acne drugs around. Of course, like any other drug, benzoyl peroxide has its side effects which include drying of the skin. This ingredient is also found in a lot of products like soaps, gels, bath washes, lotions and creams. If you're going to pick out a product, opt for gel formulations because these are non-drying.

2. Salicylic Acid - Aside from benzoyl peroxide, many people also use salicylic acid. It is another common acne medication because it is one of the safest acne treatments around. This compound is also found in aspirin but as an acne treatment medication, it is great in removing blackheads and whiteheads. It also helps in the shedding off of dead skin cells so accumulation of dirt, oil and dead skin cells is less likely.

3. Resorcinol - This medication, if combined with sulfur, is quite effective. It actually wears away hard dead skin cells in order to clear clogged pores. So, this helps in preventing pore clogging and dirt buildup.

4. Alcohol with Acetone - This is one of the mildest antibacterial acne treatments around. This treatment has always been used by many people. This actually helps in removing the dead skin cells and oil from the skin surface. However, the treatment value of alcohol and acetone are limited. It can only treat the problem on the skin surface.

The Drawbacks of OTC Acne Medications

First and foremost, you have to understand that not all of these OTC drugs or medications will work for you. In fact, they might not work for you at all. Even some treatments are not recommended by physicians today like alcohol and acetone combination. This treatment is quite harsh although this is an old-fashion acne treatment method.

There are drawbacks to the various OTC acne treatment medications. For instance, the shortcoming in using benzoyl peroxide is that you cannot use other forms of acne treatment. This treatment should stand alone. Otherwise, you might experience skin allergies or irritation. This also comes in various strength forms. You have to be careful when choosing the dilution strength, otherwise, you could end up aggravating the condition. Another disadvantage to using benzoyl peroxide is that while you attempt to treat your acne by using this medication, you also accelerate your skin aging.

Another product with significant drawback is the salicylic acid combined with sulfur. Although this can be effective and may be less harsh than benzoyl peroxide, it can turn your skin into a shade of brown. So, before making your choice, you should carefully consider all possible side effects.

The author is an online medical researcher and webmaster of Best Acne Products and Natural Acne Treatments

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=W._Darren

Thursday, 26 June 2008

Here is One Surefire Way on How to Prevent Acne!

Exercise and acne have been proven to be closely linked. This article will look at how exercise can be one effective method on how to prevent acne.

You are always being told about new treatments and how to prevent acne but are often reluctant to try them because they don't always tell you why they are effective at preventing further breakouts. The main reason that exercise helps acne is that it improves the blood flow to the skin meaning more oxygen can reach the cells and keep them healthy and functioning properly.

Exercising also causes you to sweat which flushes out the pores and unclogs them. It also keeps the body in top condition and to function effectively which means it can remove toxins efficiently. Sweat also contains salt which can fight bacteria and reduce the amount bad bacteria available to cause acne.

It should be noted that your skin should be clean before you exercise otherwise the sweat may build up under the clogged pores and cause your acne too worsen since the sweat cannot escape properly.

It is also beneficial to shower as soon as possible after exercising. This will help remove the toxins and sweat before they dry on your skin and settle into your pores and clog them again. It can be possible that the warm temperature and build up of sweat and oils encourages more of the acne bacteria to grow so cleaning as quick as possible after helps with how to prevent acne after exercising.

Get more free methods of how to prevent acne including home remedies and reviews on acne solutions.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=J_Jones

Stress As a Proven Cause of Acne

The medical field has long been divided on whether stress is a cause of acne or not. Recently though, there have been a number of medical clinical studies that show that stress is directly related to your acne.

Stanford University conducted a small study in 2002, involving 22 students suffering from acne. The professors conducted the study and found that at the time period that exams were administered the acne had worsened in all of these students due to the stress. It was further noted that the students that had the most stress, also had the worst acne severity.

There are two ways that stress worsens acne. The first way is by stimulating adrenal glands to produce more hormones. Hormones are a major factor in acne formation, which is why teens are the most affected by acne outbreaks. The adrenal glands secrete hormones that produce more sebum, which will ultimately result in acne formation. The second way that stress worsens acne is by slowing down the healing process. It has been proven that the healing capacity of the immune system can be slowed down by 40% during periods of high stress.

Stress affects the skin in other ways besides acne. Stress also causes the adrenal glands to overproduce cortisol which makes the sebaceous glands produce more oil and makes your skin really oily. This is a reason that instead of just the usual whitehead or blackhead that is normally associated with acne, you get pus filled papules that are more inflamed when you are under stress.

Positive and negative stress has the same affect on the body chemistry. So whether you are stressed about getting married soon, which would be positive stress, or stressing over how to pay the bills, negative stress, the results will be the same when it comes to acne.

Try to find ways to bring down your stress levels, such as diet and exercise. This should help reduce your stress related acne from forming.

For ways to treat your acne, try some home treatments for acne or find some of the other best acne treatments available.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_Bellamy