Don’t Squeeze or Pop Acne Mistakes

When it comes to trying to control acne, it is completely understandable that suffers eventually lose patience and try anything and everything to try and rid themselves of this annoying affliction. Yet there are certain behaviours that, at best, have no effect on acne and at worst can actually make the condition worse. Avoid these mistakes can lead to a better future for all acne sufferers, and hopefully the eventual eradication of their problem.

By far the biggest error made by any acne sufferer is spot or pimple squeezing. As with anything, the foundation of this behaviour is actually quite sensible. When a pimple is squeezed or popped deliberately, there is an immediate release of pressure in the sensitive skin around it and pain is reduced very quickly. For those with a lot of acne, and experiencing a lot of discomfort because of it, sometimes this is too much to resist.

Yet the problems caused by squeezing an acne outbreak are, in both the short and long term, far more damaging than the pain of acne. Every time you squeeze or pop an acne spot, you are actually spreading the infection, as the pus – the cause of the pain – is released onto nearby skin. That pus contains the bacteria that have caused the infection, which just immediately moves to the nearest pore and a whole new problem is started all over again.

It is therefore imperative to resist the urge to squeeze spots and pimples when trying to overcome acne. If your reasons for wanting to squeeze are due to the pain caused by a pimples, then there are other methods of pain relief you can try – and these methods won’t worsen the risk of further infection. A light painkiller, such as paracetamol, can help dull the pain, while ibuprofen has anti-inflammatory properties that are useful. Many sufferers also recommend using heat, applied using a compress or hot water bottle, to calm the pain and reduce swelling.

It is also worth remembering that, if you are having a facial from a professional beautician, they may squeeze any spots, pimples or blackheads as standard. If you have a recurrent acne problem, advise them beforehand that you would prefer them not to do so in your case.

Treatment For Acne Scars

Treatment For Acne Scars

Acne scars are an unfortunate consequence of acne, and can form through standard adolescent acne or due to the more persistent forms of adult acne. Many sufferers find that, once they have found the cure for their acne pimples themselves, their skin is still blighted by the after effects of acne – which some people find as unsightly and difficult to manage and acne itself.

There are two different types of acne scars, and it is important to establish which you are suffering from before embarking on a course of treatment to rid yourself of them. The first is Hypertrophic scarring, which results in the growth of tissue when excess collagen is produced and, in the more severe cases, large outgrowths may form.

The most common form of acne scars, however, are called Atrophic scarring. Where hypertrophic scarring causes a raising of the skin, atrophic scarring causes the skin to indent. These scars are formed due to prolonged problems with acne, where the follicles and pores themselves have been subjected to so many infections they become damaged. This damage, however, is not irreversible and all but the most severe of acne scarring can now be if not fully removed than at least greatly reduced.

The most popular method for removing acne scars is a dermabrasion. This is essentially a cosmetic medical procedure where the top layers of skin are removed through abrasion – often referred to as sanding – and thus removing the scars and revealing fresh skin underneath. However, demabrasion is both painful and medically challenging as it tends to require some form of anaesthesia and is best reserved for the most severe cases.

Light therapy or laser therapy is often used for those requiring a less invasive form of acne scar removal. This therapy works by wounding the skin with microscopic pulses of light, which encourages scar free regrowth, and can be done at home – though at home kits are expensive – at a salon or a doctor’s office. Treatment usually takes up to six months, depending on the frequency of therapy.

These are the two most popular forms of treating acne scarring, yet both are expensive and can be at least uncomfortable. Wherever possible, prevention of acne scarring is preferable to the cure. The major cause of scarring is due to people popping or squeezing pimples; by refraining from this, you greatly lessen the chances of having to consider such severe cosmetic procedures.

Acne and Pregnancy – An Inextricable Link

While there are a great many joys to be gained from being pregnant – the feeling of femininity and, of course, the birth of new life and joy at the end of the nine months – there are, unfortunately, many pitfalls when it comes to pregnancy. Alongside the expected weight gain and general sense of being uncomfortable, nature packs a punch at all expectant mothers by increasing their chances of developing acne during the nurturing of a new life.

The link between acne and pregnancy is a very real one, and is – unfortunately – unavoidable for the majority of expectant mothers. This can, in particular, come to a shock to older mothers-to-be who felt their days of acne suffering were long gone.

However, there are some bright points on the horizon. While acne in pregnancy is common, it is at its worst during the first three months of any term; so the chances of having to deal with it and being uncomfortable due to baby carrying weight are less likely. Perhaps this is nature’s way of apologising for the toll pregnancy takes on the female body, ensuring an expectant mother only has to deal with one issue at a time!

Acne during pregnancy is caused by a hormonal surge, which causes the skin to secrete more regularly. Following the first trimester, the problem hormone progesterone is produced at a more manageable level and most cases of pre-natal acne can be dealt with in a more effective manner.

During those problematic first three months, many of the oft used medicinal remedies for acne are not safe for the unborn child and are therefore out of bounds for expectant mothers. Most dermatologists and pregnancy experts promote the use of more natural solutions, with tea tree oil featuring regularly in any advice given to mothers-to-be who are suffering with acne problems. Another well regarded tip is the use of clay masks, which are particularly effective in drawing toxins away from the skin and reducing blackheads in particular.

It is, however, best to discuss your options with your general practitioner doctor to see what other help might be applicable to you. The use of medicinal aids is not a blanket ban, but an advisory one, and a doctor will know which products are suitable for use for those expecting a child.

It’s Not Effeminate To Look After Your Skin

There is so much information flying back and forwards in this day and age about what a man should be. Should you be a metrosexual, spending as long in the bathroom getting ready to go out as the most fastidious of ladies? Should you be rugged, caring not one iota about such things as crow’s feet, laughter lines and body odour? Should you be some kind of mix, proving your macho credentials while at the same time displaying a certain appreciation for the things that make you handsome and desirable? One sure bet is that whatever you do, you will attract some flak from someone, so you are better off pleasing yourself in the end.

This does not mean just allowing your appearance to do as it wishes, of course. But there is a way of following a male skin care regime that does not make you a perfumed dandy who wishes he had been born female – if that’s what you are scared of. You can show some appreciation for the looks you have been blessed with and not come across as vain. It’s a matter of measure and balance, and if you get it right you will reap the rewards in the form of compliments and more. And the first thing to pay attention to is your shaving routine. It’s not just about splashing on a bunch of cologne after you’re done, and holding in an anguished yell of pain, anymore.

Firstly, you should prepare your skin before shaving. There are several good pre-shave treatments out there, and their benefit is something you will appreciate if you have been shaving for a while. They allow the razor to slide over the skin with a lot less friction than if you just daub on the shaving foam – or gel – and have at it with the razor. As a consequence, you take hair off your face without removing a few layers of skin while you are about it. Then when that is done, apply a good after shave balm. This will cool the skin where there has been friction, and replenish the moisture that has been taken away. And after all that? Then you can splash on the cologne – but remember that even the strongest men scream in pain sometimes.

Skin Care Products – Caring for Your Skin, or Careless for Your Bank Balance?

There is a vast range of products on the market for people who want to get rid of facial blemishes and keep their skin looking fresh, clean and young. Some of these products really do work, and do the job for which they are intended. But it is always important to ensure that you get the right product for you, and to make sure that it is actually addressing the problem rather than masking it. In fact, this process can start when you see the product advertised. Certain give away words and terms can be very important in making sure you do not buy something that leaves you feeling like you have wasted your hard earned money.

You may well have seen ads for wrinkle cream, for example, which use the phrase “wrinkles appear reduced”. It sounds like a perfectly innocent phrase, and yet if you think about it, they do not say that wrinkles are reduced, do they? Why not? Because they aren’t. The wrinkles appear reduced because the active ingredient in the cream causes the skin to expand and stretch out where the wrinkles are. The actual wrinkle is no more reduced than if you had done nothing at all, which is why you need to keep applying the cream, and buy more when it runs out. No cream can actually reduce wrinkles, so it is a short term fix at best.

Another word to look out for is “can”. Very often you will be told that a product can have amazing effects. But this depends on a number of factors – factors which are essential in turning a “can” into a “does”, and these very factors can be inconvenient, expensive and in some cases downright impossible. Look out also for products which claim that in laboratory testing they proved to be far and away the best. Legally, the companies are required to include substantive proof that this is the case, and very often what transpires is that a small majority of people found that the product was helpful, within a laboratory sample in the low hundreds of people. Hardly conclusive.

Acne – A Painful And Irritating Problem

There are so many different problems that our skin can throw at us over the course of our lives, and it can seem dreadfully unfair when you finally get one to clear up and another instantly descends upon you. One of the most common problems – and one that has an unfortunate habit of persisting beyond adolescence – is that of acne. Caused by a blockage in the hair follicles on your skin, acne vulgaris is a problem that affects an amazing 85% of teenagers. Even the ones who appear to be completely fresh-faced often have problems with acne – and those problems are of a kind that can have an effect far beyond the cosmetic side of things.

There is little you can do to prevent acne if you are predisposed to it. A family history of acne is a likely sign that you will suffer it, especially as you go through puberty. But even if your adolescence is long past, it can crop up again – or even for the first time – well beyond your teenage years. In some cases, it has been thought to be a side-effect of stress. But one thing that can be guaranteed to bring on a case of acne is an imperfect skin care regime. And it is in the skin care regime that the best solutions to acne are found.

The chief cause of acne, especially in adolescents, is over production of the skin’s natural oil known as sebum. This is why it appears wherever there is a high concentration of sebaceous glands. Along with dirt, excess sebum provides the ideal conditions for acne to grow. So washing your face regularly is an excellent way of attacking acne on its own terms. Not only will you cut down the amount of excess sebum, but you will prevent the accumulation of anything that might become acne given the right conditions.

Acne is also known to become inflammatory. In these cases, a prescribed or store-bought anti-inflammatory medication can help a great deal, by stopping the acne from becoming itchy and painful. Consult a doctor before embarking on any course of medication, though.