Posts tagged Adolescent

How to Get Rid of Adolescent or Teen Acne: Better Solutions for Pimples are Out There

You can eliminate adolescent acne, and reduce the amount of pimples and outbreaks that you have, no matter how many products you may have tried that failed. From the time that I was 13, until the time that I was 36, I suffered from severe acne. I had acne all over my face; and I also had blackheads all over my back. I went to the dermatologist; but he provided little help. All of the topical solutions, including Retina-A, only irritated my skin more. Everyone kept telling me that my acne would disappear once I got older. This was partially true; but although I had less bumps as I aged, the number of blemishes and spots on my face increased. Frustrated by years of acne, I decided to seek an all-natural solution to my bumps and blemishes. I had been a customer of Proactiv and Nature’s Cure for years, and of course they both worked for 1 month or so and then did nothing for the next three months. It seemed as though my acne learned to adapt. But, don’t be dismayed. Your story does not have to be the same as mine. Acne can be eliminated for good. Before I give some solutions, let’s discuss what acne is and where it comes from.

What is Acne, Pimples, Blackheads, & Whiteheads and Where do they come from?

Believe it or not, acne appears when your skin pores become blocked with sebum or excessive oil. This oil, which normally drains to the surface of the skin, becomes trapped. As a result, bacteria begins to grow, causing whiteheads, blackheads, cysts, or papules. When the trapped sebum and bacteria stay below your skin, you will get a whitehead. Whiteheads are those ugly, white bubbles that you are dying to bust. A blackhead, however, develops when the trapped sebum and bacteria partially open to your skin’s surface. The spot turns black because your skin’s pigment, melanin, reacts with the oxygen in the air to create a black, crusty bump. But what you most likely deal with is a “pimples.” Contrary to popular belief, facial blemishes are not caused by dirt. Pores do not get blocked from the top down due to “impurities”. Rather, the walls of a pore stick together deep within the skin, starting acne formation. The key to eliminating acne is cleaning your pores and using a solution that purifies and penetrates your skin.

A pimple develops where there is a break in you skin’s follicular wall. Yep, it is an ugly mess. But, you can get rid of them.

How can I eliminate my acne, blemishes, pimples, and blackheads?

You need to clean your pores. By exfoliating the outside layer of your skin with a gentle exfoliating cleanser, you can remove excess dirt, oils, skin and bacteria that could be clogged below the skin’s surface or sitting on the epidermis. If this stuff is not removed, your pores will get clogged; and if your pores get clogged, acne appears.

Avoid alcohol, acids, and chemical solutions. Your skin needs to train itself to balance “sebum” and oil and naturally fight bacteria. Alcohols, salicylic acid, Retina-A, and benzoyl peroxide, actually dry your skin. They take moisture from your skin. And, although moisture is the last thing you think you need when you have an oily face, you need it. Moisture actually protects your face from oncoming free radicals flying in the air at your pores. Also, chemical solutions and acids impair your skin from naturally fighting bacteria. Your skin begins to rely on something unnatural to fight something that naturally occurs. But, nature overpowers nurture in this case. Just like bug-eating plants learned to become immune to synthetic bug-killing fertilizers, acne-causing bacteria become immune to chemically created solutions. Why? Because chemical solutions are created to treat the type of bacteria they sought to treat that was in existence when the solutions were made. Unfortunately, bacteria are living organisms and they learn to mutate quickly. When mutation occurs, salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide fail.

What is the Best Way to Treat Acne?

Step One.

Go all-natural. Essential oils, natural herbs, and natural nutrients are the best way to kill acne. Fight nature by using nature. Essential oils are higher powered and more effective than any acid or peroxide created in a lab that was “derived” from some natural source. They are extremely potent and not harmful to your skin. Furthermore, they actually help to balance sebum without making your skin oily. The best product on the market that has essential oils and kills acne is Beauty 4 Ashes Acne Eliminating Facial Kit. The makers claim that there stuff works overnight; and I have to say, it really does. It exfoliates and cleans your skin brilliantly. This product is also packed with lots of skin healing ingredients, including Aloe Vera. In the two months that used it, my acne and scars literally disappeared. Best yet, in one year, my acne and blemishes have not returned and my pores have shrank. Beauty 4 Ashes has several skin care products created to treat acne, but I recommend ordering their kit first to get a bit of everything. You can find it online at www.discoverb4a.com.

Step Two.

Consider taking flax oil on a regular basis. You need to keep your system clean. But, you don’t need to spend tons of money on vitamins labeled nature’s cure. All you need to do is to flush your system of unnatural chemicals and preservatives that might be triggering your breakouts. You can buy flax oil anywhere. Check out Vitamin Shoppe or WalMart.

Step Three.

Drink 8-10 glasses of water per day. This will flush your system from all impurities and toxins.

Acne Problems in the Adolescent

Acne in Adolescents

Acne is one of the most common problems in adolescent teens affecting nearly seventeen million people in the United States. Acne is nothing but a disorder involving sebaceous Acne in Adolescents

Acne is one of the most common problems in adolescent teens affecting nearly seventeen million people in the United States. Acne is nothing but a disorder involving sebaceous glands and hair follicles. Acne results from the clogging of sebaceous glands leading to the formation of pimples and cysts. The condition usually begins with the onset of puberty.

Going by the facts, as teens attain puberty the androgens also called male sex hormones are

produced in high number leading to sebaceous glands becoming over active which results in sebum being produced in high proportions.

Sebum, which is nothing but oil is produced by sebaceous glands which travel to the skin surface through hair follicles. But, skin cells block the follicles which results in oil also being blocked. When these hair follicles are blocked it results in the development of skin bacteria known as Propionibacterium Acnes within the follicles which in turn results inswelling of the skin called Acne.

If the hair follicles are partially blocked it results in blackheads. If the follicles are completely blocked they result in whiteheads. But if these plugged follicles are not treated they ultimately burst causing the oil, bacteria and skin cells to spill all over the skin resulting in irritation and formation of pimples. Acne can be shallow as well as deep in various individuals depending on the nature of skin and amount of oil produced.

Causes of Acne

There can be various causes why Acne forms. Apart from rising hormone levels due to puberty it can also be attributed to certain other factors like intake of drugs which contain lithium, barbiturates and corticosteroids. Acne can also be caused due to excess grease and oil in the scalp, due to cooking oil and use of some cosmetics can actually alleviate the acne problem. Acne problem many times is inherited also.

Acne problem is worsened if the pimples are squeezed or scrubbed too hard.

Acne can form at any place on the body but they most commonly form in the areas where the sebaceous glands are present in high proportions such as face, chest, shoulders, neck and upper back.

The symptoms may differ from person to person but commonly seen symptoms are: formation of blackheads, whiteheads, lesions filled with pus and which are very painful and lastly nodules. One may get confused sometimes as symptoms of acne may be like some other skin condition and it is always advised to consult a doctor in this scenario.

Some of the treatments for acne

The primary goal of the treatment is to reduce scars and better appearance. There are various treatments and the doctor decides which specific treatment you need based on: the extent of acne problem, age, medical history, overall health, tolerance to specific medications and procedures, expectations and last but not the least what patients prefer.

Treatment of acne is classified into topical and systemic drug therapies which are given based on extent of severity. In some instances the combination of both the methods might be the way to go for acne treatment. Topical medication is nothing but creams, gels, lotions, solutions etc. prescribed to patients for acne treatment.

Some of the examples of topical medication are: Benzoyl Peroxide which kills the Propionibacterium Acnes bacteria, antibiotics helps in stopping or slowing down the growth of the bacteria and also reduces inflammation, Tretinoin helps in stopping the formation of new acne lesions and Adapalene reduces formation of comedo.

Systemic drug therapies involve prescription of systemic antibiotics primarily for the treatment of acne problem which is moderate to severe in nature. The examples of antibiotics prescribed are Doxycycline, erythromycin and tetracycline. In some cases an oral drug called Isotretinoin is prescribed for teenagers with severe acne problem which shrinks down the sebaceous glands that produce oil.

The results are pretty good and almost ninety percent of the adolescents have success with this oral drug. But the drug has some serious side-affects and thus it is very important that one consults a doctor before use.

This article is a basic instuction on Acne, it’s causes and cures. This is number one of

a series of 25 articles on this subject. No claims are made of any professional medical knowledge by the author of these articles either seperately or collectivly