Acne Care And Treatment: Acne -- Skin and Face Cleansers

Acne Care And Treatment: Acne -- Skin and Face Cleansers

Things You'll Need

Steps
1
Step One
Before you decided to take anything too extreme, make sure you acne is not stemming from your own bad habits. Make sure you have a proper diet and are keeping excessive oils off of your face.
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Step Two
If you feel that your diet or hygiene is not the case, I recommend going to a dermatologist. They are specialized in skin and can usually find the source of the problem. Usually they will put you on something not too extreme, to see if your skin clears up any.
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Step Three
A lot of people who have anywhere from mild to severe acne usually have try Pro Active. Sometimes it can completely clear up your skin but if your situation is too severe, you may need something stronger.
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Step Four
My dermatologist opted to put me on accutane. Accutane is an extremely strong medication, that should only be used if given by a doctor. With it being such a serious medication, you have to sign papers saying you will follow their orders and if you experience any symptoms to let you doctor know immediately.
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Step Five
Some of the symptoms are very extreme, so you will definitely want to look at everything to find out if this is the right medicine for you. You will also be required to do blood work quite frequently, so they will be able to monitor your conditions.
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Step Six
Usually it is done in six months sessions. Depending on how bad your skin was, it could be completely reversed in just those six months. Many people after accutane do not struggle with acne anymore. If they do receive pimples, it is usually just one or two blemishes. Before taking a medication strong is this, one must take the time to think it over and decide if this is the right decision for them.

HOW TO HIDE ACNE

Step One
Begin with fresh, clean skin. Wash your face with an oil-free cleanser designed to treat and clear acne. Follow this with an oil-free, light moisturizer. Oil-free products are essential for those prone to acne problems as the oil in other products tends to clog pores and contribute to additional blemishes.

2
Step Two
Use an oil-free concealer on areas with acne. Choose a concealer in a color as close to your natural skin tone as possible. Apply it in small, dabbing motions directly to blemishes and red areas using a makeup sponge or a clean finger to blend it in.

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Step Three
Apply a light, oil-free foundation with a makeup sponge using a dabbing motion and blending outward to the outside areas of your face. Again, choose a foundation that best matches your skin tone for a natural look.
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Step Four
Touch up any areas that need more coverage with the concealer by lightly dabbing and blending.

5
Step Five
Use a large makeup brush to apply a light layer of oil-free translucent powder. This will deliver a shine-free, even look and set the foundation and concealer for longer wear.

Antibiotics Used to Treat Acne

How Antibiotics Works for Acne
There are several mechanisms behind the work of Antibiotics. The major factor is the decrease in the number of bacteria in and around the follicle. Antibiotics also work by decreasing the irritating chemicals produced by white blood cells. Finally, antibiotics reduce the concentration of free fatty acids present in the sebum, also dereasing the inflammatory response. The most frequently used antibiotics for acne are summarized here.

Tetracycline
TETRACYCLINE is the most popular and widely prescribed antibiotic for acne. The normal starting dose is 500 mg twice a day continued until a significant reduction in acne lesions is seen. The dose can then be reduced to 250 mg twice a day or discontinued. The main setback for this antibiotic is that it must be taken on an empty stomach without food to be the most effective. Tetracycline should not be given to pregnant women or children under 9 years of age.

Minocycline
MINOCYCLINE is a derivative of tetracycline that has been used effectively for decades as a treatment for acne. It is most importantly useful for pustular type acne. While the absorption of minocycline is reduced with food, it is not as remarkable as the decrease seen with tetracycline. The normal starting dose is 50 to 100 mg two times a day. Significant side effects of minocycline include nausea, dizziness, vomiting, tooth discoloration and skin pigmentation changes. The skin and tooth changes are seen more often in people who have taken minocycline for a long time.

Erythromycin
ERYTHROMYCIN is the most familiar and commonly used antibiotic for treatment of acne. It has several benefit or advantages over tetracycline. First, it possesses anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce redness in lesions, in addition to killing bacteria. Also, unlike tetracycline that is best taken without food, it can and should be taken with food. The dosage of erythromycin varies with the type used, but it is typically prescribed as 250 - 500 mg twice a day. It can cause stomach upset and nausea, and can as well be used by pregnant women.

Doxycycline
DOXYCYCLINE is often used for people who cannot tolerate or respond to erythromycin or tetracycline. The dosage of doxycycline is started at 50 to 100 mg two times a day. It is recommended be taken with food; otherwise it can cause significant nausea. Doxycycline is more likely than tetracycline to increase sensitivity to the sun, or cause sunburns.

Clindamycin
CLINDAMYCIN is mostly used as an oral antibiotic for acne treatment, but it is most widely prescribed as a topical antibiotic. The starting dose is 75 to 150 mg twice a day. The most inherent side effect of clindamycin therapy is strong intestinal infection called pseudo membranous colitis caused by the bacteria, Clostridium difficile.

Side Effects of All Antibiotics
All the above antibiotics can cause Candida vaginal yeast infections in women. The most frequently antibiotic that seems to have this side effect is Tetracycline. All oral antibiotics can also decrease the effectiveness of birth control pills,

What Causes Acne

The main cause of acne is not known yet, but the following factors are considered important: When the skin surface and its pores are blocked, the pores are described as being occluded. Factors that may cause occlusion include certain cosmetics, oils, greases, and hairsprays. Hats, helmets and pads used in sports may also contribute to this problem as can humidity, sweating and the prolonged effect of contact with damp clothing...

All acne is a disorder of the Pilosebaceous unit, made up of sebaceous gland, hair follicle, and a hair. These units can be located everywhere on the body except on the palms, top of the feet soles, and the lower lip. The number of Pilosebaceous units is greatest on the face, upper neck, and chest. Sebaceous glands produce a substance called sebum, Sebum is a substance produce by Sebaceous gland, which is responsible for keeping the skin and hair moisturized. During adolescence, sebaceous glands enlarge and more sebum is produced under the influence of hormones, also called androgens. After the age of 20, sebum production begins to decrease.

Acne & Bacteria
A bacteria, called Propionibacterium acnes, is a normal inhabitant of the skin. This bacteria uses sebum as a nutrient for growth, therefore increases in follicles during puberty. People with acne have more Propionibacterium acnes in their follicles than people without acne. When this bacterium is present in the skin, it attracts white blood cells to the follicle. These white blood cells attracted to the follicle produce an enzyme that damages the wall of the follicle, allowing the contents of the follicle to enter the dermis. This system results to an inflammatory response seen as papules (red bumps), pustules and nodules. These bacteria also cause the production of free fatty acids, which are irritants, increasing the inflammatory process in the follicle.

Normal Follicles
Sebum, which produce of the sebaceous gland combines with cells being sloughed off within the hair follicle and "fills up" the hair follicle. When the hair follicle is "full", the sebum spreads over the skin surface and an oily appearance is seen on the skin surface. When this process works correctly, the skin is moisturized and remains healthy.

Obstructed Follicles
When the sebum is trapped in the hair follicle it causes a lot of problem. The reasons behind this are not yet clear, some hair follicles become obstructed. The sebum is produced but they get trapped on the way out, and the cells that are normally sloughed off become "sticky", plugging up the follicle. The process by which follicles is obstructed is called comedogenesis. These obstructions cause the follicle to form a type of acne called comedones, also known as blackheads and whiteheads.

Acne -- Skin and Face Cleansers

Acne cleanser
Acne cleansers are basically used to remove accumulated oil, make-up, sweat, and dirt on the surface of your skin and tissue. In doing so, these products generally make it easier for topical acne treatments to be absorbed. However, excessive use of acne cleansers can also lead to irritated dry skin and some skin tissue damage. It is advised that you know your skin type. Most acne patients will only need to cleanse with such products once to twice daily.

Salicylic acid cleansers:

These break down keratin in the blackheads, and can be used for mild acne.

• PANOXYL® CLEAR ACNE CLEANSING GEL (Stiefel)
• SALAC® (Medicis)
• CLEARASIL® (Procter & Gamble)
• FOSTEX® (Bristol-Myers Squibb)
• NOXZEMA® (Procter & Gamble)
• AVEENO® BAR (SC Johnson)

Benzoyl peroxide cleansers:

• Panoxyl Bar, Panoxyl Creamy Wash, Panoxyl Wash (Stiefel)
• Benzac-c Wash
• Clearasil
• Clean & Clear (Johnson & Johnson)
  

Antibacterial cleansers:

• Trisan
• Tersaseptic
  

Skin Cleansers > Different Skin Types
OILY SKIN - the choise of cleansers for oily skin should involve the use of products that rinse off well. Both bar soaps and liquid cleansers have been formulated for this purpose. Many of the cleansers which are appropriate for acne-prone skin, would be suitable for oily skin.
DRY SKIN - the use of hard-milled face soaps and gentle synthetic detergents are very appropriate and recommendable for dry skin. It may be necessary to only use cleansers on the face and body folds, when the ambient humidity is low for example, in the winter or in the south-western United States. There are many liquid cleansers formulated by cosmetic industries as well as products like Aquanil or Cetaphil which are very useful and helpful. There are a lot of new products, which incorporate a liquid cleanser in a cleansing sheet, these act to leave on a modicum of petrolatum after the final rinse and have been proven to be effective.
NORMAL SKIN - most people do cleanse with bar soap daily. The synthetic detergent soaps react better with hard water. Liquid cleansers and soap gels are popular at this time, the advantages, being cleaner dispensers in the bathroom. The cleansing sheets may be used for normal skin as well, the petrolatum is suspended in the water by crystals that dissolve in the last rinse leaving the skin feeling smooth and moist. Most people with normal skin may enjoy using a loofah-type sponge to clean their skin, these have been sold with some liquid cleansers.
SENSITIVE SKIN - people that have sensitive skin can react easily to fragrance and preservatives, and should try every possible means to avoid mechanical cleansers such as brushes, loofahs and cleansing grains. Most synthetic detergents have the pH balanced favorably and normal for the skin and are well tolerated by sensitive persons. A few liquid cleansers are not irritating, but many interact with the skin because of their additional surfactants formulated with them. Two non-irritating cleansers are Cetaphil and Aquanil lotions, many of the hard-milled soaps are well tolerated also.

MILD CLEANSER
Different gentle skin cleansers are available for acne control and treatment, there are several types of mild cleansers that you may use if your skin is irritated or aggravated. There are also several types of specific acne cleansers that you can use for daily skin care. Oil-free and non-comedogenic products are usually advisable and are highly recommended. Over cleansing the skin, can cause irritation and may aggravate your skin condition as well as encourage you to use other products that will grease up your skin. This may then complicate your skin care. You may need to use a toner to remove the oil, which in turn may irritate your skin further.

Cleansers Can Be Grouped As Follows:

1. Wipe-off cleansers (cold creams and make-up removers)
2. Soaps
3. Water-soluble cleansers - these are the most gentle

Water- Soluble Cleansers ( Soap Substitutes)
These should be not be irritating, unscented, non-greasy, and being able to remove some excess skin oils as well as cosmetics.
Examples are:

• CETAPHIL cleanser
• SPECTROJEL
• DORMER cleanser
• AQUANIL
• SEAQUANIL
• DOVE, by Unilever
  

Acne Care And Treatment

Acne- basic facts
Acne is the most common skin disorder seen by doctors. In fact, it will affect almost every one of us at some time in our lives. Acne can cause a great deal of embarrassment and anxiety to the person involved. It can happen at any time, but teenagers are the ones who get it most often. If it becomes more bad it causes depression to the person affected and can lead to withdrawing from friends, and is capable of causing poor performance at schools or work. It is associated with bad feeling always.

Acne is a skin condition that affects up to 70% of individuals in their teens and twenties, and up to 7% of older adults. While some people recover from acne without any permanent effects on their skin, some people are left with disfiguring acne scars. There are some topical skin care products and medications that can improve mild scarring, but most acne scars are controlled and treated with a combination of surgical formulated procedures and skin resurfacing.

Early Acne Scars
After an acne lesion has healed, it can leave a hyper pigmented or red mark on the surface of the skin. This actually is not a scar, rather a post-inflammatory change. The redness or hyper pigmentation is seen as the skin goes through its healing, recovery and remodeling process, which takes approximately 6-12 months. If there is no more development of acne lesions in that area, the skin can heal normally within these period. Any color change or skin defect still present after 1 year is considered to be a permanent defect or scar.

Preventing Early Acne Scars
The best way to avoid post-inflammatory defects caused by acne is to prevent acne lesions from occurring. This is better done by understanding the factors that cause acne and using the appropriate and the best treatments for the different acne types.