Acne Treatments

Various Treatments : How to get rid of acne

One of the most heartbreaking, but common skin diseases, is acne. A huge number of people of all ages can be, and are, afflicted with this skin problem, but in a great many cases, it affects those approaching, or, going through puberty. There are statistics to show that this skin disease is also more prominent in women than in men, so forewarned, as forearmed ladies, you need to get out there, and learn all you can about acne, its causes, and how to deal with it. If you do what you can early, then you run less of a risk of bad scarring, or sleepless nights because you have somewhere important to go, and you are terrified that your skin is going to let you down.

Acne occurs in the form of blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, pustules and papules.

In this article we will examine just what papular acne is.

Papular acne are very different from most other types of acne. Unfortunately they stand out, and are a little more obvious, than other acnes. Papular are red, or, pink, hard inflamed bumps on the skin, but have no head. They have no pus, or any other matter. You need to be more careful with this type of acne, because squeezing, or picking it, will damage your skin, and you will end up with some nasty, lasting scars, that you will not want on your face.

Papular acne is very often painful, and tender to the touch, and they can appear on any part of the body, but are mostly found on the face, back, and your rear. This type of acne is caused due to the effects of, oil, dirt, heat, and of course, bacteria.

When the body senses a bacterial infection, it pulls out all the stops to try and fight it. This in turn, causes an increase in the blood flow to the affected area, and shows itself as a swelling, and colored inflammation, which produces what we know as papular acne.

When white blood cells try to fight against bacteria, this is where the accumulation of white blood cells causes a formation of pus. This pus formed acne is known as pustular acne.
To sum this up, we can say, that pustular acne form a few days after the formation of papular acne, but the danger is, that the papular acne can cause bad scarring, so should be treated and cleared up as soon as possible. You should not let your papular acne get to the pustular stage.

The next thing you will need to know now is, how to get rid of acne.

Below are some natural remedies that are a good place to start. A natural remedy is always the best treatment for you in the long run, because, it is usually inexpensive, and very rarely does any harm, or more serious damage to your skin.

Wash your face with pure water up to three times a day, this will keep your face hydrated and free from dirt. Pure water is best because the chlorine in our drinking water is not good for your skin.

Another excellent remedy is the use of Tea tree oil. This oil is very effective in treating all types of acne. Put some tea tree oil onto a cotton ball and apply it directly over the acne, leave it overnight, and wash it off in the morning. You can also use products which contains 5% or more tea tree oil to get rid of papular acne.

My favourite way on how to get rid of acne is the very beneficial skin product for all skin problems called Aloe vera. It is the perfect, natural answer to acne, psoriasis, eczema, and many, many others. Just cut a small part of its leaf, slit it from the center and take out the gel. Apply the gel directly on to the acne, and leave it on for fifteen to twenty minutes. When you are ready, wash it off with pure water. The use of aloe vera on a daily basis, will not only help you improve your acne, but will give your skin an all over good healthy treatment.

Cinnamon powder, and honey, is a really good way to reduce inflammation. Mix together, one teaspoon of cinnamon and one tablespoon of honey, and apply the mixture to the acne. Leave it on for one hour, and then wash it off with warm water. Repeat this treatment daily until you get rid of acne.

The most important things anyone can ever tell you about skin problems, is that, you are what you eat. And a truer word was never spoken. Staying clear of fatty processed foods is most important. The next is lots of green, leafy vegetables. These vegetables contain antioxidants which purify your blood and keep your digestive system working properly.

Last of all, but the most important is water. Drink lots of water to flush away all the impurities from your system. This is also great for hydrating your skin and will also give your skin, a lovely healthy glow. So remember, drink lots of water every day to achieve the look you want.

Medication is the next plan of action, but it is always a good idea to try the natural remedies first. If you feel that you have tried everything, and you have decided to try out some pharmacy products, it is a good idea to start off small, by using the milder products on the market first.

If you purchase an anti acne product, before you start, wash your face twice, with a mild cleanser. Apply the anti acne cream which may have benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid as anti acne ingredients. The double cleansing of your skin first, before you use any other pharmacy product is very important. The pores of the skin need to be thoroughly clean, to ensure, that any anti acne product that you put on your face can work to its utmost potential.

These were just a few of my favourite tips on how to get rid of acne. If your acne problem persists please ensure you consult your medical practitioner.


Different Types Of Acne

The well known skin condition acne, is a disease that affects the oil glands of the skin, so how to get rid of acne you may ask? The pores in your skin are joined together by a canal called a follicle, which in turn are linked to the oil glands under the skin. These glands produce an oily substance called sebum. Our dead skin cells are carried through the follicles to the surface of our skin, with the help of the oil. This follicle also has a hair growing out of it, and when the follicle gets blocked, the result is a pimple.

There are certain areas of the body that are more susceptible to the development of acne. The most vulnerable areas are the face, the neck, your back, chest, and often your shoulders. The problems that are caused by acne, are not so much health related, but more to do with a persons self image, and their self confidence level, the reason for this is, because acne can, at its worst, be very unsightly, and often a form of embarrassment. This is easy to understand when you realise, that the greater majority of acne sufferers are teenagers, or a little older. With that age group, self image is extremely important. Many people refer to the internet nowadays to find out how to get rid of acne. When we speak of acne being less of a health issue, we need to keep in mind, that any mistreatment of the acne, such as trying to squeeze the pimples, or blackhead, can cause an infection that can lead to bad scarring.

The reasons why we get acne, or the causes of the uninvited skin disease, are not entirely clear. Although what we do know, is that when the sebum and skin cells get stuck together, they block the follicle. From there the bacteria in the plug causes swelling, and when all this starts to break down, a pimple forms.

The following are a list of the different types of acne that are among the most common.

Blackheads: These are the result of follicles with a much wider than normal penning. The other given name for this is comedones. They contain sebum and dead skin cells. Together the reaction of these has caused a process known as oxidation of the melanin. When this happens, the fluid produced takes on a dark colour, which, because of its appearance, gives the blackhead its name.

Whiteheads: This type of acne remains under the skins surface. At times it is referred to as closed comedones. Much like the blackhead, the whitehead is formed in the same way, but with a subtle difference. Where the blackhead follicles have a wider than normal opening, the whitehead is the opposite, and has very tiny openings. This means that the air can not reach into them, so there is no way at all that the oxidation process can take place. This in turn means that the substances can not change colour, and can be seen just under the skin as a whitehead.

Papules: These can usually be described as small red, or pink lumps on the skin. This form of acne is caused when sebum, bacteria, and dead skin cells all get clogged up together inside a pore. A break in the cells of the follicle wall, will cause the built up substance to break out and spread into the skin. This form of acne is, or can be quite painful, and is often referred to as a blind pimple because it does not have a head when it first appears, but it can go on to turn into a pustule. It is very important that you do not try to squeeze these pimples, because the papules can leave a nasty scar that can stay with you forever.

Pustules: These are red underneath and have pus on the top. Pustules arrive in all sizes, and can often be seen with a brownish type cap. Pustules respond well to the treatment of any, benzoyl peroxide creams, or cleansers. If pustules become a real problem though, it is wise to seek the advice of a good dermatologist.

There are quite a few more forms of acne, some of which include acne rosacea, acne conglobata, acne fulminans etc. Unfortunately for most of the worlds population, very few people will escape the horrors of acne at some stage in their life. The good thing is, that if you are aware of the signs, and know how to look after your skin, you will probably come out a little more unscathed than most.

Statistics show that around eighty percent of all people between the ages of eleven and thirty, have, or have had, an outbreak of acne. There are some triggers out there that you should look out for in case you fall into certain categories, and they are, the contraception pill, the contraception injection, puberty, hormonal changes during pregnancy, heredity, greasy make up, and unfortunately there are quite a few prescribed medications that will also add to the list. All in all, my parting comments must be these.

Drink loads of water.

Eat plenty of green leafy vegetables.

Get a good nights sleep.

Steer clear of greasy make up.

Make burgers and fries a very rare treat.

All these things tips on how to get rid of acne will help you in your fight to control, or avoid acne. And lastly go out and buy yourself a good quality cleanser, and exfoliator. Do all this and there is every chance you will get rid of acne and if there is no acne, there will be no unsightly scars.

Acne V’s Chlorine

How to get rid of acne? The dread of every teenager as puberty hits, and there is, what seems, absolutely no control over what happens to your skin. Women, or young girls, have traditionally lead the war in utter despair, when they realise what acne does to the way they look, but recent years have seen a change in trend, where men are also becoming more aware of the effects acne has on their looks.

The skin problem that is acne, occurs when pores on the skin change structure and develop due to the hormone imbalance happening at the time of puberty.

These structures are attached to tiny microscopic glands in the skin where the oil is produced. People with oily skin are often more prone to bad acne due to the oil in the pores getting clogged and causing acne, which shows itself in blackheads or whitehead pimples. This is though all part of a bacterial attack on the skin.

A growing amount of bacteria releases a toxic substance that causes the skin to become red and angry looking, and in some instances quite sensitive and sore.

Before I start to explain what chlorine does to acne, let me explain what chlorine does to water.

Chlorine is a chemical with strong disinfectant qualities, and for that reason it is used in swimming pools and also added to the water we drink every day, unless you are on a rainwater tank in the country. What happens when you add chlorine to water, is that it destroys any bacteria in the water like ecoli etc. This occurs when the chlorine breaks down the fatty components in the cell walls of the bacteria. This renders the enzymes of the bacteria ineffective, and consequently removes the cause of any infection, the end result is good, pure, bacteria free water.
So lets relate this to how to get rid of acne and check out some well known myths.

The misconception associated with chlorine and acne is there mainly, because some people think they have seen an improvement in their acne after they have been at the local swimming baths, or in their own home swimming pools. This is not completely wrong, except that what they are seeing is only a temporary change in their skin problem, and will not be a permanent cure. What happens is when the chlorine gets into the pores of the skin, the bacteria on the skin is destroyed. The chlorine also washes out the excess oil in the skins pores, and so appears to make a big difference, because they notice their skin clear up in a day or two. To this end it will appear that the chlorine has promoted faster healing.

Chlorine is not bad for the skin in small doses, and is often used as an ingredient in quite a few acne skin products. Unfortunately this can not be a long term answer, because used over a period of time repetitively chlorine could be quite harmful to the skin. Studies have found that the acidic qualities of chlorine in the water, can have an adverse effect on the skin, and the face is particularly vulnerable because of its sensitivity.

Because chlorine doesn’t just kill the bad bacteria, but, all bacteria, it destroys the bacteria that the skin really needs. It is important that our skin gets vitamin E and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which keep our skin healthy, and the chlorine eliminates these things. Also the natural oils that are in the top layer of our skin that holds the moisture that we need, is further more destroyed by chlorine.


Bottom line is that overexposure to chlorine causes deterioration in our skin and it becomes extremely dry. When skin goes dry, our body tries to restore its normal balance of oil, which in turn is overcompensated for, by producing more oil from the sebaceous glands. This results in an overproduction of skin oils, which then starts blocking up the skins pores. In a nutshell, chlorine creates the perfect environment for infection causing bacteria to form and starts the whole acne cycle all over again.

Now, you may be sitting there reading this thinking, oh no, is it possibly too late for me, because I swim at the local pool every day, and what I thought was helping, has just been doing more damage. But not to worry, because there are some steps you can take to repair the damage, and make things right. The first thing you need to learn about how to get rid of acne, is wash your acne infected skin off with pure water. Next you need to exfoliate your skin to get rid of any chlorine residue. Get yourself a good defoliator recommended by a health and beauty specialist. After you have completed this, you will need to finish off with a good moisturiser. Complete this routine twice a day, to prevent any dryness to your skin.

Has this helped you to understand the harm that chlorine can have on your acne? The damage is of course, more obvious after swimming in a pool, than from washing, or bathing in the water from your tap at home, and this is because, as I am sure that you already realise, the concentration at the swimming baths is much higher, than the amount added to the water we drink.

There are a lot of things out there and on the market that can contribute to the treatment of your acne, my advice is though, that when you are out there looking, you need to be aware of what you are dealing with. The last thing you need is another round of acne, and learning how to get rid of acne, will help you solve it.

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