What is Acne?
Everyone is familiar of course with acne -- those pesky facial skin eruptions that occur in adolescence and may persist for a long time, even into a person's 30s or 40s, the so-called adult acne.
We call them by many names: zits, spots, pimples, whiteheads, blackheads, pustules. Medically, the common acne is also known as acne vulgaris. Pity the poor sufferer! They bring anything from plain annoyance to dismay, anger, frustration, lower self-esteem, embarrassment, and even despair. Severe acne episodes may leave pockmarks or acne scars, which could haunt the sufferers for life and make them the butt of jokes of others.
There are several types of acne. These include whiteheads, blockheads, and pustules. Most occur on the face but they sometimes appear on the body, often the back, and even on the chest and arms.
Several factors cause acne. Hormone changes during puberty and pregnancy make the sebaceous glands overactive and produce a lot of oil or sebum. Abnormal shedding of the skin cells blocks the hair follicles, trapping the sebum. Bacteria trapped in the follicles multiply and trigger inflammation.
Certain types of cosmetics and mechanical skin irritation are also known to trigger acne breakouts, while recent studies suggest an acne and diet connection. Stress and pollution have also been implicated. However, much about acne is not yet fully understood and plenty of myths about it still abound.
How do you find the best acne treatments that will work for you? Hate to say this, but there is no simple answer to this question - no product on the market works the best for everyone. The reason is it depends on the type and severity of your condition, as well as your response to the medications. What works for your friend may not necessarily work for you. Your skin could be more sensitive or oilier, for example. Or your breakouts could be more triggered by stress.
Certainly we want an acne solution that corrects the breakouts while causing minimal side-effects. A regular consultation with a dermatologist to monitor progress and determine best acne regimen may therefore be necessary.
Fortunately there are many acne vulgaris treatments that are available on the market for acne sufferers. We are going to explore these products in this site– how they work, and their pros and cons. Some are over-the-counter OTC) preparations while some are prescription drugs. They can be roughly classified as over the counter acne treatment, prescription topical, topical antibiotic, oral antibiotic, or (oral) isotretinoin. Many are used in combination with each other to get the best response against acne.
It is likewise important to focus on prevention rather than treatment. As there are known factors that trigger acne, avoiding them in the first place is a wise move, although admittedly this requires a lot of self-discipline because acne is a recurring skin condition. Measures include proper skin cleansing, avoiding the use of irritating cosmetics, and avoiding tight clothing.
It may also be worthwhile considering natural or alternative acne treatments in addition to, or in place of, conventional medications to discover the best solution for the acne sufferer. These treatment options include hormonal acne treatment, ayurvedic herbal treatment, photo therapy using blue and red light, Vitamin B5 or pantothenic acid, tea tree oil, zinc, etc.