Archive for March, 2008

Acne Help: How To Beat Acne

Saturday, March 29th, 2008
by Judith Allison

Acne, sometimes known as Zits, is a menace to people who suffer from this condition; although it undoubtedly causes distress, a number of topical remedies are available. Medical investigation and research is ongoing and making interesting discoveries; in fact many new remedies are proving very effective. For those people that require treatment, the acne skin care products required fall broadly into a number of categories including:

- Preventative: Creams, lotions etc. to help cleanse and tone the skin - Over-the-counter - Specialized, on-prescription acne products

The preventative products are formulated to treat the skin in an effort to prevent acne from arising like skin cleansers and makeup removers. Many people use products similar to this every day as part of their skin care regime irrespective of whether or not they have the condition.

More specialized cleaners are designed in the same way as acne skin care products; they clean out the pores to help stop sebum or oil which clogs up the pores. These types of products are reducing the chance of oil staying in the pores and aiding the growth of harmful bacteria which assists the formation of the skin condition.

Ex foliation skin peels have proved quite effective as a skin care treatment and at controlling the problem. There are now more and more of these types of products available over the counter. They work by reducing oil plus other contaminants from the skin and in the pores; this can reduce harmful bacteria and stop their chance of growth.

The growth of the skin care market has allowed even more specialized acne skin care products to be available without the need to visit the doctor. Most of these creams etc. are based on benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, both of which are the enemies of bacteria (and hence acne); they work by removing the excess oil from the skin and halt the growth of acne.

You should start with a product that has lower concentration of benzoyl peroxide (e.g. 5%) and see how your skin responds. Alpha-hydroxy-acid based moisturizers are also popular as a skin care regime. Because we all have different types of skin, more than one type of acne skin care product may need to be tried. This is quite normal, however, if it is proving to be a problem then consult with your doctor, or skin care specialist.

Only doctors or skin care specialists can prescribe some medications, including the use of antibiotics and certain ointments. Your dermatologist may suggest a minor surgical procedure to remove the contents of pustules. Never try to squeeze your zits as it can lead to permanent damage of your skin.

Your doctor could prescribe a hormone-based treatment to treat your skin problem; studies show that hormone based skin care treatments often prove effective. Positive research means that a sufferer does not have to put up with this condition anymore.

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