Tips for Managing Acne

Most people have to deal with acne in their life. There is no real cause of acne and however many people claim that a good hygiene and healthy food will protect you for getting this problem; acne is caused by factors which are out of control. So don't blame yourself; this is the first lesson you have to take.

At this moment acne is still not curable but treatment is possible and necessary. It is recommended to start as soon as possible when the first signs of acne appear for avoiding permanent damage to your skin.

However, there is no simple answer why you get acne; genetics play an important rule in developing acne. Managing with acne requires in the first place knowledge. You can only fight against these problems if you know what causes acne and if you find out you can search for a good plan to treat this problem.

1. WHICH ARE THE CAUSES OF ACNE?

HORMONES
This problem starts mostly during puberty when your body starts producing androgens. These hormones are necessary for enlarging of the sebaceous glands. When these glands are overstimulated by androgens, acne would flare up.

SEBUM
The sebaceous glands produce sebum for keeping the skin moisturized. Extra sebum in the follicle causes a higher chance of clogging and can lead to developing acne.

FOLLICE FALLOUT
Almost everyone has during puberty overactive sebaceous glands. It happens frequently that hair follicles become obstructed and cause a form of acne.

BACTERIA
Acne is often caused by a bacterium, called "Propionibacterium acnes". This bacterium is normally harmless because it is a normal habitant of your skin but uses sebum as nutrient. Too much sebum will increase bacterial growth and can cause acne.

INFLAMMATION
Inflammation is a consequence of the bacterial growth. Too much white blood cells want to fight against the increase of this bacterium and causes pimples.

2. TREATMENT

There are many possibilities to treat acne but choosing the right treatment requires trying to determine the type of acne you suffer. There are many types of acne and treatment is different. It is often recommended to consult a doctor or a determatologist for finding the right treatment. You can avoid many disorders this way and prevent you acne will become worser.

Some kinds of treatment are:

NATURAL ACNE TREATMENT
Many people prefer a natural acne treatment because these treatments have fewer side effects than other treatments. However, these treatments have a lot of success; there is no perfect acne cure that works for every kind of acne. The causes of acne and the type of your skin are important for finding the best treatment.

Suggestions for natural treatment are:

* Use non oily face wash products and wash your face twice a day.

* When you wear make-up you need to avoid oily cosmetics and give preference to cosmetics based on water products.

* Herbal treatment:
- Use natural cleansers with an extract of Hazel and mild soap. Dickenson's with Hazel All natural Astringent is maybe one you can consider to by for treating acne. Natural cleansers with Hazel will clear your pores of dirt and oil without obstructing your glands production of more oil.
- Tea tree oil works efficient for a variety of home remedies and will speed the cure of acne. Echinacea and golden seals are two other popular herbal products that can be combined with tea oil for a faster and better result of your acne treatment.
- Zinc pills are efficient for reducing the chance of inflammation caused by acne.

PRESCRIPTION MEDICINES
Sometimes there is need for prescription medicines to treat your acne. These medicines work faster than herbal products and medical assistance is necessary. Most of these products are antibiotics and are available in a gel or in form of pills. These antibiotics will try to reduce the Propionibacterium acnes population in your body. Your doctor needs to find out which antibiotics will work to fight against this bacterium because it is possible that this bacterium is resistant to certain antibiotics.

Retinoids are another form of prescription medicines to fight against the Propionibacterium acnes. The substances of this product derive from vitamin A and are available in creams or gel and also in medicines which need to be taken orally. Some possible side effects of this product are nosebleed and dryness.

MEDICINES WITHOUT PRESCRIPTION
Benzoyl peroxide is one of the most frequently used medicines to treat acne. This product is successful for many decades in treatment of acne and can be called a safe product for as well adults as children. This product doesn't work immediately; it can take several weeks before you notice result and can be combined with other products. It is best you consult a dermatologist because he can give you advice how long to continue this treatment. The problem with this treatment is once you stopped this treatment, the populations of bacteria can increase again. That is why advice of your dermatologist is required. Dryness, irritation and allergy are some possible side effects.

LASER THERAPY AND BLUE LIGHT THERAPY
In some cases these kinds of therapies can work but it is still in the beginning stadium. The advantage is you don't need creams, gels or medicines. Lasers have the advantage to be safe but there in no certainty this therapy will really reach a good result in the treatment of acne.

Blue light therapy is another kind of treatment which is still in the early stadium and at this moment it is too soon for claiming that this treatment will work on the long term. At this moment blue light therapy is successful to prevent moderate cases of acne. There are almost no side effects but many people believe this therapy will age the skin and there is a potential risk for developing skin cancer.

However, acne will not treat your life; it is necessary to manage this problem appropriate. The sooner you start treatment, the better the results will be and permanent damage to your skin can be avoided.