August 21, 2008

Finding the Best Acne Treatment for Your Troubled Skin

Filed under: skin care — admin @ 5:03 am

Acne causes embarrassment and discouragement for millions of people. Most are in their teen years, but adults are affected, too. There are many choices of acne treatment on the market. Some are well formulated, while others are weak and ineffective. Finding the best acne treatment for your skin can improve your outlook, and your looks.

The best products for treating your acne are natural, gentle products. Look for botanical ingredients in the list. Some herbal ingredients that are healing to blemished skin include sage, yarrow, coltsfoot, wild thyme, horsetail, althea (or marshmallow), and balm mint (or melissa). Aloe vera is a well known skin healer, and is often included in good acne products.

Also valuable in a treatment remedy for acne are certain essential oils. Some essential oils are harsh for skin. (None should be used straight, but should always be diluted with a carrier oil!) The best acne treatment products might include oils such as lavender, rose, tangerine, and geranium. These are not only healing to the skin, but will make the product smell great, too.

If the product is made with a transdermal system, any vitamins or herbal ingredients will be able to absorb into the skin and treat the acne where it starts. Some vitamins that might be included in a topical acne treatment include vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, and pro vitamin B5.

Just like healthy food for the body, the best acne treatment will provide nourishment and nutrition directly to the skin. The skin tends to reveal the health of a person. What shows up on the outside often indicates a deficiency or need on the inside. Getting a healthy diet can help you overcome your acne, and is a good addition to make to your use of good products.

Even the best products, however, won’t clear up that acne if they are used inconsistently. It’s a good idea to get into the routine of taking your vitamin supplements and cleansing your face every day. Don’t let procrastination or disorganization leave you without time for taking care of yourself. The skin is the largest organ in the body. It is a major agent in removing toxins from the body. It needs to be pampered and cared for.

A moisturizer is also an important part of an acne treatment. Like other components, it needs to be 100% natural, or it can make matters worse by contributing to clogging the pores. Make sure you take the time to read the label to make sure the ingredients are natural botanicals, nutrients, and healthful oils.

Some people say you should try to use only products on your skin that you would be willing to put in your mouth. This might not always be the case, since the skin does act like a filter, while absorbing nutrients and other substances. Still, one should be cautious about using unnatural products.

Written by Jim McDonald, a contributing writer for http://www.natural-acne-treatment.info, an informative website about the Best Acne Treatment and natural skin care.

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August 1, 2008

Medications for Acne

Filed under: skin care — admin @ 8:05 am

A well known medication for acne is Accutane, that is the brand name for a isotretinoin. It isn’t for wimps. It’s controversial. This medication for acne is only effective for some in acne skin care treatment, but you pretty much have to be desperate to try it. There can be side effects to all medication for acne. Serious side effects. If you’re a parent, and your child’s dermatologist is telling you that accutane is the next step in a series of treatments that haven’t worked, think very carefully before you try it, and consider alternative approaches offered by non-traditional practitioners such as naturopaths.

Accutane has a very bad reputation in my books as an effective acne medicine. Acne home remedies are way safer forms for treatment. Naturapaths will offer alternative acne treatments such as they offer a regimen of high doses of vitamins, herbs, gentle topical acne treatments and changes in diets that can eliminate acne blemishes and pimples for some without harmful side effects of acne medicine like Accutane. An alternative acne natural treatment is not very expensive to try, and certainly worth a try if it means sparing your child the risks associated with acne medicines like Accutane. Natural acne alternative is the best acne treatment by far.

What are the side effects? The biggie, the really scary one is that there is a high risk of severe birth defects if you become pregnant while taking Accutane. Some teens are sexually active; some aren’t. Some are responsible about birth control; some aren’t. If you have a daughter who is not sexually active, she’ll have to take birth control pills along with Accutane. What could this medication be doing to someone who takes it if it causes birth defects? Is it worth taking the risk?

Other side effects can include dry and itchy skin, chapped lips, muscle and joint pain, irritated eyelids, decreased night vision, nosebleeds, skin rashes, intestinal discomfort, urinary symptoms, headaches, increased susceptibility to sunburn, and depression-even thoughts of suicide.

Now, some people with very bad acne have suicidal thoughts too because it is such a difficult experience for a young person to be disfigured by acne blemishes.

Another potential side effect is liver damage. This is serious enough so that if you take Accutane, you have to get regular blood tests to monitor the level of fat in your blood to make sure your liver isn’t failing.

Another thing. It might not work. And for some people, it will work only while you’re taking it and as soon as you stop taking it, back comes the acne problem. It is a form of acne control only while on the medication. Not an acne cure at all. But you’re only supposed to take Accutane for a limited time. So, for many it’s taking a serious risk for an acne solution that’s only temporary.

There are people who have had success with Accutane. Otherwise dermatologists wouldn’t be subscribing it. It’s just a good idea to make sure all less invasive options have been exhausted before stepping into an acne skin care treatment that has potential to do so much harm.

Carl English, who goes by alias William Reeves, is a male fashion model/ 3d Artist who also enjoys writing articles to let people in on the truth. He is year of the Metal Rooster so it is in his nature to wake people up. Check his site for more articles on Acne and skin care health. Acne Skin Care

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July 16, 2008

Myths and Misinformation About Acne

Filed under: skin care — admin @ 3:04 pm

Myth: If You Leave Your Acne Alone, You’ll Outgrow It

This is absolutely untrue. If you acne outbreak, it is important to treat it as early as possible. Leaving it alone can often make matter worse. And if it does get worse, it can create permanent scars which not just affect your physical look but also your emotion feeling about yourself.

Myth: Acne Is Caused by Eating Oily Food, Chocolate or Caffeine

There is no strong medical evident that certain type of food or diet result in acne. However if you notice that certain kind of food consistently cause you to suffer from acne outbreak, it is best that you avoid them. For example, some people are very sensitive to food with high iodine content such as shellfish, dried fish and seaweed which result in flare-up. There are some studies theorize that hormones in chicken, beef and dairy products may cause early adolescent acne but that has yet to be proven. However if you have concerned, then you may want to substitute other sources of protein and calcium for these products or try hormone-free organic version of them.

Myth: Acne Is Seasonal

Acne is not a seasonal skin problem. You can suffer from acne outbreak during any time of the year. However temperature and humidity may increase the oil production of your skin and hence result in acne.

Myth: Sunscreen Causes Acne

A heavy and occlusive sunscreen can attract and hold on to heat in your follicles which can result in skin inflammation and causing numerous small red bumps to form. However this reaction is not true acne but a condition known as miliaria. A good non-comedogenic sunscreen will not result in acne.

Sun screen is a very important prevention measure against skin cancer. Hence we will never advice you not to use it. In fact, you should always apply sunscreen to your skin when you need to go under the sun. For people will acne-prone skin, we’ll recommend that they use oil-free non-comodegenic sunscreen.

One important thing to note - Acne medicine such as benzoyl peroxide Rein-A and salicylic acid may increase your skin sensitivity to the sunlight. Hence if you use these medicines, it is very important that you apply sunscreen before you leave the house.

Myth: Drinking Lots of Water Will Wash Away Acne

Although drinking 6 to 8 glasses of water each day is essential for a healthy body, there is no evidence that drinking water alone will wash away acne. While water alone will not eliminate acne, it will greatly assist your skin in remaining healthy and that will be one portion of the pie in fighting acne.

Myth: Sun Exposure Help To Heal Your Acne

With the increasing use of blue light by some dermatologist in treating acne, some people start to believe that sun exposure helps to heal their acne. A small amount of sunlight may appear to help your acne initially as breakout temporary dry up and your new tan help to cover up the red blemishes. However prolonged sun exposure will increase the plugging of your pores, producing blackheads and whiteheads and not forgetting the increase in risk of skin cancer.

Myth: Acne Is Caused By Not Washing Your Face Regularly
Acne is not caused by dirt or uncleanliness. In fact, if you wash your face too often or rub it with alcohol to help you get rid of excess oil and to feel clean, that in fact will stimulate more oil production. Washing your face twice a day is usually good enough to get rid of dirt and bacteria on your skin.

Myth: Blue Light Therapy Can Cure Acne

Many dermatologist are using blue light wave in treating acne today. Blue light works by sterilizing the skin for a short period of time, removing acne bacteria and temporary improve acne when used with traditional topical acne medication.

However it is still too early at the moment to tell whether blue light therapy is in fact helpful and whether its long term benefit out weigh the expenses and frequently visits for the therapy. Will have to wait and see as studies on it effectiveness as studies are still on going.

Alvin Poh shares more ideas and articles like this on the very popular website “Ask About Acne” at http://www.askaboutacne.com

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