For some people, acne represents nothing more than the key to the door into adulthood - almost a rite of passage as the body changes. As the most common disease in the world, it is often taken for granted that spots, blackheads and greasy skin will stake their temporary claim on the faces of almost everyone in the world.
However, for approximately 15% of people, these spots will persist, or be widespread and scarring. With surprisingly poor, inadequate information available to teenagers about acne management, many do not even realise the pharmacy assistant and pharmacist are able to provide help.
How much do you really know about acne and its causes? Do you know that there is no proven link with diet and acne? Did you realise that not everyone grows out of having acne, with 5% of women and 1% of men in their 40's still suffering from a 'teenage' problem?
What are the Common Acne Myths?
The starting point of correct acne management should start from clearing up the myths:
1. Acne is caused by food. Scientific studies have not found a link between diet and acne. Prisoners in the United States were enrolled on a trial to determine whether chocolate had a direct effect upon the sebaceous glands. At the end of the trial, it was concluded that acne was not affected by chocolate consumption. However, it is always sensible to advise a healthy, balanced diet, whilst reassuring that food will not affect acne.
2. Acne is contagious. Doctors have studied the effect of extracting pus from one spot and injecting it directly into unaffected skin. This experiment concluded that it did not spread spots.
3. Acne is caused by dirt. Spots are caused by activity beneath the skin and therefore surface dirt will play only a small role in the formation of acne. People think that the black in a blackhead is caused by dirt, but it is the skin's natural melanin, which turns black once it comes into contact with the air. Some people will even claim that over-washing can cause acne, but this may be hard to prove.
4. Acne is caused by too many hormones. Hormones have a large role to play in the formation of acne, but it is easy to misunderstand this as the body producing too many hormones. In one acne clinic held at a top Leeds centre for acne research, all patients attending that day's clinic were asked to provide a blood sample, which was later analysed for hormone levels. There was no significant increase in male hormones in these patients, which suggested that it is therefore sensitivity to male hormones present in normal levels in the skin that is to blame.
5. Everyone grows out of acne. Acne usually has a four to eight year timeline from start to finish. If you get it when you are 12 you should se the end of it between 16 and 20. The average age range for acne is 14 to 22. However Acne can persist into adulthood and 8% of acne sufferers are over 40 It is rare to have acne for a lifetime, but some people will not grow out of their acne. Research from Leeds University suggests that acne lasts on average for eight years.
6. Acne and spots are not same. Many people will try to distinguish between acne and spots. In fact, acne is just the medical name doctors give for spots. However, someone with the occasional, mild spot would not be described as having clinical acne. Approximately 15% of all people who have 'spots' will require further help from a doctor to treat their skin.
Acne Help
Acne treatment and prevention is a long-term process which means you will need to make certain things part of your normal daily routine for maximum results.
There are many products available for acne treatment and there is no reason not to research and find out which one will work best for you. Regardless of the cause, there will be an acne treatment available; you will just have to decide which is best for you.
Acne treatment and skin care products claim to cure acne and each brand claims superiority over the other. Instead of having you dig deeper into your pocket for various types of expensive acne treatment remedies, you should, initially, attempt to fight acne naturally by avoiding clogging your pores.
The problem is a lot of people aren't aware of natural acne treatments. I found that when acne broke out on my face the most effective method at the time was to gently, and I repeat - gently - wash the acne area twice a day with warm water and soap.
I tried to be proactive in my acne treatment. When that didn't work, I visited my doctor, who prescribed me various acne treatments, many of which had varying degrees of success.
Physically it is difficult to cleanse and apply back acne treatments; treatment of back acne needs special care as it mostly gets noticed in acute stages. Just like with any other form of acne, the right treatment for back acne is not easy to find.
All home made acne treatments should be strictly followed for over a period of time. As you can see, even with prescriptions, it takes time for acne treatments to take effect.
Zinc has shown remarkable results in clearing acne. Acutance is one of the most potent conventional acne remedies ever developed that virtually eliminates your problem. Bergamot oil is one of many acne remedies that have been around for a long time.
Laser acne treatments, when performed by licensed doctors, help in the complete obliteration of scars that result from severe acne. With so many commercial anti-acne medications to choose from, how do you know which medications are the best acne treatments. Keep in mind that even if you have tried several different acne treatments to no avail, there is always something else to try for your acne.
There are more skin care tips than ever before, and there are hundreds of products on the market, either over-the-counter topical acne treatments or prescribed acne medications. Externally, herbs have been used to treat acne, blemishes, wounds, dysentery, and diarrhoea. Be assured, scientists are constantly looking at new non-invasive ways to treat acne.
It is also advisable to opt for natural acne treatments, which are really effective on your body and have no side effects. Antioxidants, like Vitamin C, E and Alpha Lipoic Acid, are very helpful in clearing acne, Along with acne clearing masks.
If you see no improvement using natural acne products, you should try one of the other popular acne remedies such as Proactive, which is probably the most common acne treatment worldwide. Another great weapon against acne breakouts is the "Acne Free in 3 Days" Product, which has been proven to cure most cases of acne within a small 3 day period.
There are many products available for acne treatment and there is no reason not to research and find out which one will work best for you. Regardless of the cause, there will be an acne treatment available; you will just have to decide which is best for you.
Acne treatment and skin care products claim to cure acne and each brand claims superiority over the other. Instead of having you dig deeper into your pocket for various types of expensive acne treatment remedies, you should, initially, attempt to fight acne naturally by avoiding clogging your pores.
The problem is a lot of people aren't aware of natural acne treatments. I found that when acne broke out on my face the most effective method at the time was to gently, and I repeat - gently - wash the acne area twice a day with warm water and soap.
I tried to be proactive in my acne treatment. When that didn't work, I visited my doctor, who prescribed me various acne treatments, many of which had varying degrees of success.
Physically it is difficult to cleanse and apply back acne treatments; treatment of back acne needs special care as it mostly gets noticed in acute stages. Just like with any other form of acne, the right treatment for back acne is not easy to find.
All home made acne treatments should be strictly followed for over a period of time. As you can see, even with prescriptions, it takes time for acne treatments to take effect.
Zinc has shown remarkable results in clearing acne. Acutance is one of the most potent conventional acne remedies ever developed that virtually eliminates your problem. Bergamot oil is one of many acne remedies that have been around for a long time.
Laser acne treatments, when performed by licensed doctors, help in the complete obliteration of scars that result from severe acne. With so many commercial anti-acne medications to choose from, how do you know which medications are the best acne treatments. Keep in mind that even if you have tried several different acne treatments to no avail, there is always something else to try for your acne.
There are more skin care tips than ever before, and there are hundreds of products on the market, either over-the-counter topical acne treatments or prescribed acne medications. Externally, herbs have been used to treat acne, blemishes, wounds, dysentery, and diarrhoea. Be assured, scientists are constantly looking at new non-invasive ways to treat acne.
It is also advisable to opt for natural acne treatments, which are really effective on your body and have no side effects. Antioxidants, like Vitamin C, E and Alpha Lipoic Acid, are very helpful in clearing acne, Along with acne clearing masks.
If you see no improvement using natural acne products, you should try one of the other popular acne remedies such as Proactive, which is probably the most common acne treatment worldwide. Another great weapon against acne breakouts is the "Acne Free in 3 Days" Product, which has been proven to cure most cases of acne within a small 3 day period.
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