An Overview of what is acne
Acne is commonly known as a skin condition under which the hair follicles become clogged with oil and dead skin cells. Acne can be a part of any one life at any stage and age, but most commonly, it is seen in teenagers.
Depending upon how severe an individual’s acne is, it can cause a lot of trouble and stress for the person having them. Several factors could cause acne, and these factors are easy to pinpoint and correct in some situations and not in others. Now the thing to remember when dealing with acne is the sooner you detect and treat it, the better the chances of avoiding a scar will be.
Symptoms:
Different signs of acne may vary from person to person and also depend upon the severity of the condition.
◦ Blackheads: they are open Pores that are blocked with dead skin cells or oil
◦ Whiteheads: unlike the blackheads, they are white and closed pores that may be filled with dead skin cells or oil.
◦ Red bumps: these small red tiny bumps on the skin may be a form of an irritated skin patch.
◦ Pimples: the most commonly known type is when the tiny red bumps eventually are filled with pus on the very tips. It’s addressed as pimples.
◦ Solid, large lumps under the skin that are extremely painful are the painful kind of acne that need immediate attention as they can cause discomfort.
◦ Cystic: this here is the most painful kind of acne known to us. They are painful, but having them can have a huge impact on one’s personality. It emotionally disturbs the confidence if the individual has it. These painful umps are placed under the skin and filled with infectious pus.
The most common area where one can find acne are the back, shoulders, forehead, chest, and of course, the face.
When is it time to meet the doctor?
Not all forms of acne that come and go in one’s life need to be treated by a doctor. If this acne is not bothersome and painful, one can always look for home remedies that we will discuss later. If none of the home remedies have worked, the first step is meeting with a primary-level doctor who would analyze the situation and suggest some over-the-counter medicines and ointments treat the acne. In case the severity of the acne is beyond control, and even these basic level ointments don’t work, it’s time for you to see a specialist.
Women are having acne flare days or weeks before their mensuration cycle is common. Acne of this kind usually clears up on its own and does not require special treatment. A lot of times, acne is also seen in aged women. The reason for this may not necessarily mean hygiene issues or hormonal imbalance, and it could result from some underlying illness that requires attention.
The Indian market is filled with products that help you get rid of a pimple, and these may be in the form of cleansers, topical creams, etc., which could cause severe redness, itching, and even burning sensations.
In case you feel any of the below-mentioned discomforts, it’s time for you to see the doctor. These are listed under:
1. Breathing difficulty
2. Feeling of faintness
3. Swelling in tongue, lips, eyes, or face
4. Tightening of the throat
Causes of Acne:
There may be four main factors that cause acne. These are:
1. Bacteria
2. Inflammation
3. Clogged hair follicles with oil or dead skin cells
4. Sebum production
It is the hair follicles that are connected to the oil glands of the body. This becomes the main reason why people experience maximum acne in the chest, face, shoulder, and back areas since these areas of the body have the most oil glands.
The hair follicle bulges up and thereby produces a clogged whitehead. The plug that may be formed may eventually open up on the skin’s surface and fill up with a black or dark-colored substance that looks like dirt being stuck, thereby causing a blackhead. The black stuck substance is nothing but a mix of oil and bacteria, which, when exposed to air, turn either brownish or black.
Pimples, on the other hand, would be raised above the skin and have pus-filled in them.
The causes of triggers for having or worsening an acne condition are as under:
1. Hormonal imbalance: When an individual passes through puberty, the androgens in one’s body, which are a type of hormone, increase. This enlarges your sweat glands and also causes the glands to produce much more oil than they usually would. Hence, the acne. Not only in puberty but most of the time, middle-aged women also go through hormonal misbalance leading to acne.
2. Change in Diet: Studies show that consuming certain foods can cause acne. Foods that are fried, like chips, bread, etc. It is believed that avoiding these triggers can help people who go through severe acne conditions.
3. Medicines: Many medications can knowingly or unknowingly can acne. Common known drugs may be corticosteroids or lithium.
4. Stress: Several diseases are associated with stress, and in today’s date and time where everyone is running to perform their jobs well, stress has become a part of life. Stress may not necessarily be the reason for acne, but it is a reason for its aggravation.
Common myths about acne:
Consumption of the below-mentioned foods may only have minimal contribution towards the production of excess oil or formation of acne:
5. Hygiene: It is a misconception that someone who would not wash their face with cleansers would have dirt on their skin and eventually have acne. When someone over scrubs the skin or uses several different cleansers, creams, and exfoliants, it may cause skin irritation and acne.
6. Cosmetic usage: Yes, oily makeup could be the reason for worsened skin conditions, especially if you have oily skin, but in the case of application of non-oily products, there is no reason one would irritate the skin.
7. Greasy food or chocolates: In most cases, consuming greasy food and even chocolates would have almost no effect on your skin.
Home Remedies for treating acne
Before we discuss the home remedies that can help cure acne, one should understand that these are not overnight magic pills that would vanish all the acne, and these are just DIY techniques you can try and may find helpful in treating your acne. These are listed as under:
1. Aloe vera: It has excellent antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that help subside acne. All you need to do is apply store-bought good, quality aloe vera gel or take a leaf of aloe vera and apply the gel to the affected area overnight.
2. Tea tree oil: one of the most common methods of treating acne is applying tea tree oil. Since this is a very concentrated oil, you may have to mix it with a carrier oil. Spot application on the pimple would help subside the acne, thanks to the antibacterial properties of tea tree oil.
3. Benzoyl peroxide wash: Several face washes are now available on the market; one must be mindful before buying one.
4. Green tea: just like the others mentioned above, it also has excellent properties for treating bacteria and any inflammation that comes with it. Used green tea bags can be stored and cooled in the refrigerator and applied to the affected area. Not only will this reduce the inflammation, but the cold will keep the irritated skin calm.
5. Salicylic acid: An over-the-counter product that could help in spot correction of pimples is products with salicylic acid in them. One such fantastic product known to us that works is the No Scars face wash. The best part of this face wash is that the two main components are aloe vera and salicylic acid, both of which work wonders in treating acne. The salicylic would treat and dry the acne, whereas the aloe would soothe and reduce inflammation.
6. Lemon juice: Lemon has content of vitamin c in it, and vitamin c has dried-out properties. One must carefully try applying drops of lemon juice on your pimple and wait to see overnight results.
7. Dabbing ice: This majorly helps in reducing inflammation. You only need an ice cube and a cotton cloth or towel to wrap around the ice. Once this is down with a very light hand, gently press the ice on the infected area.
8. Neem: This is an ancient herb known to humanity for several years. It has excellent antibacterial properties that can help someone suffering from severe acne. All that needs to be done is a topical application of the same. The market is once again filled with several products that claim to have neem in them, but they either don’t have it or have sub-quality. One of the most renowned brands that have been in the market for a very long time and have a great product that works is No Scars face wash with neem extract. And this face wash has a combination of both salicylic acid along with neem extract. The combination has anti-fungal properties that drastically reduce swelling and redness. It works on unclogging the skin and, after that shrinking the pimple. Not only is it a great product, but also pocket friendly.
9. Tomatoes: This is an excellent remedy to treat pimples and even out any patchiness or redness due to acne.
10. Cinnamon and honey: Great antimicrobial properties make applying these an excellent choice for treating acne.
Some other prevention tips that can help in case of acne:
1. Eating a healthy diet will not only help with acne but, in general, improve the working of the body.
2. Addition of iron as well as turmeric to your diet.
3. A whole night’s sleep is a must
4. Keep up your fitness by either going to the gym or practicing yoga.
5. Lemon and hot water intake in the morning is great for detoxifying your body.
Tropical medicines that can help:
Several tropical medicines are available over the counter and can help greatly and, in some cases, even save you from going to the dermatologist.
1. Antibiotics: These work directly on reducing the increased bacteria on the skin and reducing redness and inflammation. Antibiotics need to top up with some ointment that must be applied topically to eliminate the pimple effectively.
2. Retinoids: They work wonders for the skin when applied in creams, gels, or even lotions. The application of retinoids can not be made daily, and one needs to slowly increase the number of days of application.
3. Salicylic and Azelaic acid: A naturally occurring acid produced by yeast is called Azelaic acid. It has excellent antibacterial properties and even works on skin discoloration.
Even though several natural and chemical products are readily available on the market, it becomes essential for an individual to look for natural and effective products. Also, acne cannot describe who you are and what you are capable of, and therefore it should not affect your confidence.
Read online reviews and recommendations if you do want to get good products on your own. Brands like No Scars have great products that are worth a try and have worked very well with people with any pimples, inflammation caused by it, or even scars post-acne. For post-acne, No Scars cream is a great product. This product would not only stop and new formation of marks but will also diminish and eventually clear the already existing ones.
