What is acne?
A skin condition that occurs when hair follicles plug with oil and dead skin cells.
Acne is a disease that affects the skin’s oil glands. The small holes in your skin (pores) connect to oil glands under the skin. These glands make an oily substance called sebum. The pores connect to the glands by a canal called a follicle. Inside the follicles, oil carries dead skin cells to the surface of the skin. A thin hair also grows through the follicle and out to the skin. When the follicle of a skin gland clogs up, a pimple grows.
Most pimples are found on the face, neck, back, chest, and shoulders. Acne is not a serious health threat, but it can cause scars.
How does acne develop?
Sometimes, the hair, sebum, and skin cells clump together into a plug. The bacteria in the plug cause swelling. Then when the plug starts to break down, a pimple grows.
There are many types of pimples. The most common types are:
Whiteheads. These are pimples that stay under the surface of the skin.
Blackheads. These pimples rise to the skin’s surface and look black. The black color is not from dirt.
Papules. These are small pink bumps that can be tender.
Pustules. These pimples are red at the bottom and have pus on top.
Nodules. These are large, painful, solid pimples that are deep in the skin.
Cysts. These deep, painful, pus-filled pimples can cause scars.
Who gets acne?
Acne is the most common skin disease. People of all races and ages get acne. But it is most common in teenagers and young adults. An estimated 80 percent of all people between the ages of 11 and 30 have acne outbreaks at some point. Some people in their forties and fifties still get acne.
How Should People With Acne Care for Their Skin?
Here are some ways to care for skin if you have acne:
Clean skin gently. Use a mild cleanser in the morning, evening, and after heavy workouts. Scrubbing the skin does not stop acne. It can even make the problem worse.
Try not to touch your skin. People who squeeze, pinch, or pick their pimples can get scars or dark spots on their skin.
Shave carefully. If you shave, you can try both electric and safety razors to see which works best. With safety razors, use a sharp blade. Also, it helps to soften your beard with soap and water before putting on shaving cream. Shave lightly and only when you have to.
Stay out of the sun. Many acne medicines can make people more likely to sunburn. Being in the sun a lot can also make skin wrinkle and raise the risk of skin cancer.
Choose makeup carefully. All makeup should be oil free. Look for the word “noncomedogenic” on the label. This means that the makeup will not clog up your pores. But some people still get acne even if they use these products.
A skin condition that occurs when hair follicles plug with oil and dead skin cells.
Acne is a disease that affects the skin’s oil glands. The small holes in your skin (pores) connect to oil glands under the skin. These glands make an oily substance called sebum. The pores connect to the glands by a canal called a follicle. Inside the follicles, oil carries dead skin cells to the surface of the skin. A thin hair also grows through the follicle and out to the skin. When the follicle of a skin gland clogs up, a pimple grows.
Most pimples are found on the face, neck, back, chest, and shoulders. Acne is not a serious health threat, but it can cause scars.
How does acne develop?
Sometimes, the hair, sebum, and skin cells clump together into a plug. The bacteria in the plug cause swelling. Then when the plug starts to break down, a pimple grows.
There are many types of pimples. The most common types are:
Whiteheads. These are pimples that stay under the surface of the skin.
Blackheads. These pimples rise to the skin’s surface and look black. The black color is not from dirt.
Papules. These are small pink bumps that can be tender.
Pustules. These pimples are red at the bottom and have pus on top.
Nodules. These are large, painful, solid pimples that are deep in the skin.
Cysts. These deep, painful, pus-filled pimples can cause scars.
Who gets acne?
Acne is the most common skin disease. People of all races and ages get acne. But it is most common in teenagers and young adults. An estimated 80 percent of all people between the ages of 11 and 30 have acne outbreaks at some point. Some people in their forties and fifties still get acne.
How Should People With Acne Care for Their Skin?
Here are some ways to care for skin if you have acne:
Clean skin gently. Use a mild cleanser in the morning, evening, and after heavy workouts. Scrubbing the skin does not stop acne. It can even make the problem worse.
Try not to touch your skin. People who squeeze, pinch, or pick their pimples can get scars or dark spots on their skin.
Shave carefully. If you shave, you can try both electric and safety razors to see which works best. With safety razors, use a sharp blade. Also, it helps to soften your beard with soap and water before putting on shaving cream. Shave lightly and only when you have to.
Stay out of the sun. Many acne medicines can make people more likely to sunburn. Being in the sun a lot can also make skin wrinkle and raise the risk of skin cancer.
Choose makeup carefully. All makeup should be oil free. Look for the word “noncomedogenic” on the label. This means that the makeup will not clog up your pores. But some people still get acne even if they use these products.
Shampoo your hair regularly. If your hair is oily, you may want to shampoo daily.
Over-the-counter treatment
Resorcinol: helps break down blackheads and whiteheads
Review:
I just received this Sunday. It's now Tuesday night and my acne has cleared on one side of my face! I've suffered with adult acne for almost a year. I have tried so many different products. I've changed my entire skin routine one product at a time trying to figure out the problem. I wish I found this product a year ago but am elated to own it now. Using an application at night and in the morning on a clean face. Today was my first time using under foundation and it blended well and caused no new pimples.review source
Benzoyl peroxide: kills bacteria, accelerates the replacement of skin, and slows the production of sebum
review:
I first purchased the travel/trial kit and started using it exactly 6 days ago. I am 35 and have been suffering from adult acne since my 20's. I get bad cystic acne which is extremely painful. 6 days ago I had over 20 active blemishes (combo of white heads and cystic bumps). Today I have no new acne blemishes, and all the acne from 6 days ago are now flat and healing. No white heads, no cysts, just flat red spots that are slowly disappearing. I ordered the full size kit because I am having amazing results. My skin is extremely sensitive, and 90% of products I use on my face usually react horribly. My skin is not overly dry, red, or itchy like it usually is when I use the dermatologist prescribed medication. Try the trial size!! I hope it works as well for you as it has for me.review source
Salicylic acid: assists the breakdown of blackheads and whiteheads and helps reduce inflammation and swelling
Sulfur: exactly how this works is unknown
Azelaic acid: strengthens cells that line the follicles, stops sebum eruptions, and reduces bacterial growth. There is cream for acne, but other forms are used for rosacea.
Some home remedies for curing acne
1. Apply some apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is a powerhouse when it comes to acting as an acne remedy. Why? It kills off the bacteria that may be causing all the trouble in the first place. It also becomes alkaline, and balances the pH of your skin, which in turn makes it harder for bacteria to thrive.
To top it off it’s an astringent, like lemon juice, and will help dry up excess oil. Keeping that in mind, don’t overdo and dry out your skin too much. This could cause the sebaceous glands overproduce to compensate, therefore triggering an outbreak.
You will need…
-Pure unfiltered apple cider vinegar
-Fresh water
Directions
Wash your face with water and pat dry. Using a ratio of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water, dip a cotton ball into vinegar and apply it directly to the blemish.
Leave on for at least 10 minutes, or overnight. Reapply several times a day, washing face thoroughly after each time. Make sure to use a moisturizer afterwards as well if you feel like your skin is getting dry.
2. Make a cinnamon and honey mask
Honey is sticky, and cinnamon is spicy, and it seems like they’re both things you’d want to avoid getting near your skin. Surprisingly, while it may sound strange, honey and cinnamon make a (literally) killer combo when it comes to acne. Cinnamon has antimicrobial properties, so it can help stop bacteria from getting out of hand. If it does, the honey is a natural anti-biotic, ready and waiting to wipe the little buggers out.
You will need…
-2 tablespoons of honey
-1 teaspoon of cinnamon
– paper towels
Directions
Rinse your face with water and pat dry. Mix 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon together until they are thoroughly blended and have formed a sort of paste. Apply the mask to your face (or spot treat) and leave on for 10-15 minutes. Rinse off completely, and pat your face dry. This is a sticky mixture, so make sure you have some paper towels at on hand.
3. The land of milk and honey (or yogurt)
While there is quite a bit of hub bub around dairy products causing acne, applied topically it seems that milk can improve your outbreaks and skin tone. The reason it is suggested that milk would cause acne is because of the extra hormones in it-but unless it’s ingested, this doesn’t really do much. For the most part, it just soothes the irritated skin, and helps tone down the redness. Cleopatra swore on the milk baths she took, and well, she was Cleopatra. You could also use yogurt. The acids in it are antibacterial while the fat provides moisture, making it quite nourishing for skin.
You will need…
– 1 tablespoon plain low-fat or full-fat yogurt or milk, anything but skim
– 1 tablespoon of natural, raw, honey
Directions
Let yogurt or milk come to room temperature (or close to) so you don’t get a chilly shock when you put it on your skin. Mix 1 tablespoon of milk or yogurt thoroughly with 1 tablespoon of honey. You can apply the mixture with a cotton pad, but scooping it up and patting it on works just fine as well. Let each layer dry before adding a new one, until the mask is the thickness you want. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Wash your mask off and use a washcloth to gently scrub in a circular motion, getting rid of loosened dead skin. Once you’re finished, moisturize as usual.
4. Whip up some ‘whites
Egg whites are an easy and affordable way to help reduce acne and fade scars left by unfortunate blemishes. The reason people have found egg whites to be helpful for their skin is because they’re chock full of proteins and vitamins that both combat acne, and help to rebuild your skin cells. They also soak up excess oil, which means excess sebum, (exactly what you were thinking right?) which means less stuff for bacteria to feed on. Hooray! Just make sure to use a good moisturizer afterwards, as they can dry your skin out a bit.
You will need…
-2 to 3 egg whites, separated from yolks
-Bowl
-Washcloth
Directions
Rinse your face with water and pat dry. Separate the whites from the yolks. You can use as many as you like, but normally 2 to 3 is enough. Whisk the whites until they’re frothy, and let them sit for a few minutes. Cover your face with the mixture (applying with fingertips is easy) focusing on problem spots. 3 to 4 layers is usually enough, but make sure to wait the first has dried before applying more. Allow the mask to sit and dry for about 20 minutes before rinsing off completely with warm water and a patting dry with a soft washcloth. Apply moisturizer appropriate for your skin type.
5. Papaya for the pimple prone
Papaya is an essential ingredient in a lot of beauty products on the market today, but theres no need to go out of your way to gain its benefits? Plain raw papaya is an all-natural acne remedy that removes dead skin cells and excess lipids from the surface of the skin, leaving it soft and smooth. Lipids are a general term for fats, of which oil is a form of. Papaya also contains an enzyme called papain, which reduces inflammation and helps prevent the pus from forming.
You will need…
-1 fresh papaya
Directions
Rinse your face with water and pat dry. Mash up the flesh of the papaya well, until it is of a consistency that can be easily applied to your skin. Leave it on for 15-20 minutes, and then rinse off completely with warm water. If your skin has a tendency to get dry after you cleanse it, use a moisturizer appropriate for your skin type afterwards.
6. Make an orange peel paste
Ah, oranges. They taste rejuvenating and refreshing, and our skin may find them just as appealing as our taste buds do. Acne that is caused by bacteria and extra oil/dead skin cells clogging up pores may improve with the use of an orange peel face mask of sorts, thanks to the vitamin C, citric acid, and it’s astringent properties. The vitamin C is particularly helpful because it promotes the growth of new healthy cells, keeping your skin in better condition overall.
You will need…
-2 Orange peels
-Clean, fresh water
Directions
Rinse your face with water and pat dry. Grind/pound up your orange peels (you could use a blender, mortar and pestle, whatever gets the job done) and add a little water to create a paste. Add a little at a time, as too much will make it too thin and runny. Once you have the right consistency, apply it to your face and/or problem areas. Wait for 20-25 minutes. Ideally the mask should be firm, but it can still work if it isn’t. Rinse off completely with water, pat your face dry, and apply a good moisturize.
7. Tap into tea tree oil
You’ll read about tea tree oil for a lot of home remedies, but will most likely see it mentioned the most when comes to skin care, specifically, acne. But why, when too much oil is clogging the pores and making you break out, would you want to use more oil? Tea tree oil isn’t like the oil your skin naturally produces, rather it is more like a solvent that cuts through the extra sebum and dead skin cells, and unblocks the pores. Its antibacterial properties also kill off the acne causing bacteria, and prevent further outbreaks.
Note: Tea tree oil is ok for topical use, but should never be ingested. It should also always be diluted before use.
You will need…
-Tea tree oil (a small bottle will do)
-Clean water
-Q-tips or cotton balls
Directions
Wash your face with water and pat dry. Dilute tea tree oil by mixing 1 part oil to 9 parts water. Dip a Q-tip or cotton swab in mixture, and apply to problem areas. If you decide you want a stronger dilution after a while, you can slowly (slowly!) begin to increase the strength, making sure to use each new mixture for at least a week for making it any stronger. Again, it should never be applied undiluted. You can apply a light moisturizer afterwards if you wish.
Another option, especially if you have sensitive skin, is to dilute it with aloe vera gel instead of water.
8. Mix strawberries and honey
Honey and strawberries make a home remedy for acne that sounds pretty sweet (pun intended) and it combines two things that are used commonly in pricey, often time’s harsh, facial scrubs and cleansers. Strawberries may seem random, but consider the fact that they’re high in salicylic acid. Salicylic acid-a primary ingredient in many commercial acne treatments- encourages the epidermis to shed its cells more readily, opening up clogged pores, and neutralizing bacteria. It also shrinks up the pores a little bit, which prevents them from clogging up as much in the future, and encourages new cell growth. Honey also works against bacteria that may be behind your acne, and is an anti-inflammatory.
You will need…
-3 fresh strawberries, washed well
-2 teaspoons of good honey-raw is best
Directions
Wash your face with water and pat dry. Rinse 3 strawberries and mash them up well, taking care that they don’t get over-mashed and runny. Add the strawberries to two teaspoons of honey, and thoroughly blend them together. Apply to your face and let the mixture sit for 20 minutes. Rinse off completely with warm water, pat dry, and moisturize if your skin has a tendency to dry out. Use twice a week for at least a month.
9. Utilize a banana peel
Bananas are full of all sorts of goodness-even the part we don’t eat. Their peels contain something called lutein, an extremely powerful antioxidant that reduces swelling and inflammation, and encourages healthy cell growth. So…rubbing a banana peel on your face can reduce the redness, obviousness, and discomfort of acne. It’s (debatably) a better use than using it to trip your friend.
You will need…
-1 banana peel
Directions
Peel your banana and eat it- it’s not cool to waste, and they’re good for you. Take the peel, and rub in a circular motion all over your face. When you feel as though you’ve covered all of your face, let it sit for at least 30 minutes before rinsing it off.
10. Aloe for acne
Aloe vera gel can be used with other things to fight acne, but it’s a good thing on its own as well. If it’s going to be used on its own, the best is to have a little aloe plant floating around in your house, otherwise a good gel that’s sold in stores may work as well-just do some research on which ones have the least amount of additives. Not only is the aloe soothing, it works as an anti-inflammatory, decreasing redness and swelling. It also has antibacterial properties.
You will need…
-Enough aloe vera gel to spot treat or cover your problem areas
Directions
Wash your face with water and pat dry. Using your fingertips or a Q-tip, apply the aloe directly to your problem areas.
Also read: benefits of Aloe vera
11. Now last but not the least!!! Blue light acne treatment
Blue light kills the acne-causing bacteria known as Propionibacterium acnes, or P acnes, which can cause inflammation. P acnes is sensitive to blue light. Using the blue light, eliminates the bacteria found in the oil glands in the skin.
Hope you will find my blogs helpful ^_^
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