Acne is a skin condition which affects around 80% of teenagers to some degree. It most often commences during puberty and can continue well into adulthood, it's course and duration being unique to each individual sufferer. Despite it's widespread occurrence, there is no definitive cause of acne and to date no universal cure. However there are known factors which contribute to the outbreak of acne and many treatments available which may help.
The symptoms of acne are spots, redness and inflammation of the skin. Most commonly affecting the face and neck, the spots can also extend to the chest, back and upper arms of the sufferer. Most people have a combination of whiteheads, blackheads, red spots and hard red nodules just below the skin which are often painful. Acne is caused when the sebaceous glands, located just below the surface of the skin produce too much of an oily fluid called sebum. The excess production of sebum blocks up the tiny pores of the skin which contain the hair follicles. This leads to the formation of whiteheads and blackheads. Bacteria begin to thrive in these conditions and the bodies immune system kicks in to combat this. It is the bodies immune response which causes the redness and inflammation found in acne.
Acne can be affected by things such as hormones, especially the hormone testosterone high in both both boys and girls during puberty; genetic factors as acne seems to run in families; stress, possibly because stressed people tend to touch their face more often and so spread bacteria;and some chemicals. Contrary to popular belief acne is not caused by eating chocolate or being dirty and it is not infectious.
There are many effective treatments for acne and your doctor will be able to prescribe the most appropriate one for you. There are also a number of self-help treatments which you can try. Basic hygiene is important to get rid of bacteria on the skin, so you should wash twice a day with a gentle cleanser and try to wash your hands before you touch your face, for example when applying make up.
Steaming the face or other affected parts can be a useful addition to your acne treatment programme. Steaming opens up the pores and at the same time increases sweating and so helps to flush impurities out of the skin.Since sweat is salty, it can also act as an antimicrobial agent, killing some of the bacteria found on the skin. Steaming also increases blood circulation, bringing greater amounts of oxygen and nutrients to the skin.
To increase the effectiveness of a home steam, some people add herbs or essential oils to the water. These can have very beneficial effects. Rose hip for example is high in vitamin A and useful for skin regeneration. Mint can help to break down the dirt and oil in your pores making it easier for them to be flushed away. Since stress is thought to play a role in acne outbreaks, adding lavender a known relaxant to your steam treatment may help.
There are a variety of ways to steam your face. Perhaps the most basic is to do it yourself at home over a very hot bowl of water! However, there are a selection of fantastic facial steamers available to buy, which can make the job a whole lot simpler and safer too, no wandering about with kettles of boiling water. Perhaps the cheapest model available is the portable steamer. This is lightweight and very easy to use, just fill up the reservoir with water and turn it on. You can safely add essential oils to the water reservoirs of commercial steamers and one great advantage is that you can control the steam volume, having either a fine mist or a strong steam spray delivered. Some facial steamers are designed to be used with ozone which is antibacterial and dries the skin, giving even greater benefits to users.
Once you have finished your steam treatment, you must always wash your skin immediately afterwards to remove all the impurities which have been drawn out by the steaming process, otherwise you will make the condition worse. The results of steaming your skin in this way will not be seen for a few weeks, in common with all other acne treatments. But if you continue to regularly cleanse your skin in this way, you should be rewarded by a much improved complexion.
The symptoms of acne are spots, redness and inflammation of the skin. Most commonly affecting the face and neck, the spots can also extend to the chest, back and upper arms of the sufferer. Most people have a combination of whiteheads, blackheads, red spots and hard red nodules just below the skin which are often painful. Acne is caused when the sebaceous glands, located just below the surface of the skin produce too much of an oily fluid called sebum. The excess production of sebum blocks up the tiny pores of the skin which contain the hair follicles. This leads to the formation of whiteheads and blackheads. Bacteria begin to thrive in these conditions and the bodies immune system kicks in to combat this. It is the bodies immune response which causes the redness and inflammation found in acne.
Acne can be affected by things such as hormones, especially the hormone testosterone high in both both boys and girls during puberty; genetic factors as acne seems to run in families; stress, possibly because stressed people tend to touch their face more often and so spread bacteria;and some chemicals. Contrary to popular belief acne is not caused by eating chocolate or being dirty and it is not infectious.
There are many effective treatments for acne and your doctor will be able to prescribe the most appropriate one for you. There are also a number of self-help treatments which you can try. Basic hygiene is important to get rid of bacteria on the skin, so you should wash twice a day with a gentle cleanser and try to wash your hands before you touch your face, for example when applying make up.
Steaming the face or other affected parts can be a useful addition to your acne treatment programme. Steaming opens up the pores and at the same time increases sweating and so helps to flush impurities out of the skin.Since sweat is salty, it can also act as an antimicrobial agent, killing some of the bacteria found on the skin. Steaming also increases blood circulation, bringing greater amounts of oxygen and nutrients to the skin.
To increase the effectiveness of a home steam, some people add herbs or essential oils to the water. These can have very beneficial effects. Rose hip for example is high in vitamin A and useful for skin regeneration. Mint can help to break down the dirt and oil in your pores making it easier for them to be flushed away. Since stress is thought to play a role in acne outbreaks, adding lavender a known relaxant to your steam treatment may help.
There are a variety of ways to steam your face. Perhaps the most basic is to do it yourself at home over a very hot bowl of water! However, there are a selection of fantastic facial steamers available to buy, which can make the job a whole lot simpler and safer too, no wandering about with kettles of boiling water. Perhaps the cheapest model available is the portable steamer. This is lightweight and very easy to use, just fill up the reservoir with water and turn it on. You can safely add essential oils to the water reservoirs of commercial steamers and one great advantage is that you can control the steam volume, having either a fine mist or a strong steam spray delivered. Some facial steamers are designed to be used with ozone which is antibacterial and dries the skin, giving even greater benefits to users.
Once you have finished your steam treatment, you must always wash your skin immediately afterwards to remove all the impurities which have been drawn out by the steaming process, otherwise you will make the condition worse. The results of steaming your skin in this way will not be seen for a few weeks, in common with all other acne treatments. But if you continue to regularly cleanse your skin in this way, you should be rewarded by a much improved complexion.
About the Author:
Fed up of your spots? Find out about the amazing benefits of using steam for acne and how it can really improve the condition of your skin at http://steamforacne.com
No comments:
Post a Comment