That itchy frustrating feeling you get when you look at your face in the mirror and find a pimple or a spot on the face has driven many people to the edge and even caused a series of bad days. Acne is no friend of the face and that is why many people have gone to serious lengths in acne treatment.
Treating acne is viewed as important in keeping the health and self-esteem of people because no one wants to go around with a blotch on the face. That is why there are different types of ways to acne ranging from topical cleansers to laser treatments to hormonal treatment; the list of ways to rid the face of this imperfection is endless.
This article will delve into what acne is and what treatment to focus on for an easier and faster remedy. If you would like to know what to do to your acne, this is for you.
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Treating acne is a sensitive process because it has to do with your skin and the side effects of not treating the blotch well. That is why you have to be familiar with terms and what it means to have acne growth on your face.
What is Acne?
Acne is the result of our clogged hair follicles and sebum glands by oil, dirt, or dead skin, leading to the skin becoming inflamed. When the hair follicles and sebum gland are clogged, they become easy for bacteria to react to the face, leading to the inflammation of that particular area.
And what we see? The inflammation leads to an obstruction, which causes papules, nodules, pustules, and cysts to appear. The most basic form of the lesions we see is the comedo or blackhead as we normally call it.
Why does acne appear?
Acne appears due to reasons on a very wide spectrum. For instance, acne is caused by the clogging of excess keratin in the hair follicles. The keratin is responsible for creating the comedones in an acne breakout. Also, the sebum glands may have produced too much fat that will clog the pores and have no way of getting out, thus causing inflammation. And finally, some acne might be caused by hormones or changes in the hormones.
The bacterium growing on the skin can also inflate the clogging of the pores. This could lead the comedones to grow further to form papules or pustules if pus is created. For severe forms of acne, the lesions that grow on the skin become larger and deeper and grow to the next phase which is the nodules and cysts.
When healing, the changes may leave a permanent scar on the patch of affected skin. We have to note that acne tends to grow or form on the oiliest part of the body. These sensitive places are the face, neck, neckline, and back area.
Who can be affected by acne?
The people who mostly fall victim to acne are teenagers and young adults of the average age of 24. This is because of the increased production of sebum during this age period. It should also be noted that a third of people who suffer from acne are over 25. This just goes to show that acne affects everyone at different ages.
Acne is also generally more common among the Hispanic and African-American populace. It is the most widespread disease in the dermatology field. It has been studied that 80% of Americans have suffered or are suffering it at one point or the other in their lives. Acne breakout has also been impacted by the mental and psychological wellbeing of a person.
What are the types of acne?
Acne is mostly classified based on its severity. We have mild, moderate, moderately severe, and severe acne. These levels of grades are based on the causes, whether it is a casual breakout, cystic or hormonal.
Mild acne is mostly characterized by blackheads or whiteheads, papules, or pustules. This means that the lesions just have deep cysts or pus. For moderate acne, there would be multiple papules and pustules. Not only these two, but also nodules and cysts, and these can lead to severe wounds on the face. Then for moderately severe, including the regular papules and pustules, the face could also have inflamed nodules.
The above three are not as severe as the last level, which is rightly named severe acne. The severe acne is large, painful pustules and nodules that could be inflamed sometimes. Severe acne can also be classified into two: acne conglobate and acne fulminans. Severe acne mostly needs medical treatment to be treated.
What are the hygienic measures that will help deal with acne?
To help your skin combat the bacteria caused by acne, you have to have a good hygienic routine for your face. This is basic for your skin to be healthy and it also for your acne treatment.
You don’t have to wash your face more than you should; rather it has been discovered it makes things worse. When you wash your face, you are reducing the oil in the skin. This will require the sebum gland to produce more than necessary, making the acne problem worse.
So how do you treat it? The best way for acne treatment is to use antibacterial and antiseptic cleansers to treat mild to moderate acne. When choosing your cleansers, there should be acid-based products. They have shown to have better results than alkaline cleansers.
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What topical treatments help with acne?
When you want to start your acne treatment, you have to know how and what you want to use to treat it. There are different ways of treating acne. We have oral treatment, therapies, and topical treatment. Oral treatment is the use of drugs like antibiotics, isotretinoin, or anti-androgen agents to treat your acne. This method is mostly reserved for moderate-severe to severe acne.
Therapies are the use of outward agents like a light source, a chemical peel, steroid injection, or using tools to drain and extract the pus or comedones (blackheads) from the skin. This type of treatment is usually used in combination with other types of treatment.
The topical treatment is the most common prescription for treating acne. It is the use of products that are directly applied to the affected area on the skin. They are also good because they cause fewer systemic side effects on the skin. The popular topical treatments include retinoids, antibiotics, and cosmetic treatments.
Retinoids
They are drugs that contain retinoic acid or tretinoin. They come in gels, creams, or lotions and are used from moderate level to severe acne levels. These types of drugs need to be prescribed by dermatologists.
Antibiotics
They work fast by killing the excess bacteria in the skin. They also reduce the inflammation and redness on the affected skin. These types of topical treatment cannot be used alone; they are mostly combined with retinoids and must also be prescribed by a medical professional.
Cosmetic Treatments
The cosmetic treatments are mostly over-the-counter lotions, gel, or creams that can be applied to the affected skin area. They mostly contain active ingredients like keratolytic products (salicylic acid is a good example) or antibacterials (benzoyl peroxide, dapsone, and azelaic acid are good examples) in their formula.
These ingredients have properties that are anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and bacteriostatic and will help in unclogging pores, correcting blemishes, preventing acne, and also reducing the effects of acne on the skin. The cosmetic treatment is mostly used to treat mild to moderate acne levels and isn’t costly.
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Beauty routine for acne-prone skin
When our face is ridden with acne, some of us tend to seek out makeup for help in covering up the imperfections on our face. It is not bad to seek refuge in makeup but we have to learn that using makeup could worsen our acne problem.
For instance, oily makeup will increase the oil on our face and clog our pores, even more, thus helping bacteria grow on our face. Makeup products with high-fat content are best avoided so as not to increase the sebum in the glands. Stick to oil-free makeup products if you have acne-prone makeup.
Not only that, you have to keep your face clean by using antiseptic or antibacterial cleansers. The key point is to reduce the oil in the sebum glands without making things worse. That is why you are to use water-based products for your skin. You can also use products that already have antibacterial or keratolytic properties. You could use facial serums with these active ingredients to stop the acne from sprouting.
What are the advantages of topical acne treatments?
The advantages of using topical treatment on your acne include:
- The treatments are easy to use.
- They are without prescription and can be bought over the counter.
- They have few side effects.
- And they provide you with complete skincare.
The possible disadvantage of using topical treatments to treat acne is that they contain allergens and can harm those with sensitive skin. That is why the identification of all the properties in these products should be clear.
Buying Guide
Before you buy, you will need to evaluate your choices based on some important criteria. These criteria are sure to influence your final choice.
Skin Type
The best thing about products in the beauty and cosmetics field is that they take into consideration of the skin type when they make their products. For dry skins, staying hydrated is much more important. That is why it is recommended to use water-based creams to treat acne.
Oily skins need to avoid creams that produce sebum. It is best they go for gel toners or lotions as they are non-comedogenic and are light too. For sensitive skins, their best option is a hypoallergenic product that would soothe the skin when used and prevent inflammation.
Acne Severity
Acne severity is in grades or levels that range from mild to severe. Treatments like toners, exfoliants, cleansers, or gels can be used to treat mild and moderate forms of acne. For best results, you can pair the treatments with one another.
For moderate to severe, you can use prescribed medication from dermatologists. This requires using more aggressive active agents with keratolytic properties, antiseptic and antibacterial components too.
Composition
The composition of the acne products is important before you purchase any of the products. The effectiveness and results of the treatment are also influenced by the ingredients. To be sure that the formulation will not have severe side effects on the face, you have to be sure the components in the formula are the ones discussed in this article.
These components include azelaic acid, glycolic acid, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, or niacinamide. The treatment will also contain as little fat as possible. If there is too much sebum in the skin, the acne will become much worse. And finally, make sure you are not allergic to any of the ingredients in the formula.
Summary
The effects of acne on the face are experienced by millions of people in the world. It can range from simple skin inflammation to severe acne that needs to be medically treated. So as there are types of acne, there are also different ways to treat them. Cosmetic treatment is the use of gel, creams, or lotion to reverse the effects of acne on the face.
If you have mild to moderate acne, you can try the topical treatments and also keep good hygiene to get your skin smooth and fresh and back to the way it was once.
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