Causes Of Adult Acne

June 23rd, 2010

causes adult acneWhat are the Causes of Adult Acne?

Regardless of age, acne is a condition of the sebaceous glands. These glands are attached to hair follicles and produce an oily substance called sebum. An acne lesion forms when a hair follicle becomes plugged with sebum and dead cells. The pathogenic (disease-causing) events in the sebaceous glands are believed to be due in large degree to changes in levels of androgenic (male) hormones in the body—a circumstance usually associated with the growth and development that occurs between the ages of 12 and 21. Therefore, it is important to look for an underlying cause of acne that occurs for the first time in adulthood.

Acne that appears after 25 to 30 years of age occurs for one of these reasons:

   1.    Recurrence of acne that cleared up after adolescence

   2.   Flare-up of acne after a period of relative quiet—for example, during pregnancy

   3.   Occurs for the first time in a person who had never previously had acne.

Acne that appears for the first time in adulthood should be examined by a dermatologist who can investigate the underlying cause. Some causes of adult acne are:

    *   Medication. Some medications that can induce acne include anabolic steroids (sometimes used illegally by athletes to “bulk up”), some anti-epileptic medications, the anti-tuberculosis drugs isoniazid and rifampin, lithium and iodine-containing medications.

    *   Chronic physical pressure on the skin. Chafing from the straps of a backpack or tucking a violin between the jaw and chin can cause chronic physical pressure on the skin and may induce a condition known as acne mechanica.

    *   Chlorinated industrial chemicals. These may induce the occupational skin disorder known as chloracne.

    *   Metabolic conditions. Changes in the hormonal balance, such as those brought about by pregnancy, menstruation or hormonal abnormalities can induce acne.

It is also important to know that some lesions which appear to be acne are not acne at all. One skin condition that resembles acne is folliculitis, which occurs when the hair follicles become infected and inflamed. Folliculitis requires different treatment than acne.

Acne that occurs in adulthood may be difficult to treat if there are multiple recurrences. Some patients with severe recurrent acne have undergone repeated courses of treatment with the potent systemic drug isotretinoin.

Since the causes of adult acne may be difficult to treat, acne that appears for the first time in adulthood should be examined and treated by a dermatologist.
 

Best Products For Acne Treatment

June 23rd, 2010

acne treatmentAcne is a problem that is more than skin deep.  The best treatment for acne will involve nutrition and herbs both internally and externally.  In addition to these two elements, the control of acne requires thorough, gentle cleansing.  Therefore, there are three steps to beautiful clear skin – internal treatment, external treatment, and cleansing.

The best internal acne treatment will be one that contains herbal medications.  These require no prescription.  Many other medications for acne control do require a prescription, and can only be used for severe cases. In addition, many of these prescription medications have serious side effects.  Some, like Accutane, have been found to cause depression, and even suicide.  Herbs, on the other hand, are natural, gentle, and effective.

The external part of a good acne control system must have certain characteristics as well.  For one thing it needs to not be a drying formula, and yet it needs to control the oil in your skin.  It should be able to  be used on either a severe case or a mild case.  It should contain botanical ingredients that heal and strengthen the cellular structure of your skin.  The cleanser should remove extra sebum, the natural oil in your skin, which contains the bacteria that cause acne.

The other part of a good quality acne control system is a lotion or gel to treat the blemishes after cleansing the face.  This product should be able to unplug the pores.  It also should fight the bacteria that causes acne.  It should also be formulated with a transdermal delivery system so that the helpful, natural ingredients are absorbed into the skin thoroughly.

Why do you get acne?  The actual outer layer of skin is dead, but under this thin layer called the epidermis, the cells are alive and multiplying.  Normally your skin is shedding the old cells and replacing them with new ones.  The problem happens when too many dead skin cells clump together with the natural skin oils, called sebum, and cause the pores to get clogged.

Acne is a skin disorder that actually starts two or three weeks before the blemish appears.  The beginning is the clogging of the pore.  The natural bacteria that live on the skin begin to multiply inside the pore since the excess oils can’t get out.  Since the body is fighting bacteria, white blood cells arrive on the scene, and inflammation is the result.

Obviously, frequent cleansing is an important step in acne control, since the extra skin cells and oils need to be removed in order to keep them from clogging the pores in the first place.  But washing too often can be drying to the skin.  For these reasons, skin cleansers need to be very gentle. Use these methods for acne treatment.

The Best Acne Treatments For Teenagers

June 22nd, 2010

There are several criteria for acne treatments for teenagers. Number one – they must have a high rate of success. Two, they should be simple to use. And number three, they must be safe for your skin, preferably good for sensitive skin.

Preferably, they should also be fast acting. And low cost. Teens and parents should not have to spend hundreds on dermatologists and facial peels.

There are two systems that I think qualify for serious consideration for those seeking acne treatments for teenagers.

The first was created by a Board Cerified Plastic and Reconstructive surgeon, Dr Beckman. He has a background in chemistry as well as 24 years of experience in plastic surgery, where he developed expertise in the principles of skin restoration. He has developed a two step system, which is by its nature simple to follow.

The first step is an antimicrobial wash that gets rid of 99.9% of all bacteria on the skin’s surface for up to 12 hours. This reduces the chance for infection to occur, and many people using his system have found that even if they were on oral antibiotics or accutane that this alone was able to help prevent future acne outbreaks. This cleanser is also excellent for removing dirt and oily deposits on the skin.

The next step is a topical medication designed to encourage the skin’s natural process of exfoliation. This treatment contains salicylic acid and lactic acid, which remove dead skin cells and oily plugs from the sebaceous glands to prevent acne by unclogging pores. Lactic acid encourages the growth of new collagen and elastin, whilst restoring the skin’s natural PH balance.

This acne treatments for teenagers system has been used by people with all types of acne – from mild to severe cystic acne. It is 100% effecive on people with Grades 1 & 2 acne, 80-90% successful with Grades 3 acne, and very effective in controlling new breakouts with Grade 4 acne sufferers. Users on prescription medications like accutane were able to cut back on their dosage or stop using it altogether.

In a study of high school and college students over 12 weeks, all participants had some degree of improvement, and most improvements were within a two week period. So the Reversion system is fast acting. Grades 1 & 2 acne sufferers achieved total control of their acne, and Grades 3 & 4 achieved dramatic improvements.

Click Here to Buy or Find out more about Reversion’s acne treatments for teenagers

The next system of acne treatments for teenagers that I recommend is by Zen Med. Theirs is a 3 step system, with a little bit of a different approach to Reversion. They have two topical applications like Reversion, a cleanser and an acne treatment medication. But they also have herbal acne supplements included in the package.

This is an important part of the treatment, and one of the reasons they have such a high success rate with many people’s acne clearing up for good. The Zen Med system was developed using the 3000 year plus expertise of Traditional Chinese Medicine, combined with modern therapeutics. Theirs is an all natural, all herbal preparation that works on mild to severe acne. It does not contain drugs and there are no side effects.

Many people who tried traditional prescription medication but did not achieve satisfactory results on these were very happy with what the Zen Med system did for their skin. One of the big pluses in this acne treatments for teenagers is that most people using it stopped their acne at the source within 1 to 3 months – this is not a treatment that you will have to be using for the rest of your life.