All posts in Health and Fitness

Acne can be likened to a lion who strikes after observing a calf with a bad limp. Acne is an opportunistic attacker. If acne fought you in a boxing match, it would in fact hit you while you were down. It shows up when the internal environment of the body becomes sufficiently prone and vulnerable to attack.

Under the right conditions, acne will slip into the doorway unannounced. Quality water will keep acne on the outside looking in. Drink plenty of water in your battle with acne.

Let’s face it, even in the absence of scientific evidence, a major clue of the importance of water to our survival stems from the fact that water makes up two thirds of the body. Hint-hint! Water will greatly improve your ability to fight off and resist acne.

By the way, busy day at work today? So busy that you didn’t even pause to gulp down a drink of water? When you neglect to drink, the water in your body decreases, causing a decrease in your blood volume. When your blood volume decreases to a dangerous level, the thirst control center in your brain, the hypothalamus, gets triggered into action. Ever find yourself overcome by that “thirsty feeling?” That’s the hypothalamus demanding that you quench the bodies thirst.

Consider this fact… a very important point. Whenever you get that “thirsty feeling” you’re already dehydrated. Here’s why you need to be aware of this important point. You tend to only drink enough to “quench your thirst.” But you really need to drink much more in order to increase your blood volume. So, if you’re thirsty, drink lots and lots of water.

Acne assails the skins of millions of people across the world. And all of them begin with a comedo, which develops as a result of clogged pore. A comedo actually remains there under the skin for quite some time without creating any problem. When the conditions are right and bacterial infection takes place, it develops into an inflamed lesion. Oil is continuously produced by the skin, which makes the bacteria to flourish better and the problem aggravates further. At the same time the skin around the affected part wages a war against the infection which makes it even more painful for the sufferer.

There are two broad categories of acne: Inflammatory Acne and Non-Inflammatory Acne. Among the inflammatory kind, the mildest ones are papules. These are pink, small bumps on the skin and can be rather tender to touch. Much like papules are the pustules. The only difference being that they are inflamed and pus-filled. The inflammation in pustules is not caused by bacteria but by irritation due to the presence of sebum and its component, like fatty acids.

Cysts are another kind of inflammatory acne. But they are far more painful kind, as they are large, filled with pus and lodged deep in the skin. Nodules are like cysts but are the most severe form of acne. They spread in a larger area and are deeply inflamed. They may take weeks and even months to disappear. Cysts and nodules may leave scars behind.

Non-inflammatory acne may occur in the form of whiteheads or blackheads. Whiteheads are plugged follicles under the skin surface while blackheads appear on the skin surface. The black appearance of blackheads is not due to the presence of bacteria but due to the presence of melanin. The non-inflammatory kind of acne is not painful though they look very ugly and that’s the worst part about them.

As someone who has personally suffered through acne troubles myself, I know from experience that it’s important to know all of your options when you are waging the great war against your acne. You want to have every advantage when waging this war because if you don’t then your acne will win. I speak of this as a battle because for all intents and purposes it is. You are fighting a skin condition that can either get worse and take over your skin or you can treat it and get it cured which is obviously the ideal situation.

Nodular acne does not present like other forms of acne. Most people who have nodular acne don’t fully realize what skin condition they have and they just shrug it off as normal acne and attempt to treat it as such, however you cannot do this. If you try to cure nodular acne like any other type of acne, such as acne vulgaris or cystic acne, then you will fail miserably. You do not want to be wasting your time trying to treat one condition when you have another.

Nodular acne is a very serious skin condition and it’s critical that you know the symptoms before you can begin to treat. Nodular acne is often times painful and presents on various parts of the skin as lesions and may closely resemble cystic acne. The typical topical and oral medications used in treating acne vulgaris do not apply when going about treating nodular acne, it is a more resistant type that needs special attention and you must get advice from your dermatologist right away before taking action on your own. Your skin is a very important part of your body and deserves close attention, especially when confronted with such a serious condition as nodular acne which left untreated can develop into something much worse.

If you occasionally get one pimple, it is like occasionally getting one mosquito bite. It is sufficient to put a little cream on the red bump when it shows up. However, if you are prone to acne, it is more like your home is infested with an entire swarm of starving mosquitoes. It is no longer sufficient to treat only the bite because you are going to keep getting bitten over and over again. In this case, you must treat the bite AND kill the mosquitoes before they ever bite you. Similarly, if you are prone to acne, you must treat the pimples as they appear AND treat the underlying conditions that cause them.

To carry this analogy one step further; even if you kill all of the adult mosquitoes, new eggs will hatch tomorrow and they will keep biting you. To solve the problem once and for all you must declare war on the mosquitoes! Kill the eggs. Kill the larva. Kill the pupa. Kill the adults. And treat your existing bites.

Similarly, to successfully treat your acne you must declare war on pimples! This means you must follow a treatment regimen that attacks the outbreak at every stage of its life cycle. The acne “egg” starts with the overproduction of oil (sebum). This process leads to pores getting clogged, bacteria growing, your immune system over-reacting and finishes with an exaggerated inflammatory response which are pimples.

The only effective way to break the cycle is to follow a treatment protocol that simultaneously treats the oil, clogs, bacteria and inflammation. The steps outlined below combat acne in all of its life stages. They are designed to treat your existing pimples as well as break the life cycle of future breakouts.

The Battle Plan:

Start by washing your face with a good cleanser. This will wash away excess oil (sebum), and kill bacteria. Take care in selecting your cleanser and ALL products that contact your skin. Many (most) products contain ingredients that can clog your pores and make your acne worse! See the article “Are You Making Your Acne Worse? – Comedogenic Ingredients” see link available at the bottom of this article.

After washing, use a chemical exfoliating scrub. This product reduces clogged pores by removing layers of dead skin cells. The gritty portion of the scrub mechanically abrades the cells away. The chemical exfoliate, which is typically glycolic, salicylic, malic, citric or mandelic acid, “dissolves” the glue-like substance that binds the skin cells together.

Thoroughly rinse your face with Epsom salts dissolved in warm water. You can even apply a washcloth soaked in the Epsom salt solution on your face for several minutes. Allow the Epsom salts, which is actually magnesium sulfate, to be absorbed into your skin. This will reduce the inflammation, improve circulation and help flush toxins from the cells.

Finish by applying either a hydrating lotion or zinc oxide. The best hydrating lotions contain hyaluronic acid or hyaluronate. This is a water binding ingredient that hydrates without adding oil to the skin.

If you have cystic or inflamed acne, apply an ointment that contains at least 20% zinc oxide. The zinc will speed the healing and rebuilding of the skin and also protect against the spreading of the bacteria to other parts of your face.

You’ve probably been told a lot of things about how to clear up your acne, but it’s very important to know just what you can believe and what will really help you on your way to getting clear skin forever. You don’t have to live with your acne and this article will help you take back control over your own body and eliminate it from your skin once and for all. Once you have the proper and correct information, waging the war against acne is a lot easier.

One universal truth for every person who has problems with acne is that it’s absolutely critical to keep your skin clean. I’m not just talking about scrubbing with soap and water each night either. It’s a good place to start, but if you are planning on doing real damage to your acne, you will want to use a stronger more effective method of treatment, such as a topical treatment product. These skin care products are designed to destroy the bacteria and toxins that get down into the pores of the skin and cause your acne breakouts to occur.

Topical products are anything like a facial scrub, lotion, or cream that is used to moisturize or treat skin that has been effected by acne. You simple apply it to wherever acne is present on the body, usually the face, but acne can present virtually anywhere. Before you actually go out and buy one of these types of products, you will want to go on the internet and take a look at what other people have used to gain the upper hand over their condition. The last thing you want to do is end up wasting your time and money on a product that doesn’t work because you didn’t find out enough about it. There are too many companies out there that are ready and willing to take advantage of people who don’t know enough about acne treatment, so don’t let yourself be one.

The face mask against acne is not only a best cure of acne but it also cleans your skin pores and maintains the tightness and texture of skin. When you find the mask recipe that works well with your skin, it can help to clear and soothe your skin. Here I offer the most popular facial masks for skin with acne. Try one or several of these masks to see how your skin responds to the treatment. When you find a mask that your skin really seems to respond well to, try using it one or two times a week to see improvements.

Baking Soda Mask
There are only two ingredients in this homemade acne mask; one is baking soda and second is water. Make a mixture of baking soda and water, after washing your face with any cleaner; gently apply this mask on your skin. After applying the mask stay relax for up to 20 minutes. Then wash your face and you will feel the softness and clarity of skin. And if your skin feels good with this acne homemade mask treatment, try it twice a week to clean your acne.

Egg White Mask
This is simple and quite frugal. All you need to do is separate the yolk from the egg whites. Then whip the egg whites until it becomes soft and frothy. Apply it to your clean face (using clean hands). Leave on for approximately 20 minutes and wash off with warm water. If you are allergic from egg, then don’t use it.

Egg Yolk Mask
The use of vitamin A against acne scarring is best treatment, and the yolk of egg contains it. Simply whip the yolk of egg and apply it on your skin. Leave it to at least 20 minutes and relaxed your skin mussels. Then wash off.

Acne Tonic with Basil
To make this homemade face mask, you need 3 teaspoons of dried basil leaves and boiling water. Steep basil leaves in water for 10 to 20 minutes. Cool, then apply to face with a white cotton ball.

Sea Salt or Table Salt Mask
Swim in the ocean (or buy sea salt and make a mask). Or just gently wash with salt & water mixed.

Oatmeal Mask
Blend some oatmeal with water and gently spread it onto your skin. Leave it until it dries (10-15 minutes). This mask is gentle and safe.

Apple&Honey Acne Mask
You need 1 medium apple and 4 tablespoons honey. Mix together the grated apple and honey. Smooth over your clean skin and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Rinse gently with warm water and moisturize as usual. This mask is good for oily skin that has a tendency to break out.