Monday, December 24, 2007

Adult Acne Attacks

You'd think your acne problems would be over once you hit your twenties. You'd think that you've endured the last zit on your face when you graduate from college only to wake up to a big red bulge on the day of your first job interview. Surprise! There is such a thing as adult acne.

Adult acne can afflict 25% of all adult males and 50% of all adult females. In fact, adult acne can occur well over the age of 30 or 40 and beyond. Adult acne is more common than what most people think and because it is an unrecognized problem, it can cause great emotional trauma. People tend to accept acne on teenagers but are less empathic when they see it on adults.

A pimple or what doctors refer to as a comedo, is at the center of an acne breakout. It is a plugged up canal filled with hair, an oily substance called sebum and dead skin cells that makes for a desirable environment for bacteria to grow. When this breaks the skin, we see it as blackheads. When it doesn't break the skin, we see it as whiteheads.

Now the most common misconception about acne is that it is caused by dirt or poor hygiene. This is simply not true. In fact, over washing of the infected area can cause dryness and most often result in more breakouts. Washing twice a day with a mild soap is what most doctors recommend.

Never, ever, squeeze or pop an acne spot. This will just push the bacteria deeper into the skin or break the cellular walls and spread the infection, making the acne grow bigger. Worst of all, it can lead to scarring. Doctors use a procedure called "acne surgery" which is essentially squeezing the pimple but using a special sterile equipment to prevent infection and scarring.

The treatment of adult acne doesn't differ much from teenage acne. In fact, most commercial products that you will find in your local drug store that has the active ingredient benzoyl peroxide will work on an adult acne breakout as well as it did when you were a teenager.

However, the latest breakthrough in acne treatment is the development of a topical of retinoic acid which is a kind of Vitamin A. This new treatment greatly reduces the irritation caused by acne and it is available in the new slow-release formula.

There are different types of acne and there is no one treatment that fights all the types so it is always recommended to see a dermatologist instead of trying out the multitude of pimple busting, zit zapping products available in your neighborhood drug store. In fact, with the right diagnosis of the kind of acne you have, a single prescription can quickly reduce your suffering.

That's not to say that commercial products are not effective however. But each product targets the different known causes for acne and sometimes you may need to use a combination of these products. These treatments include:

. Azelaic acid cream
. Alpha-hydroxy acids (including glycolic acid, lactic acid and gluconic acid)
. Benzoyl peroxide
. Topical antibiotics (gels, lotions and solutions)
. Antibiotic pills (haphazard use may lead to antibiotic resistance)
. Birth control pills for women
. Accutane or Sotret for severe acne (NOTE: Can cause birth defects so women who choose to use this treatment must be certain that they are not pregnant).

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Adult Acne During Pregnancy

When acne begins in the teenage years, the increase in androgens play a major role in its development. These hormones stimulate the sebaceous glands, enlarging them, and they respond by producing excessive oil that helps to promote the lesions of acne. The female hormone, estrogen has an opposite effect and tends to curb acne.

Adult acne may be related to the ingestion of external hormones and drugs that have androgenic effects such as those contained in certain oral contraceptive medications, food products and performance enhancing drugs. For women, it is common to seen little red bumps that appear on a monthly basis. These red bumps will appear, disappear and reappear like clockwork during the menstrual cycle. These pimples tend to pop up right before your period, which is the time when estrogens levels fall and progesterone levels rise and stimulate the sebaceous glands to produce extra oil.

Acne is a perfectly normal occurrence during pregnancy. There is no way to prevent it from developing during pregnancy but will most likely clear up and return to its natural pre-pregnancy state with time. Lesions during pregnancy are generally inflammatory in their appearance and typically take the form of papules, pustules and sometimes nodules.

Acne tends to be worse during the first trimester of pregnancy when the levels of these hormones are increasing. The progesterone is more androgenic than estrogen and causes the secretions of the skin glands to increase, which can lead to more acne. There are also possibilities when the sebaceous glands become really active during the first, second and third trimesters, causing even more frequent and serious breakouts.

If you are planning to get pregnant, are pregnant or undergoing breastfeeding; it is best to discuss any acne treatments with the dermatologist or health care provider first. Some of the medications that are safely used to treat acne when one is not pregnant may be potentially harmful to a developing fetus. The best thing to do will be to not take any unnecessary drugs. The baby should be the first concern and it is very crucial to minimize any potentially harmful agents that might reach the baby. The most advisable method to treat acne during these times is with a tropical acne-fighting preparation.

For more information on Acne Treatment, Acne Skin Care or Acne Remedies, you can visit this site: All You Need to Know About Acne

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

ADULT ACNE FACTS

You just turning 30 and a prophetic morning, you look in the mirror and you see something in your face, something familiar that you thought you had put behind you. As traumatic as it was in their teenage years, acne can be as traumatic or more for an adult. But do not worry because you are not alone.

Acne is a condition of the gland sebaceous at any cost if you are a teenager or an adult. These glands produce an oily substance called sebum and also joined in the hair follicles. When the hair follicle gets trapped inside with sebum and dead skin cells, it creates an environment for bacteria to grow leading to the formation of acne lesions.

The adult acne is not as uncommon as you think. In fact, one in five women between the age of 25 and 40 suffer from adult acne. When acne returns to pave after several years of retreat, it may be because one of the following reasons:

1. Repetition simple. Especially if you have acne during adolescence.

2. Hormonal Imbalance - eg pregnancy.

One fact about acne is that usually begins with blackheads. Blackheads really is not dirt but a shin that had broken the skin. The exposed turned black because of the pigment and skin exposure to air. The red pimples are blackheads that have been inflamed. Whiteheads is the pimples that have not broken the skin and have been infected, and the milky white substance.

So, how you banish blackheads? In a word, gently. People tend to scrub too hard, which can cause inflammation. You can also use the shells commercially available skin that the blackheads.

Another fact is that there is no cause for acne. There are several known factors that can lead to the formation of acne for women. These are: stress, bad cosmetics, hormones and medications. Tensione has been known to cause breakdowns probably because hormonal imbalance can trigger or because their oil glands to overcompensate. Ill cosmetics can lead to the pores of bacteria-cargado. The hormonal imbalance cause the gland sebaceous to overact. The medication can induce acne as pills or birth control medicine containing lithium and iodine.

A common misconception is that food such as nuts, cheese and chocolate can cause a breakdown. Mana this is not true. While eating the right kind of food can presumably help reduce the risk of a breakdown, but it was not shown to be entirely true either.

Some acne occurs during adulthood can be difficult to treat, especially when there are multiple repetitions. It is also important to know that some acne lesions are not at all. Apparently acne may occur but in fact it's a condition of the skin that resembles only folliculitis called acne. The folliculitis occurs when hair follicles become infected and inflamed. This requires a different type of acne treatment.

If you have never had acne and he has appeared this is the first time during adulthood, then be examined by a dermatologist to find the underlying cause.