Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Types Of Acne Care That You Can Live With

Acne care is a big business, and one that can be frustrating for people who suffer from severe acne. What cure might work for the average person might not work for an individual with cystic acne. Acne scars run much deeper than the surface of the skin too. Chronic acne can batter a person's self-esteem and greatly alter the way other people react to him or her.

While acne care for people with mild to moderate acne is not usually a terrible enigma, people with cystic acne, considered the worst type of acne, can be very difficult.  For individuals that consistently develop cystic acne lesions or have lesions that will not go away, the majority of over-the-counter acne medications have little effect.  In this event, the help of a dermatologist is usually needed. 

Depending on the severity of your acne, your complexion and how oily your skin is, a dermatologist has a wide variety of acne care options to control cystic acne or even remove acne scars.  Oral medications are the oldest type of treatment for severe acne, but many of these medications are very harsh and have some very undesirable side effects.  If a dermatologist does suggest an oral acne medication, you should inquire to the side effects and possible alternatives. 

Lasers are becoming a more common solution for severe acne care.  Lasers can even be used to remove acne scars, if used properly.  However, an inexperienced laser operator can cause permanent scarring. 

There are two types of lasers used to treat acne, called ablative and nonablative lasers.  Ablative lasers are the oldest type and the most potentially dangerous.  Both types of lasers shrink the oil glands, which slows oil production and prevents acne breakouts, but ablative lasers destroy the outermost layer of your skin.  This causes the area treated by ablative lasers to be very red, sensitive and painful until the skin fully heals.  Because the scar tissue is destroyed, the skin that grows back will lack acne scars or wrinkles. 

Nonablative lasers, on the other hand, do not harm the outer layer of skin, but get rid of acne scars by stimulating collegen growth.  However, nonablative lasers, because they are gentler, require multiple treatments, while ablative lasers only require a single treatment. 

Many acne care products on the market will claim to eliminate acne scars, but keep in mind that scar reduction is not always guaranteed. One product that has many people reporting a decrease in scarring from acne is Azelaic acid, which comes in the form of a moisturizer. While it does not work for all individuals, Azelaic acid can be helpful to many people.

A professional dermatologist best treats chronic cystic acne. The acne may not be completely eliminated, but a dermatologist can help you to keep it under control. Severe acne is bad enough, and the risk of scarring makes it worse. Rather than wait until scars occur and search for treatment, it is a better idea to treat cystic acne early.


What are the mental effects of acne?

Acne may show a body's failure to properly deal with hormonal changes. Acne can indicate that a person is not dealing with stress effectively. It may be evidence of a potentially serious allergic reaction to a medication or other element. It is not these effects of acne that tend to do the most damage, though.

More than a health issue, acne is known causing people (mainly teens) a sense of shame and embarrassment. Acne is falsely associated with being unclean. Clear, healthy skin is associated with cleanliness, while severe forms of acne are often believed to be the result of sanitary neglect. Not only that, acne can be ugly and turn people away. Most people who experience severe acne are emotionally scarred by the social rejection, leading to adolescent emotional insecurity and a sense of self-doubt. Because of this, acne should be treated as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. 

Isn't it true that staying clean helps prevent acne?

It is always better to rid your skin of toxins and dirt that accumulate during your normal routine. So yes, to some extent, it is true that washing skin can help prevent or decrease acne. Acne is a chemical matter, and it is something that occurs beneath the surface of the skin more so than on the skin itself. Both daily cleansing and care of one's skin will help reduce the bacteria that rests on the skin, but they cannot lessen the testosterone levels beneath the surface of the skin that help produce acne.

Understanding this basic fact should help reduce some of the stigma attached to acne. It should also allow people who suffer from acne to take some comfort in knowing that they are not necessarily less clean than others. The truth is that they have very little control over what is going on beneath their skin.


To learn more go to How To Cure Acne and at Clearlight Acne Treatment also Proactiv Acne Treatment

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