Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Top Tips for Fighting Acne and Aging

Acne is bad enough during your teen years, but aging along with acne? No walk in the park. Here, top derms and estheticians tell you how to fight both issues at once.
Step 1: Learn what to avoid and why
Steer clear of products based in thick humectants like shea butter. "Fatty emulsifiers that are thick, heavy, oily or creamy can be comedogenic [clog pores], making breakouts more likely," says Annette King, Director of Training and Development for the International Dermal Institute. Noncomedogenic gel- or silicone-based products are best for your skin type. Also avoid products that list ingredients like SD alcohol and fragrance among their first ingredients. These are drying and can trigger oil production, says King.
Step 2: Check your skincare regimen
You've tried the gamut of over-the-counter "solutions" and had no luck? Skip ahead to step five to find out why and what you can do from there. If not, keep reading to find out what types of products you should and shouldn't be using.
Step 3: Treat acne at any age
Start with a daily cleanser that contains acne-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid. (Try AyurMedic Salicylic Wash, $25.) Follow with an oil-free moisturizer (like Kiehl's Sodium PCA Oil-Free Moisturizer, $17.50). If you're near 40, stick with a mostly age-fighting regimen and use a salicylic acid spot treatment night.
Step 4: Use acne-friendly aging tactics
If you see signs of aging all over, apply a firming serum or fluid that doesn't feel greasy or oily and lists anti-aging ingredients early in the ingredient list. (Look for retinol, which doubles as an acne treatment; peptides, which encourage cell turnover; and antioxidants like green tea and vitamins, which protect skin from environmental damage.)
Step 5: Spot treat partial signs of acne and aging
If you only see signs of aging around eyes or lips, use a gel or silicone product just in those areas. (Try Olay Age Defying Revitalizing Eye Gel, $9.99.) If you only see acne on certain areas, apply a clay-based mask once a week on those areas and wear an anti-aging mask on the rest of your face. (Try Dermalogica mediBac Clearing Sebum Clearing Masque with Dermalogica Age Smart Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque, each $40.)
Step 6: Consider a radical approach
If you've exhausted your skincare choices and still experience breakouts, consider more radical treatments (if they're in your price range). Chemical peels, light therapy, laser treatments and microdermabrasion series are alternatives to reducing non-cystic acne, signs of aging and acne scars. "I recommend Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and the [Candela] Smoothbeam laser ... a diode-based laser [for acne]," says dermatologist Dr. Kenneth Beer.
Step 7: Destress your skin
If radical treatments aren't for you but over-the-counter products still aren't helping, it's time to evaluate your stress level. Stress-related breakouts can appear either all over or, particularly later in life, concentrated in the chin or neck area. Spot treatment products (like Patricia Wexler M.D. Acnescription Overnight Acne Repair Lotion with Acnostat, $20) may help but you need to reduce your stress level to keep blemishes away completely. Try decreasing daily activities, taking yoga, setting aside quiet time, eating a nutritional diet and quitting smoking, drugs or alcohol. Your skin with thank you.
Step 8: Still having problems?
OK, you're relaxed and your skin is not responding to all the treatments you've tried. "If you have really red, pustular breakouts that linger or are very bothersome, your acne could be hormone-based," says King. "Hormones influence every reaction in our body." Now's when you see a doctor.
A dermatologist may recommend prescription topical like tretinoin or Retin-A, which treat acne and reduce discoloration and wrinkles, as well as oral antibiotics, which help minimize bacteria that grow into follicles and cause inflammation, says Beer. An endocrinologist can evaluate hormone levels and pinpoint imbalances that might be responsible for your breakouts. If you'd rather not take meds, consider seeing an acupuncturist who can recommend homeopathic treatments like teas, herbs and acupressure.
Step 9: If all else fails...
Embrace your skin. If you've tried many of the aforementioned levels of treatment and no one solution works long-term, fighting acne will likely be a constant battle for you. If that's the case, many women find that perfecting the application of mineral makeup and concealer can really help get them through the day.

Article source: http://sprightlylife.blogspot.com/2009/02/top-tips-for-fighting-acne-and-aging.html

How to Treat Acne with a Natural Acne Cure

How many treatments for acne have you tried so far? It’s a safe bet that none of them worked for you, or you wouldn’t be reading this article. I know the feeling of forever trying one product after another, hoping that one day you’ll finally get lucky and something will do the job at last. Fortunately, there is hope. Stick with me for a few minutes and I’ll tell you why none of the acne remedies you’ve tried so far has worked for you, and I’ll point you toward the best acne treatment for your particular situation.
If you want to understand why this approach to clearing up your zits can work so well when others failed, we need to move our focus away from acne. That may sound odd, but it’s not. Acne has multiple causes within your body, and the zits that appear on your skin are just symptoms of the underlying problems. So treating the pimples that have already broken out on your skin is only a short-term solution. Do that and you’re doing nothing to prevent future outbreaks. And preventing future outbreaks is the secret to finally clearing up your skin for good.
Some of the things known to cause acne are irritated skin, certain kinds of bacteria, clogged pores, skin glands that produce too much oil, and more. Worse, each factor can influence the others. It’s a twisted up mess. You can wash your face well enough to get rid of all the excess oil, but it will probably irritate your skin. Acne-causing bacteria make themselves right at home in pores that are clogged. And round and round it goes, with all the potential cause influencing each other, and no guarantee that if you clean up one, the others won’t just keep causing problems. If you’re going to finally get rid of your acne once and for all, you need to address all these issues together. That’s why simple treatments that just deal with the surface of your skin don’t do much.
The best acne treatment has to be a natural acne cure, something that treats all the major causes of acne at the same time, instead of playing catch-up by treating pimples once theyshow up on your face and skin. The best acne treatment should prevent you from getting acne in the future, and do it without the use of any expensive and powerful drugs. Remember, something natural, not something cooked up in a lab by a bunch of scientists.

Article source: http://fungrxringwormtreatment.com/how-to-treat-acne-with-a-natural-acne-cure

The Importance Of Getting The Best Acne Treatment

Acne is a condition that is manifested in the skin. This condition is not actually deadly or fatal but can lead to disfigurement of the face due to scars and blemishes if the case is extreme. There are several types of acne and the causes may be the same or different for each type. The most common type of effective acne treatment is the one called acne vulgaris. This type of skin condition is usually found in adolescents on the verge of puberty although there are cases of individuals who carry it well into adulthood.
Factors That Contribute To Acne Genetic structure is one thing that can dictate whether the individual is prone to acne or not. Those with high occurrence of family members with acne are more likely susceptible to the skin condition than others. The hormonal swings of puberty and menstruation are also factors that contribute to acne. Acne treatment for the different kinds of acne will depend on what causes the acne outbreaks.
Scars And Blemishes
Many individuals suffer from deep gouges and scars due to the occurrence of recurrent acne in their facial skin and other parts of the chest and back. Acne treatment is necessary to reduce the possibility of scars and marks that can mar the skin in the future. Since acne is a temporary occurrence for many individuals, acne treatment is a great preventive measure for blemished skin when acne goes away.
The best acne treatment can be hormonal pills or topical applications that will control the inflammation of the skin. The presence of the bacteria that is often the cause of recurring acne can also be eliminated by using topical antibiotics and other substances that can kill them. Practicing good hygiene is also another acne treatment that may work for those with not so severe cases of acne.
The top acne treatments for mild to moderate cases of acne is usually the application of topical benzoyl peroxide combined with the ingestion or application of corresponding antibacterial solutions. For more severe cases, a combination of hormonal pills along with antibacterial which are prescribed by a doctor nay be necessary. All of these should be accompanied by the right hygiene procedure in cleaning the skin.
Effective acne treatment is a great tool for building self confidence and self esteem for the individual. The individuals who suffer from severe and recurring acne often suffer from being self consciousabout their condition and the blemishes that come with it. Early and preventive acne treatment can help to reduce the possibility of the individual being meek and shy.

Article source: http://www.youwantanswers.net/2009/general/02/the-importance-of-getting-the-best-acne-treatment/