Acne Cures Don’t Exist
Acne is tough to deal with. It may be even tougher for parents to see their children deal with it, than it is for their teen or young adult to suffer from it. Many people go to great lengths to try and stop acne once they have experienced an early life onset. There are more acne medications, and over the counter acne remedies than a person could shake a stick at, and most of it is made up of similar ingredients, all claiming that it will leave skin clean, clear and as youthful as the models and actors on the commercials.
After hundreds of dollars are spent on a variety of acne face washes, toners, astringents and spot creams and leave on day/night creams it becomes obvious that acne just doesn’t go away. And there is an easy explanation as to why it won’t just go away: There is no cure for acne.
Like great athletes on the court or field, their opponents don’t plan to stop them, they work to contain them. That’s how acne should be viewed. It can be contained, managed and even prevented to a certain extent, and for any teen suffering from acne, and the parents who are suffering with them, some control over acne can certainly seem like a huge victory in the realm of adolescence and skin care.
How to Properly Treat Acne
It is interesting to consider that acne is more commonly experienced in “the Western world.” Theories abound due to this fact—everything from diet to heredity. Regardless of why the Americas and western European nations tend to experience more cases of acne related skin problems, there is one thing we know for certain: Acne develops the same way in all skin: A combination of bacteria from the skin’s surface, dead skin cells shedding and sebum from the sebaceous gland.
When combined, they’ll clog the skin’s sebaceous gland, hair follicles and the pores. Once this occurs, and acne inflammation develops. When the pore is open, air will reach the clogged substance creating a blackhead. When the pore is only in the form of a tiny, microscopic opening, it becomes a whitehead. When the inflammation happens deeper in the skin, it often results in more severe acne known as cystic or nodular.
Developing a Skin Care Regimen
The first thing that should be developed as an acne treatment is a consistent skin care regimen: Everyone should have one once they’ve reached adolescence–boys, girls, men and women. The skin is the body’s largest organ, and needs to be respected as such. It needs to be properly cared for to function as it’s meant to.
Exfoliating the skin on a daily basis with a mild exfoliant face wash is a great way to start. This will help aid the skin in its natural shedding process. It will promote healthy skin cell growth. It will also help to keep the dead skin cells away from the pores and out of the interior hair follicle. Natural substances such as salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide will help in this process.
Benefits of Benzoyl Peroxide
In terms of benzoyl peroxide, most people misuse this natural peroxide compound. Most often, it is used to spot treat acne. To be wholly effective, benzoyl peroxide needs to be used liberally, across all acne prone areas, including the entire face. By using it in this manner, it will help to destroy acne causing bacteria while cleansing pores on the entire face. When used regularly, it will also help to even the complexion due to its natural bleaching agents.
The only drawback of benzoyl peroxide is the fact that it is a drying agent. It helps to apply a moisturizer after an application of benzoyl peroxide has dried. Also, acne remedies such as benzoyl peroxide should never be used around the skin of the eyelids. The skin is so thin, it simply can’t handle the intense nature of acne treatment products.
Finally, there’s certainly nothing wrong with visiting a dermatologist about acne issues. In fact, for moderate to severe acne, especially cystic acne, a consultation with a dermatologist is highly recommended. They can help identify some contributing variables to an individual’s acne while outlining an effective course of treatment.