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8/23/2010

Distressed With Your Acne Problem? Determine Your Skin Type For The Best Acne Treatment!

Acne is the most common skin disease affecting a huge number of teenagers and adults today.
Acne most commonly affects the neck, face, shoulders, and upper back.
No matter whether you are a teenager or adult, there are thousands of acne treatment options to control your acne.
However, there is no best acne treatment that works effectively for everyone.
This is because everyone’s skin is unique. So, the best acne treatment for you depends only on your skin type.Best Acne Treatment
The skin type of yours can fall into one of the three categories: oily skin, dry skin, or combination skin. So, before finding the best acne treatment for you, identify your skin type.
The majority of people that suffer from acne have oily skin. You can determine your skin type as oily with these characteristics.
The face appears oily with open pores, the skin tends to be thicker, noticeable blackheads [Remove Blackheads] and breakouts due to blockage of pores with oil and t-zone area becomes oily very quickly after cleansing.
It is a common tendency of people that the best acne treatment for oily skin is to dry out the pores with the products that eliminates oil.
However, it is not the best acne treatment for oily skin because it makes oil glands go crazy in producing all the oil that was lost. Thus, oil production increases and the face becomes even oilier than before.
So, the best acne treatment for oily skin is to use an acne treatment product containing an oil free moisturizer. On the other hand, while using soaps or cleansers that contain no moisturizer, try to finish off your regular skin care by applying moisturizing cream (very lightly) to your face.
On the other hand, dry skin can be identified with the characteristics such as tight and dryness in the skin, absence of oil in the t-zone, skin appears dull and rough, and skin tends to be thin. [Dry Skin Care]
It is not that only oily skin can cause break outs (because of oil clogged pores); even dry skin can result in break outs with extreme dryness of the skin. Over dryness in the skin can make the skin get irritated easily and also cause blemishes.
The best acne treatment for the dry skin is a good moisturizer in addition to your acne skin care products. Remember that dry skin needs more moisturizer. So, apply moisturizer at least twice a day. However, always use oil-based moisturizer instead of oil free moisturizer.
The most confusing skin type is combination skin, as it can be normal/dry or normal/oily. A normal/dry skin shows noticeable blackheads on nose and chin, cheeks dryness, skin tightness, and limited oil in the t-zone whereas a normal/oily skin will have cheeks oily or dry, blackheads in the T-zone and the t-zone gets oil at the end of the day.
The best acne treatment for combination skin would be an oil free moisturizer with other acne skin care products. If cheeks are too dry, concentrate on applying more moisturizer to the dried area of your face.
Therefore, don’t lose your hopes, identify your skin type and follow the best acne treatment for you.
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7 Best Natural Ways To Heal Acne Scars

Acne is very difficult to deal with and the scars that acne caused can be quite a frustrating and embarrassing problem for any one.
Laser treatment can be helpful for eliminating embarrassing acne scars. But, not everyone can afford to have a laser treatment, so here is the good news for you. There are many ways to eliminate acne scars.
However, you will require lots of patience because it will consume some time to completely get rid off the scars and strong determination is required, followed by conscientious measurements to eliminate the acne scars .


acne scars

Natural ways to deal with acne scars

  1. Drink lots of water: Drinking water is one of the most recommended measures to reduce acne scars. It improves blood circulation in your body and increases the chance of wound-healing-ability to your body. So, you should drink at least 7 to 8 glasses of water everyday, each glass should be around 300ml.
  2. Apply honey: It is believed that honey is a great skin builder and wonderfully heals acne scars. You can directly apply honey to acne scars and leave it to settle for about 10 minutes. There after rinse your face with cold water.
  3. Eat tomatoes: Tomatoes are rich source of vitamin A and has excellent healing properties to reduce appearance of acne scars. You can eat fresh raw tomatoes everyday to help heal and decrease the appearance of acne scars.
  4. Apply Aloe Vera gel: Gel or juice of Aloe Vera is highly useful in fading of acne scars. You can grow Aloe Vera plant in your home and apply freshly taken pure Aloe Vera gel to your scar. Otherwise many branded cosmetic companies manufactures pure Aloe Vera gel, so you can choose the best cosmetic companies to get Aloe Vera gel.
  5. Drink lemon juice: Lemon essentially contains good amounts of citric acid, which is a part of AHAs group that has amazing properties to reduce acne scars. Drink lemon juice as often as possible or as much as you want to get rid of acne scars.
  6. Apply ice cubes: This is one of the easiest and simplest ways of healing acne scars. Even though it may not give you immediate results, regular application can give you effective results. Apply ice cubes on acne scars for at least 10 to 15 minutes everyday.
  7. Reduce stress level: Stress is one of the major causes for acne and it might also disable the healing process of acne. Try to stay away from stress as much as possible. If it is not possible for you, at least explore different stress management techniques to eliminate stress.
Apart from following these particular healing ways, limit your intake of alcohol drinks and include more healthy diet with lots of antioxidant diet along with fruits and vegetables to successfully get rid of acne scars.
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5 Easy Ways To Avoid Acne Scars

Acne scars can be considered as one bad dream from many people.
The pain and discomfort of having acne during the teenage or puberty years may be temporary and can be healed with treatment and time.
However, the scars brought by the acne can remain and become a bitter reminder of the past.
Not all outbreaks caused by acne can leave acne scars, usually these scars are due to the tissue damage which happen only when an infected acne lesion run deep under the skin’s surface.

Age, ethnicity and heredity are also determining factors when considering the extent of scarring that a person can have from acne.
Acne scars can be permanent and you cannot completely erase it, so it is imperative that you find ways to avoid getting them or minimize their appearance. If scars do happen, there are ways that you can do to lessen their size or appearance.
1. Do not prick or “pop” pimples.
Fight the urge to pop, squeeze or pop your pimples that come out on your face.   Doing this can push the infection deeper into the skin, spread the inflammation and even worsen the damage into the skin tissue.
Pricking, popping and squeezing may also cause the infection to spread to other areas of the face and even worsen the breakout. It is better to just let pimples heal naturally and avoid getting acne scars.
2. Prevent Inflammation
Inflamed pimples wounds are more likely to leave acne scars as this shows how the skin underneath is experiencing stress or the tissues are already damaged.
An inflamed condition shows dark red skin which is hot and painful. Always remember that a pimple is an irritation and it is essential that further irritation must be avoided.
Scrubbing or applying harsh ingredients which are not medically tested should be best avoided when dealing with pimples to avoid        acne scars.
3. Get treatment fast
Acne scars can be best avoided and fought if you seek treatment as soon as the acne comes out. Fighting the urge to prick or pop and keeping your hands off  your pimple until it heals does not mean that you cannot seek treatment[acne treatment] for it.
You can ask professionals to analyze your acne situation and to give you good advice for treatment management and better outcome.
4. Know if you are scarring-prone
The tendency to develop acne scars from lesions and wounds differ from one person to another. If you have scars from childhood accidents or if you notice that it takes a while for your skin to recover or heal from minor irritations, scratches or skin bites, then tell your dermatologist who is treating you for acne about it.
There are specific medications that can help prevent or lessen the possibility of scarring even for those who are prone to it.
5. Seek professional help
Acne can become deep cysts, large or involve extensive breakouts and you may feel feverish and unexplained pain. Nodules, deep cysts like-pimples as well as gnawing pain may indicate that your skin tissues are being destroyed.
This can easily lead to skin trauma and acne scars. Professional medical help is very  much needed when you are experiencing severe acne problems.
Professionals will have a thorough analysis of your symptoms for you to have an improved chance of recovery and prevention of acne scars.
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Abnormal Liver Function Causes Acne

Have you heard of the common belief that your hormonal imbalance is causing your severe acne eruptions? Well, there is truth to that and in fact your liver plays an important role in it. It is wrong to just manage the symptoms of acne without finding the root cause of the problem.
The liver’s major responsibility is to store carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and blood products; it also plays a vital role in the metabolism of carbohydrates, protein and fats, transforming ammonia to urea, to be excreted out of the urine; it also synthesizes the secretion of water daily and most importantly it detoxifies drugs, bacteria and hormones.
acneThe liver however, when burdened with demanding tasks, exposed to air and water pollutants, toxic materials from tobacco and medicines, too much alcohol, poor diet and severe stress, can malfunction and send wrong signals and create a hormonal imbalance in your body.
When that happens, toxins and waste products of the body’s metabolism begin to accumulate and are manifested in your skin.
This is what happens during puberty, when the rapid growth and metabolism results to overwhelming accumulation of waste products and an increased sebum glands activity.
When the liver fails to neutralize the toxins and regulate the hormones, two things may happen; it is either stored in its own liver cells or they are re-routed to be stored in different organs, tissues and the entire skin of the body resulting to more serious problems, and one of them is severe acne.
One major complication of a malfunctioning liver is its failure to produce bile, which is very important in fat metabolism, and when this happens, a person suffers from constipation adding up to the presence of an already increased level of toxin.
To prevent this from happening, a daily liver cleanse is necessary, just like a car that needs a regular tune up and a house needing regular cleaning; the liver also needs to be kept in tip top shape to keep it functioning at its maximum level.
To do this here are 5 easy steps to follow in liver detox:
Step 1
You should decide how long you plan to do your liver detox, it could be from 5 days to 30 days the most. But the best way is to do it daily by making the right food choices.
Step 2
Stick to a diet with loads of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds during your detox. These are foods that are easy to digest and are rich in fiber needed to cleanse the digestive system and the liver.
Step3
Have a regular exercise schedule and stick to it during your detox. Exercise promotes blood circulation in all areas of the body, helping speed up the detoxification and promoting the healing process.
Step 4
You may take recommended herbal supplements to improve your liver function and give your immune system its needed boost. Some of the herbs include Burdock Root, Dandelion Roots, and Red Clover.
Step 5
Drink at least 10 to 12 glasses of water. This is a must, as this will help flush out all the bad bacteria and toxins from your body.
Remember, that a healthy functioning liver will keep your hormones balanced and help you keep away from unwanted acne.
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Caring For Your Skin At Any Age

We've become a society obsessed with our looks. It's been noted that we spend more on beauty products in the west than we do on education.

Why are we so obsessed? Because good skin care and looking younger is easier and more affordable than ever before. We know more about the skin today than we ever did. There are advanced skin care products that can erase years, and of course, plastic surgery and botox treatments have become safer and are becoming cheaper.

Are we justified in our obsession?

They say that beauty is only skin deep, and while I believe this to be true it's also important to do what feels right for you. If keeping up appearances gets you through the day then, by all means, that's what you need to do, however I'm not a fan of going under the knife. With the huge advances made in skin care products today, I'd much prefer taking the less invasive route.

Here's a few age related tips and remedies that will help boost your skin's appearance at any age without needles or knives.

20 Something
Your skin is at its peak of beauty in your twenties, however nurture its beauty with daily sun protection and always use at least an SPF 30 sunscreen. Of course this should continue at any age.

Avoid oily makeup and coverups. Use an oil free moisturizer every day. This is also a good time to begin using an eye cream under the eye area at night.

Try using products that contain green tea which have shown to help reduce the risk of skin cancer.

30 Something
Your 30's is when your skin is beginning to become a bit drier and sun damage may begin to appear. It's time to start using thicker moisturizing creams so as to lock in high contents of moisture. Continue with eye creams at night and use your sunscreen religiously. Also, skin bleaching products may need to be used to diminish dark spots from sun damage.

Hint: Put your moisturizer on over damp skin. This helps lock in more moisture.

40 Something
It's time to kick it up another notch. Your forties is when your skin loses much of it tightness. It may begin to look dull and your pores may become larger. Blotches, freckles, age spots, discoloration, and changes in skin color may become much more visible. Retinoids, anti-oxidants and alpha hydroxy acids can improve the look of your skin and your 40's would be a good time to begin using them. Of course it's essential that you continue using a thick moisturizer and eye serums on a daily basis.

Home microdermabrasion kits are also an option that can result in a smoother more even appearing skin texture and tone while rejuvenating your skin's texture and color.

50 Something
Changes in your skin have reached high gear. Menopause has assisted in the loss of Estrogen which is what has given your skin its elasticity and kept it hydrated, however since those estrogen levels have diminished, you will begin seeing wrinkles form around your eyes, drooping eyelids and expression lines around the mouth and forehead.

Begin using anti-aging or wrinkle reducing formulas such as vitamin A (Retinol) or Glycolic acid products. Retin A has proven to reduce fine lines and wrinkles while improving skin texture, skin tone and color, as well as your skin's hydration levels.

Glycolic acid will trigger new formation of collagen to plump cells and reduce wrinkles on the skin’s surface. Postmenopausal women can also use a cream containing progesterone that may improve skin elasticity and firmness.

60 Something
By age 60 all types of collagen are significantly below their youthful levels. There are, however wonderful hydrating creams that contain Alpha Hydroxy acids (Glycolic acids), soy, green tea and retinol (vitamin A) which your skin will need now that it is drier and showing major signs of age. The alpha Hydroxy acids will help reduce droopy skin and the retinol will reduce your fine lines.

60 Plus
Your skin's texture will become visibly less smooth and you will most likely begin to see age spots. You'll appreciate the early care you've given to your skin because the signs of aging will be minimal, however, if you haven't started early you'll clearly notice the effects of neglect.

While it's never too late to take care of your skin the damage you already have will be difficult to reduce without special medical treatments such as botox or perhaps cosmetic surgery. All the above should continue to be applied but it is wise to consult your physician on advanced treatments.

If you're haven't yet reached 60, the best skin care advice is to follow a good skin care regimen at an early age. It's an easy habit to get into and best of all, you'll thank yourself later.
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