December 29th, 2009
We all want a clear definition of everything. We want to know exactly what acne is, and we want to know therefore how we can treat it. Because after all, we can really address things that we can understand. The first thing that you should realize right off the bat is the fact that there is no known cause of acne. We have a number of things that contribute to acne such as cleanliness, diet, stress, hormones, and various other factors. But there is no known and established cause.
However, if defining acne, acne is the clogging of the pores with oil and dead skin cells. The more these dirts and oils accumulate in the pores, the worse the clogging gets, leading to inflammation and redness for many people as well as whiteheads and blackheads.
Outside of that, more than 50% of women and 25% of men suffer from acne at any given time. Most have to suffer from it at some point in their lifetimes, but not at others. And while women’s acne tends to last longer, men’s acne tends to be more severe when they suffer it.
Acne is strongly related to hormones, meaning that while men generally see their highest influx of hormones in their teen years, women can have renewed breakouts during teen years, pregnancies, menopause, and various other times. However, it is again related to various different causes and other factors. We simply define acne as the red bumps we see, the black dots, and the clogging and inflammation related to it.
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October 1st, 2009
Microdermabrasion for acne treatment is a popular concept. One of my college roommates was on the train, because while she had tried every conventional acne treatment out there, microdermabrasion was the only thing that worked. She talked about how soft her skin felt afterward, and I’ll be honest, it didn’t look that different afterward. But she was of course pleased, and she would go to the local beauty college and essentially get it for half price, which is never actually a bad thing.
This in mind, when you look at microdermabrasion, it works by sweeping away several layers of skin cells from your skin. I’m not sure I have that many layers! But according to theory, it stimulates the skin to heal itself at an accelerated rate and make more skin cells at an accelerated rate, this leading to a reduction in scars, wrinkles, acne, the like.
I can see it for acne. Microdermabrasion for acne treatment could work because much of it happens because your pores are clogged by dead skin cells. Once you sweep away the entire epidermis pretty much, do you really think those cells are going to be clogging the pores? But also, when it sweeps those out, it’s not like it leaves bacteria, oils, and other things trapped in the pores sticking out. It likewise sweeps those away.
It’s one of those things to BE CAREFUL BEFORE YOU GET MICRODERMABRASION! Not everybody is ready for it, equipped for it, not every skin type would appropriately use it. But this being said, realistically speaking, if you have the toughness for it and moreover if you take the time and effort to use sunscreen and otherwise protect your skin, it can be quite helpful.
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September 30th, 2009
Sunscreen makes acne worse, yes you heard right. It doesn’t do this in every case, but that’s why it’s extremely important to actually make sure that you are getting the right ingredients, the right combinations, etc in any given sunscreen. With this in mind, you can look into all the problems and good associated with sunscreen.
First of all, if you get the wrong sunscreen, the given reaction is that sunscreen can cause allergic reactions. Allergic reactions will happen with any given product for the wrong person. So this isn’t a horrible thing. But you are more likely to be allergic to many of the substances, preservatives, scents, and other ingredients found in sunscreen.
Second, you can actually of course as we mentioned above have sunscreen make acne worse. Again with preservatives and ingredients such as PABA, it could easily block pores, keep things like bacteria and oils in on a more regular basis, and while it’s keeping the sun out, it’s also keeping everything else in. They also tend to use mineral oils and other harmful and heavy oils that tend to be too heavy.
Finally, it can cause eye irritation. Hopefully we’re always careful to keep any given substance out of our eyes, because the eyes are extremely sensitive. But with sunscreen, it is actually worse for the eyes even than most other substances, and it can cause irritation by just being anywhere near them. So this is definitely something to consider when you are checking out your sunscreen of choice.
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September 29th, 2009
If you want to heal zits fast, it can of course be a complicated thing. We are an impatient breed of people, and we want everything done now. This being said, the best way to get rid of acne sometimes takes some time. It takes work, it takes some kind of persistence. But if you have a big event or for some reason need to just get rid of one big zit fast, these are ways that can over time actually prevent future acne while also helping you to heal zits you have now fast.
For starters, use tea tree oil. Tea tree oil in the right concentrations will kill off bacteria, kill off your zits, and otherwise actually protect your skin. Second, use an anti inflammatory. Whether you go with something like Neosporin or a more conventional acne approach like white willow bark, it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are using a good anti inflammatory to reduce the bump now and otherwise. You always need to remember to really give it a chance to soak in.
Third, make sure that you are not using makeup or for that matter are using only light makeup such as mineral makeups for a while. This will keep them from clogging your pores and for that matter making it worse. There are other ingredients to be considered, and frankly speaking, they can often be found in the best acne treatments that claim to work fast as spot treatments, even in just a few hours. But it’s extremely important to remember that you should never allow them to damage your skin in the whole process.
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September 25th, 2009
There is a lot of focus on multiple ways to treat your acne, to keep it away, etc. But some are finding that clear skin is easier than that to obtain. Well obviously, you need to control your diet, cleanse your body on a regular basis, keep your skin clean and moisturized, and otherwise do things that you can to help the cause. But a big contributing factor for many is actually a lack of sleep. If you are not actually getting enough sleep, this can cause quite serious problems in terms of your body’s ability to rejuvenate and protect itself, and the skin is the ultimate protecting barrier between your body and the rest of the world. This being said, you should be getting 8-9 hours of sleep per night on average, and while our schedules can be quite hectic, this is definitely something that should always be achieved whenever possible. This being said, if you don’t get enough sleep, they have found that you will actually be more prone to acne than you would be if you were getting enough sleep possibly due to the amounts of stress it can cause. So it’s definitely something to consider when creating your best acne treatment in general. Consider the idea of getting a little more sleep if you happen to be lacking.
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September 24th, 2009
Fruit is one of the most beneficial things for your skin. Whether used topically or digested internally, fruit can be the thing to finally help you to really take care of your skin, get rid of acne, even be part of the best wrinkle cream in some ways. So basically speaking, it’s not a bad thing at all. Fruit certainly can’t help you to reverse wrinkles. But if used in the right way, its antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals could stop premature aging before it even starts. This being said, there are some that are better than others. For example, if you mix cherry and strawberries and rub the face with the pulp for about 1-2 minutes on average, and then just leave it for about 5 minutes, after washing it off with a wash cloth and warm water, this can really help you to get better benefits. In addition, if you have more mature skin, they find that using a handful of cherries and 2 tablespoons of honey can help you to better treat mature and aging skin by moisturizing the skin as well as taking care of bacteria and free radicals that may age the skin faster among other things. Fruits as you can see can play a huge difference both in the best wrinkle cream and in other skin treatments in general, and one of the easiest ones is just using lemon juice.
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September 23rd, 2009
Vitamins have a huge impact on our skin, whether you actually want to think about it or not. You cannot avoid having to deal with vitamins, multivitamins, foods that you will find carrying them, and otherwise. They are literally as important to your skin if not more important than you would find antioxidants to be. Antioxidants really help. But if you are deficient in vitamins of any kind, you will automatically have dull skin, more acne, or some other serious problem with it. So it’s definitely something to consider all things considered. There are some that are more helpful than others. For example, vitamin C is definitely more appropriate for skincare than say vitamin K. It is more helpful with all its antioxidants and otherwise. Likewise, vitamin E works as an antioxidant and it regulates vitamin A, which often actually increases skin cell turnover, but it can also cause irritation. But it’s the most commonly used vitamin in the treatment of acne. So you need vitamin E for greater balance. Likewise, vitamin B has been used in healthy skin, hair, and nails in general. And finally, zinc has been widely recognized as one of the major skin treatments, even being used when you are not actually deficient to treat acne.
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September 22nd, 2009
There are certain things we are all prone to. Some people are prone to greater obesity than others, some have bigger bone structures than others, and therefore many of us choose to use the best weight loss pill. But you can overcome any of those issues. The problem is that because they are raised a certain way, many people have a greater tendency toward not just obesity, but also related heart problems, digestive problems, strokes, and otherwise, because quite frankly, they were taught to eat more fat, eat more junk food, and not necessarily eat their fruits and vegetables among other things. Of course, with a healthy body comes healthier everything, even healthier skin. But this is hard to achieve for certain people due to pretaught notions. Basically speaking, nobody has to be obese or even overweight. Now heart problems will happen more often regardless of weight in certain families. But the reality is that if you reteach yourself or are taught well in the first place, obesity is one of those highly avoidable things that nobody realistically speaking has to suffer through, and you don’t have to take the best weight loss pill to achieve that particular result.
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September 21st, 2009
Azalaic acid is the main ingredient found in a product called Azelex, a prescription treatment used to deal with your acne. They use a 20% concentration, which is high for most prescriptions in general, and they claim that it will clear out bacteria and therefore kill off your acne problems. They talk about it dealing with mild to moderate problems and otherwise, and it essentially speaking works as well as treatments like benzoyl peroxide, antibiotics, and tretinoin. But in general terms, when you use this particular product, you have to wait about 1-2 months for it to show any results. In general, it has been known to cause burning, stinging, redness, irritation, and problems in general. Therefore, in terms of side effects, it is also just like benzoyl peroxide, and it should never be used in those under 12. They also don’t know about it being used in pregnant women, it has not been tested as it could definitely cause greater harm as a whole. But due to all the side effects among other things, we would not actually suggest using azalaic acid. It is not worth your time or money, and it will cause more problems to be sure than it is actually worth.
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September 21st, 2009
I am an at home massage kind of person. It’s more of a privacy thing, and well even with the best massage therapist, going into an office for that is a bit awkward for me. So this being said, I end up buying my own massage oils, which from what I’ve been told works out better for me anyway. Most massage therapists just won’t buy the best massage oil, because it cuts into their costs. This is my massage, so yes I’m going to buy the best massage oil I can find. I haven’t actually spent that much. Maybe they get specialized discounts I don’t get with certain retailers. But honestly speaking, I spend less on the best massage oil I’ve found than I would on the cheaper ones I often know that they use. So it’s not a bad thing for me. Now I’ve also started using my massage oil as a facial moisturizer, and I have to say, it works out really well for me. I mean if I know what I’m getting, why not get the best. But the big thing to look for I’ve found is a product that you don’t have to wipe off, that you don’t have to deal with in that particular way. This definitely helps you to get the better results and honestly to get more for your money.
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