| What is Acne?
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If you have oily skin or if you do not keep your skin clean, you are likely to develop acne. To understand this better, you must know that skin has a natural lubricant in the form of sebum. This keeps skin shiny and supple. However, if there is a malfunction of hair follicles due to some disorder or bacterial infection, sebum gets accumulated in them. This can get further mixed by dead skin cells and develop into acne. It can take form of Blackheads, Whiteheads or pimples. Affected area is usually limited to face, chest, back, neck and shoulders. People with oily skin are more liable to develop acne than people with dry skin. Apart from this, hormonal changes seen during puberty and pregnancy can also cause acne. Teenagers and young adults suffer from this problem most often than others.
Acne Treatment
Acne affects a large portion of population. Acne treatment can be undertaken on two levels. You can either opt for a natural/home based treatment or a medical treatment.
Natural Acne Treatment
Natural/home based treatment involves use of naturally available ingredients to get rid of acne. These ingredients involve fruits and herbs. A visit to a doctor may not be required if you follow these treatments with discipline. Some natural herbs like aloe vera, sandalwood, tea tree oil and turmeric have excellent antiseptic properties. Using them in a paste form is recommended. Best thing is to steep these herbs in boiling water and then make a paste. Application of this paste on affected area can be used for acne treatment.
Other than these herbs, easily available fruits like papaya and mango are useful. Acne treatment involves using pulp of these fruits and mashing it with oatmeal or egg yolk. Proteins in the egg yolk provide vitamin nutrition to skin. This paste should be applied like a mask and left on for at least 15 minutes. Washing it off with clean cold water helps treat acne.
Another natural acne treatment method involves use of a toner. A toner has astringent properties which help keep pores closed. As a preventive measure, you can create your own toner by using juices either from cucumber, apple or tea tree. This juice filtered and mixed with distilled water can make a good toner. Other than this, ice cubes rubbed over facial skin also help tightening the pores and carry out acne treatment.
Medical Acne Treatment
In most of benign cases that are not severe, natural treatment can help fight acne. However, cases of severe acne need to be treated medically. Medical treatment follows an approach where infection is fought first, followed by cleansing of pores. Finally, the acne inflammation is fought and its spread is checked. This article provides local drug treatments available for fighting the acne infection. Benzoil peroxide, birth control pills and other mediations are on this best acne facial skin treatment list. In modern times, Benzoil peroxide has emerged as a potent drug to fight off acne. This chemical is available in markets in the form of gels and creams. Benzoil peroxide when applied on the affected area, works like an anti bacterial agent. It gets rid of the anaerobic bacteria which is chiefly responsible for the infection. The application of the Benzoil peroxide based gel or lotion should be carried out after consultation with a medical practitioner. Most of the doctors recommend using the cream once a day, however, in case of severe acne, it might be recommended for use twice daily. Benzoil peroxide can have side effects. The most common and noticeable is drying up of skin. Other than these, allergic reactions may be experienced. So if you have to use medical treatment, do so after prescription.
Another potent bacteria killer is sulphur. Its corrosive nature acts on the acne like a double edged sword. Other than killing the bacteria, it peels the skin causing formation of head to loosen. It is available in form of gels and lotions and is quite beneficial in the treatment of acne. However, you must not take the sulphur drug preparations on your own. It can cause allergic reactions, so it is best taken if prescribed. The results of sulphur based preparations are evident in 2-3 weeks.
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