Posts Tagged ‘Disease Of The Skin’

Acne Treatment: How To Fight Bacteria

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Acne is an inflamed disease of the skin, and it has many causes. One such cause is bacteria that is breeding in the pores of the skin. When the body’s immune system is weak, it becomes allergic to this type of bacteria. Blood cells are attracted to fight the allergy, and the pores become blocked. Oil secretions begin to build up at these pores and provide a breeding ground for even more bacteria. Eventually, pimples form.

When faced with a bacteria causing acne, it is likely that you will begin to panic. Just imagine when you have red bumps that resemble small boils on your face. These red bumps get filledl with a nasty puss caused by the body fighting the infection of the bacteria. What can you do? Well, there are a number of things that you can do to fight the bacteria for acne treatment.

Treatments that kill the bacteria that cause acne included the use of antibiotics like tetracycline, doxycycline and minocyclne. These are to be taken orally. Also topical antibiotics or bactericides like Benzoyl peroxide or erythromycin can help. The bacteria also known as P. acnes, does however become resistant to the antibiotics eventually. However Benzoyl peroxide, an oxidizer, does not seem to generate resistance by the bacteria. While the acne will come back, it is a short term and temporary cure and is applied topically.

Gently exfoliating the skin can also help. This method can be done by using a cloth or a liquid scrub, or by using certain chemicals. Chemical exfoliating substances include salicylic acid and glycolic acid. Both of these agents cause a peeling of the top layer of skin, which prevents a build up of dead skin.

Another over the counter acne treatment is salicylic acid, which softens skin and gets rid of dead skin cells, which in turn unclogs pores. Many face wash products contain this ingredient. Also sulfur contained in many over the counter products works well for many people. Another product is glycolic acid, which is found in anti-aging products as well as acne medicines.

However, natural health practitioners prefer to recommend the use of natural acne treatment. Tea tree oil is gaining in popularity. It kills the bacteria and also reduces redness and inflammation. It works much the same as Benzoyl peroxide but causes less skin irritation. Tee trea oil can be easily found at health food stories.

Acupuncture is used by some and is thought to alleviate hormonal imbalances in the body. Those who use acupuncture also usually suggest lifestyle changes and a change in diet, including cutting back on dairy products.

Light therapy is another natural remedy to fight the bacteria that has many adherents. Many people believe that the bacteria that causes acne insensitive to light in the blue wavelength of the light spectrum. Light therapy means shining blue light onto a patient for fifteen minutes at a time twice a week, usually for four weeks. This treatment can be expenses, running about $150 per treatment. Not all patients have had good results, but some have. Also since light in this wavelength is not harmful to the skin, there are no side effects or after effects.

Some people think that acne is caused by poor hygiene and by eating certain foods. There is no scientific evidence linking diet to acne. But a good diet sure will not hurt in skin repair and damaged tissues.

Good personal hygiene also goes a long way in your acne treatment. Also using makeup that doesnt clog pores helps prevent the spread of bacteria and acne from getting worse.

Any of the above mentioned methods for acne treatment should help you in your fight against bacteria. You will see clearer skin as your bacteria is being wiped out. Practising good hygiene and adopt a healthy diet and lifestyle should also help in the acne inflammation. Good luck!

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Acne Scar Treatments For Acne Free Face

Saturday, February 13th, 2010

Acne, commonly called pimples, is an inflammatory disease of the skin. It is caused by changes in the pilosebaceous. The most common form of acne is known as “acne vulgaris”, which means “common acne”. The hair folicles are blocked by the combination of oils and dead skin cells. Comedones, papules, pustules, nodules and inflammatory cysts are the different types of acme lesions. They are mainly caused on the face, chest, back, shoulders and upper arms. These acne lesions are inflamed form of pus-filled reddish bumps that appear mainly during adolescence.

There are various factors causing acne. Some of them are the hormonal activities like the menstrual cycle and increased output of hormones from the adrenal glands. Accumulation of dead skin cells, bacteria in the pores, skin irritation or scratching, use of antibiotic steroids, use of medication containing halogens, lithium, barbiturates or androgens, and exposure to high levels of chlorine compounds can also cause acne.

Ace treatments can be done with the help of benzoyl peroxide, proactive solution, antibiotics, tretinion, isotretinion, contraceptive pills, salicylic acid, adapalene, laser treatment, blue light treatment and herbal remedies. 90% of adolescents have acne. Acne can be treated in various ways. Exfoliating the skin, using topical bactericidals, topical antibiotics, oral antibiotics, hormonal treatment, external retinoids, oral retinoids, and phototherapy are some of the methods of treating acne. The non inflammatory acne can be treated with azelaic, salicytic acid, topical retinoids and benzoyl peroxide. The mild inflammatory acme can be treated with topical antibiotics. Isotretinion and topical retinoids are used to treat moderate inflammatory acne. Contraceptive pills with cyproterone can be used by females with virilization to treat severe inflammatory acne.

Acne often leaves a scar behind. There are various scar treatments to remove the mark

Dermabrasion A high-speed rotary wire brush or diamond-coated fraise is used to remove the top layer of the skin to make the scar look less pitted. This is done by a cosmetic surgeon.
Microdermabrasion It involves blasting tiny crystals at the skin and rubbing the skin with a rough tool.
Laser resurfacing The top layer of the skin is burnt off by a laser.
Punch excision A punch tool is used, with the help of which the scar is excised, and the edges are sutured together.
Chemical peels Glycolic, salicylic, or lactic are applied to the skin to get a smoother layer in an acid peel.
Subcision A deep pool of blood is created under the scar by detaching the scar from deeper tissue. This blood helps form a connective tissue under the scar, thus levelling it with the surface.
Dermal filler An injectable filler is used to fill up the scar.

Mantaining a good hygeine with proper diet and medications help to reduce the occurance of acme, thus boosting your confidence level and self esteem.

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Acne Types, Causes And Treatments

Friday, November 27th, 2009

Acne Vulgaris, commonly referred to as pimples, is an inflammatory disease of the skin. This condition is very common in puberty. As one reaches their early twenties, it either disappears or decreases. Acne begins because of the comedo, an enlarged hair follicle plugged with oil and bacteria. The comedo is invisible to the naked eye and is present beneath the surface of the skin. When it gets the right condition, it grows into an inflamed lesion. The oil produced from the skin helps bacteria to flourish within the swollen follicle.

Non-inflammatory acre are of two types Closed comedo or white head, and Open comedo or black head. There are 4 types of inflammatory acne

Papule It is the mildest form that appears on the skin as a small, firm pink bump.

Pustule They are small round lesions containing visible pus. They may appear red at the base and yellowish or whitish at the center.

Nodule or Cyst Large and painful, they are pus-filled lesions lodged deep within the skin. The nodules may persist for weeks or months with the contents hardening into a deep cyst. Both nodules and cysts often leave deep scars.

Acne Conglobata This severe bacterial infection develops mostly on the back, buttocks and chest.

The chief causes of acne are hormones like androgen, production of extra sebum, follicle fallout, bacteria and inflammation. For controlling acne, you can carry out the following steps

Avoid excessive washing of your skin. It can leave the healthy skin dry, thus irritating the acne prone areas. Over-washing may also stimulate extra oil production.

Avoid alcohol products to tone your skin. Alcohol is a strong astringent that strips the top layer of the skin causing sebaceous glands to produce more oil.

Do not squeeze or pick the acne with fingernails, pins or any other thing. It forces the bacteria deeper into the skin and often leaves a permanent acne scar.

A wash is required after exercise. The heat and moisture trapped against the skin creates an ideal breeding ground for the spread of bacteria.

Consume food rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin B-2, Vitamin B-3, Vitamin E and Zinc like eggs, nuts, liver, milk, fish and leafy green vegetables.

Proper sleep and a life without stress and emotional anxiety can reduce acne.

Wear little make-up while exercising. Avoid garments that are made exclusively with nylon.

Laser surgery is often used to reduce the scars left behind by acne. Treating acne with azelaic acid, salicylic acid, tropical retinoids and benzoyl peroxide is also common. A large number of people started trying herbal acne treatments over the traditional medications by using teas, oils and herbal creams.

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Acne, Puberty and Girlfriends

Sunday, November 15th, 2009

An inflammatory disease of the skin, acne, comes about due to changes in the skin structure, that consisty of hair follicle and their sebaceous glands. Commong during puberty, acne, is the bodies response to changing testosterone hormones. Because of the randomness of the bodies response, acne for most people will come and go, and in most cases will completely dissappear over time. This time length is different for every individual, but is usually early twenties. There is now way for medical professionals to predict the acne timeline for an individual. Some individuals will even be affected by acne several users later, in their thirties and forties.

Although acne is not a very pleasant condition to have, due to the large array of people that it affects at some point in their life, it has become somewhat socially acceptable if kept under control. “Common Acne” is the most wide spread form of acne, which is as a result of naturally occurring dead skin cells blocking the hair follicles while an excessive of oil is secreted from the skin glands. Oil that is blocked under the skin builds up, and provides the perfect environment for bacteria to uncontrolably multiply. The Part of the Infection that we are used to seeing is the visible lesion that becomes visable as the skin inflames. Most individuals are only affected with acne on their face, but it should be noted that acne can affect the chest, back, shoulders, among other areas of the body as well.

Generally, acne doesn’t cause any long term medical implications. If Acne lesions are out of control, they can however, leave scars as the skin has been permanently damaged. Acne is more generally associated with social implications such as low self-esteem. Adolescence is a hard stage of life for most individuals, and the persistance of acne with our social agendas doesn’t make it any easier.

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