Friday, August 14, 2009

Acne Problems

By Gail Jones

Acne is one of the most common skin problems afflicting the human race and it affects people irrespective of age, caste, colour or gender. Acne is an extremely embarrassing and burdensome problem, because it is so obvious and off-putting. Acne can be defined as red eruptions on the skin, sometimes containing a white substance, causing itchiness and pain. The most common form of acne is called acne vulgaris or puberty spots.

Acne vulgaris can be described thus: ... an inflammatory disease of the skin, caused by changes in the pilosebaceous units (skin structures consisting of a hair follicle and its associated sebaceous gland) . Acne lesions are commonly referred to as pimples, spots or zits - [source: Wikipedia]. It is a heart-breaking problem that we do not appear to have complete control over. However, there are various ways to cure acne: you can go in for medication from a skin specialist or you can go in for home or natural treatments.

Natural treatments are less time consuming, less costly and have no side effects. However, they do require a little more patience, because the routines have to be followed diligently in order to cure the problem once and for all. A home cure for acne is just as effective as medication. Here are a few natural remedies to eradicate your acne. To start with, your daily consumption of water should be at minimum of eight to ten glasses. This helps you to detoxify your system and kill the harmful bacteria that cause acne.

A surfeit of oily food also leads to acne, therefore fried and spicy food should be strictly avoided. A near complete abstinence of fried and fatty food will have a notable, beneficial effect on an outbreak of acne. Furthermore, including chromium and zinc in your diet also helps to cure acne. There should be the correct combination of diet and skin care.

A mixture of ground nutmeg with unboiled milk regularly applied on the afflicted area also helps to eradicate acne. Cinnamon powder and honey is just as effective in eradicating. Boiled Neem tree leaves applied to acne acts as a disinfectant. [Neem is a tall, usually evergreen East Indian tree (Azadirachta indica) widely cultivated in tropical Asia for its timber, resin, bitter bark, and aromatic seed oil, which is used medicinally and as an insecticide (source = 'Free Online Dictionary')].

The infected area should be washed with anti-acne soap at least three or four times a day. Make-up should be strictly avoided when one is suffering from acne. Make-up makes an acne condition worse. Acne should never be squeezed as it may cause infection or / and become worse. Squeezing your acne may also lead to permanent scars on your skin, which results in your skin looking unsightly. Don't let your hair fall onto the acne-affected area too.

Your hair should be kept tied back to avoid contact with the acne. Pillow covers should be washed on a daily basis to avoid the bacteria spreading. The regular cleansing of your skin should be done to keep it free from germs. Besides this, a healthy lifestyle ought to followed with a balanced diet, exercise and sleep. Remember, if you take good care of yourself, ailments will have less chance of afflicting you, especially such a small thing as acne!

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