I recently read an article by Yahoo! titled, "Sneaky Reasons You Get Zits." Written by a non-beauty/ medical professional, I thought the article was helpful towards the general consumer audience. However, I wanted to add my own comments and twist on it.
Lets start off my saying, acne is a skin disorder. There are 4 grades of acne and identified by 2 categories.
Acne Simplex
Grade I: black/white heads (open/closed comodones) are present, scarring is unlikely and non-inflammatory.
Grade II: all seen in Grade I, plus, papules (pimples without pus), pustules (pimples with pus), possibly hormonal acne and scarring can be uncommon.
Acne Vulgaris
Grade III: highly inflamed, bacterial lesions, open/closed comodones may be seen, scarring is more likely.
Grade IV: deep cystic and nodular lesions, as well as Grade I, II and III, scarring is very common due to depth of lesions.
I hope this outline helps give you an idea of the stages of acne. Now lets talk about the types of acne, common causes and how to prevent them.
There are many types of acne and I will give you the most common:
Hormonal, cosmeticia, and bacterial acne. Hormonal acne is just what it means, your hormones are changing and acne can be a symptom of this. One way to identify hormonal acne is that the acne lives around the chin, lower cheeks and jaw area (Common with pregnant women, adolescents and young adults). Acne cosmeticia is triggered by comedogenic (pore-clogging) or irritating ingredients in everyday products, including but not limited too: makeup, laundry detergents, hair care products, and pillow cases. And lastly, bacterial acne is common due to an over-production of bacteria within the follicle or pore.
Tips On How To Control Your Acne
1. Bacterial acne is caused by bacteria, so it is extremely important that you clean/sanitize objects that are in use everyday like: cell phones (makeup left on it), resting your hand on your chin/face, cleaning your makeup brushes routinely, throwing out old makeup (feeding ground for bacteria; generally, old makeup is anything older than 6 months), clean pillow cases ( change every week/day if have persistent acne), clean pajama shirts (change every night if have back/chest acne), etc.
2. Stress is a very common factor to acne, specifically hormonal. As hard as it might be, try to control your stress and understand the difference between good and bad stress. Stress messes with your hormones by acts of eating unhealthy foods (also hormones in foods), drinking alcohol/drugs, internal changes, smoking, etc.
3. Washing your face too much can be a leading cause in acne as well. If you notice that when you wash your face, maybe 2 or 3 times each day and night, and right after there is this drying look (common area is chin, sides of nose, lower cheeks, forehead); that can be a sign of over production. This can lead to an over-production of sebum ( natural oils) compensating for the dryness and creating more acne. Truthfully, it is okay to wash your face 1-2 times each day and night, but if you start to notice your face gets tight, then maybe pull back. Also, don't over do your acne spot-medicine, follow the directions, that is what they are there for.
4. Hair products are notorious for back and possibly chest acne. When you wash your hair, try washing it on the side of you and away from your back and body. Shampoo and conditioner are comedogenic and have drying ingredients that are not made for the skin. Also, laundry items like your wash cloth or shower towel maybe be a factor as well. The detergent ingredients, fabric softener, bleach and fabric sheets for the dryer are all drying ingredients and irritants. If you know or think you may be allergic, go to a natural foods store or grocery store (ex. Mother's, Henry's) and purchase their all natural laundry products.
I hope this information has helped "clear up" any questions or concerns about acne. It may be a lot of information to soak up, however, just keep in mind some common sense choices. And stay in control of YOUR acne!
Gia, XOXO
No comments:
Post a Comment