"Health Articles"

There can be little doubt that acne is probably one of the most stressful and soul-destroying skin complaints known to man. Most sufferers will tell you that it makes them introspective, extremely self-conscious and ashamed about how they look. Many say that they feel so dirty and extremely unattractive that they just want to stay at home and hide from the outside world.

But what is acne? What exactly is the cause of the condition that blights the lives of so many people?

Although the condition is generally thought of as one that affects those going through puberty, it can affect anyone who is between 11 and 30 years of age. According to statistics, it affects about 80 in100 people worldwide, the symptoms of which are whiteheads, blackheads, red or yellow spots and greasy, often scarred skin

The skin contains numerous small sebaceous glands situated just below its surface. To keep the skin smooth and supple, the glands produce an oily substance called sebum which comes up to the surface of the skin through tiny holes (pores).through which hair also grows. It has been found that people with acne are especially sensitive to normal blood levels of the hormone testosterone, which is found naturally in both men and women. This sensitivity triggers the sebaceous glands to produce excess sebum. Dead skin cells lining the openings of the skin pores which house the hair follicles are not properly shed and a build-up of sebum takes place, resulting in the pores becoming completely clogged, whereupon blackheads and whiteheads begin to form. This form of acne is the most common and does not usually progress beyond this stage.

In some people, the build-up of scurf (dead skin) and oil in the hair follicles provides an ideal environment for Propionibacterium acnes. Normally, this bacterium lives on the skin without causing any problems. However, when an ideal environment is created, such as blocked skin pores, it begins to grow. By feeding off the sebum, the bacteria produces certain substances that trigger an autoimmune response within the body. The skin becomes inflamed, resulting in spots. In severe” inflammatory acne”, cysts develop beneath the surface of the skin where they may rupture, spreading infection into nearby skin tissue, ultimately leading to considerable scarring.

Contrary to general belief, blackheads are not caused by dirt getting into the skin pores. They get their color from excess skin pigmentation. Therefore, washing does not help, although the lack of washing will allow the bacteria to multiply still further! I am often asked if acne is contagious, to which my answer is a definite NO - it cannot be transmitted from one person to another!

It is a fair bet that many acne sufferers have a tendency to pick at or squeeze the spots in an attempt to quickly heal the offending blemishes. However, interfering with the spots often leads to further inflammation and scarring - the last thing anyone wants!

Because medical science is beginning to understand more and more about how the mind can affect bodily functions (mind affecting body), it is now fairly clear why chronic stress and anxiety can make acne much worse or bring on the symptoms in some people. It goes without saying, therefore, that psychological treatment in such cases is the remedy of choice to effectively treat the cause, not the application of skin creams and ointments that do nothing more than treat the symptoms.

The hormonal changes that take place during the menstrual cycle may make acne worse or bring on the condition in some women. Also, some contraceptive pills may exacerbate a skin problem. This is often due to the type of progesterone hormone in some formulae. Conversely, some contraceptive pills have been found to considerably improve acne in the short or long term.

Although it may be stating the obvious, every disease and chronic condition has a cause and because I prefer to treat my patients in a holistic (treating the whole body) manner, the symptoms are of secondary importance, so to speak. Nevertheless, there are certain basic rules that should be followed when suffering from acne. In particular, the areas that are prone to spots should be kept clean using a non-perfumed skin cleanser. Avoid aggressive washing with strong soaps as it is essential that the skin has a certain amount of natural oil to maintain condition.

Even though you have suffered from the physical and mental trauma often associated with acne for a longt ime, , there is, indeed, light at the end of the tunnel, for there are new and effective forms of natural treatment and dietary information now available to relieve and cure the condition.

Ok, so you’ve looked in the mirror and you have acne all over the place. You look in your wallet and there’s no money. What to do? Well, having suffered from acne for many years I found out that you don’t actually need much money to clear up severe breakouts…

Instead you change your diet. The reason this works is because acne is CAUSED by certain foods. These foods cause hormonal imbalance, leading to acne. The best way (and cheapest) is to avoid certain foods…

The worst food for acne is vegetable oil. When I stopped eating it my cystic acne cleared up. You can do the same. Vegetable oil is commonly eaten as a cooking oil, like sunflower oil. The best thing you can do right now is stop cooking with these. It’s amazing how easy it is to clear up even the worst acne when you know this about vegetable oil. When I first found out I immediately checked the foods I ate to see what was in them…

…And you have to check the foods you eat to make sure that you aren’t eating any with this. If you are, swap to an alternative without vegetable oil. Some foods that commonly contain it are chips (crisps), cookies (biscuits) and pesto. Don’t eat these IF you want clear skin.

Acne vulgaris is an extremely complex disease involving various defects in the skin. Elements of pathogenesis include abnormal epidermal keratinization, excess androgen secretion, defective sebaceous function, bacterial growth and inflammation. Although, in recent years, there has been a greater understanding of the disease there is still a great deal more to learn before we fully understand the causes of an acne pimple.

Acne begins with a fault in the follicular lining which causes the it to shed in sheets rather than particles which causes the material to have difficulty in exiting. This leads to the formation of a plug, called a comedo, consisting of keratin squamae and sebum. Comedones can be classed as “open” or “closed”, A comedo is open when the black tip is visible without maxnification, open comedones are commonly referred to as blackheads. A comedo is closed when the black tip is not visible without the aid of maxnification, closed comedones are commonly referred to as whiteheads.

Although acne is common in teenagers comedones have been demonstrated before puberty. This leads us to assume that the activation of sebaceous secretion is not the key event (in triggering the formation of comedones). In the laboratory it has been proven that a number of compounds can induce comedones, such as coal tar and sulphur, but these are not really relevant to the natural formation of acne.

Acne is usually associated with inflammation as the follicle becomes red and enflamed. To make matters worse it has been noted that it is common, in severe cases of acne, for increased formation of comedones around the area of inflammation. Bacteria is also associated with acne and certainly bacteria can act upon sebaceous triglycerides releasing comedogenic fatty acids however studies have shown that prepubertal children also suffer from comedones and yet they do not have follicular microflora or sebum.

There does appear to be some correlation between sebum production and the severity of acne. It has been shown, in various studies, that teenage acne patients suffer from higher levels of bacteria in their follicles than the control subjects of the experiments. This is accounted for by the increased levels of sebum production seen in the teenage sufferers of acne when compared to the controls. However there is an amount of overlap between the two groups and another point worth noting is that the differences are less pronounced in older individuals with the disease.

Looking at the points above it is clear that further investigation is required in the causes of comedones before we can begin to fully understand the causes of acne. There does appear to be a family tendency to suffer from the disease as it is common to see the brothers and sisters of sufferers also suffering from the problem.

Certain factors are known to aggravate the the condition such as scratching (which can increase inflammation), use of opiates and opioids, use of anabolic steroids and abnormal hormonal activity. There are also a number of diet related factors such as the fact that an iodine rich diet can make existing acne worse.

While we do not fully understand the complex causes of the disease by avoiding things which will make it worse will help with recovery and there are a number of treatments available such as hormonal therapy, the use of oral contraceptives and antibiotics. Benzoyl peroxide (BP) is a topical disinfectant often used in skin care/acne creams but it can cause irritation.

Topical and oral erythromycin and topical clindamycin have been in use for a long time but, as the bacteria (P. acnes.) gains resistance it becomes less effective as a treatment. The tetracycline family of antibiotics are also used as they have an anti-bacterial action but also an anti-inflammatory effect.

As the medical establishment continues to grow more concerned about the over use of antibiotics it is important that we develop alternative treatments for acne. One of the most interesting skin care treatments that have been shown to be effective in treating acne is [url=http://www.microdermabrasioninfo4u.com/]microdermabrasion[/url].. However it is important to note that the treatment should never be used on active acne but only on skin clear of pimples.

The use of microdermabrasion has been proven to reduce the amount of open pores. The process involves the use of fine abrasive crystals which are blown onto the skin to remove dead skin cells and, in some cases the very top surface of the skin. Obviously by the clearing of the pores and the removal of dead skin matter there is less chance of the skin developing comedones. Thus, by treating areas that are not, yet, suffering from pimples the likelihood of a new pimple forming is decreased. As inflammation subsides and the pimple is healed that area of skin can then also be treated. By a process of elimination all of the skin can be treated.