Posts Tagged ‘ dealing with acne ’

How to Get Rid of Acne Diary Volume 1

My acne started when I was a teenager and around the age of 13.  Oh I was always worried I would develop severe acne because I knew both of my parents had had it.  It also seem to run in the family’s since my relatives seemed too have suffered from the problem as well.  When the experts tell you that genetics plays a part in acne formation, I know for a fact that it happens to be true to two personal experience.  I still remember the day when I first saw a pimple on my face and had a feeling it was going to be the beginning of something horrible.  I thought that I could bypass the problem or eliminate it completely by watching my face as much as possible. I was only a kid at the time so it seemed reasonable that I should be able to use soap and water two scrub the problem away.  Obviously this was not an effective solution and now I know it if actually make the problem worse. 

Dealing with how to get rid of acne takes a good degree of self control and a gentle touch, something that I wasn’t aware of when I was a kid.  But can you blame me?  I was just a teenager and when you are that age it’s all about fitting in with the crowd.  I didn’t want to look like the other people who had severe acne although that is exactly where my path was going to lead.  I remember the gradual progression of acne formation on my face until it seemed like I had exploded over night.  Believe me, I had severe acne on every place on my face and it was extremely uncomfortable.  If you know anything about having bad acne then you will know that it actually hurts.  My face would constantly ache as my skin contorted and there was a build-up of white blood cells and press that would stretch the limits of my face.

A lot of people focus on the physical aspects of acne, but I can tell you firsthand that there is an emotional factor as well.  When you feel like a freak you don’t really want to be outside too often.  I remember stained by myself a lot and being afraid of other people seeing my condition.  I also remember a lot of folks saying that my skin was not as bad as I thought, but it was very difficult to convince me otherwise.  After all, why would they even bring up the topic of my skin if it wasn’t bad in the first place?  It eventually got to the point where my acne impacted me negatively and I became obsessed with how to get rid of blackheads, white heads, and every other form of acne that we’re showing up on my face.

At the time there was no Internet so my resources for finding information and home remedies for acne were limited.  A lot of what I thought I knew about acne we’re actually based on myths that had been passed down for generations.  Some of these acne myths still persist to this day even though there is scientific information that disproves them.  There is something about acne that makes everyone thinks that they are an expert in some way even if they have not suffered from severe acne themselves.  I remember getting a lot of advice and I only a now realize that a lot of it was misinformed.  I would even go so far as to say if you encounter someone with bad acne then it’s probably best not to offer advice if you don’t know what you’re talking about.  Even if you think you know about some acne treatment that has worked for you, sometimes it’s better not to say anything if the other person doesn’t ask first.

This has been my first entry in my acne journal and I will continue to share my thoughts and feelings in the future.  Hopefully knowing that someone else has gone through the difficult situation of having acne will help you to know that you aren’t alone.

How Bad Acne Saved my Life

When it comes to acne, all people seem to talk about is how bad it is and how they want to get rid of it as fast as possible. If you watch any of the current acne cream commercials out there you’ll certainly be bombarded with the messages of how horrible acne is and how necessary it is to zap it away. Labelling acne as such an undesirable condition actually makes the situation a lot worse for the people who have it. After all, they have the very thing on their faces that commercials are labelling as so gross that it has to eliminate right away.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m never going to claim that bad acne is something that you should live with if you can find a way to treat it effectively. Bad acne can certainly be embarrassing and sometimes you can feel like an outcast if everyone else around you seemingly has perfect skin. But I’d like to tell you why I think bad acne had a positive influence in my life. It sort of falls in line with that old saying: whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Acne certainly didn’t kill me, and if you happen to have severe acne you can take solace in the fact it won’t kill you either. And if you get through the hard times, there’s a good chance you’ll come out on the other side with a stronger sense of self. Read more »

How to get rid of Acne Scars

Acne is a problem that can cause both emotional and physical scars. The nature of what acne looks like in combination with what society deems to be beauty can cause a lot of hang ups and long lasting damage for people who suffer from the condition. Sometimes a person can do everything right including washing, eating healthy, drinking water, and they still might get the occasional pimple. It can be frustrating and it is even worse when a scar is left behind.

When thinking about how to get rid of acne scars there are preventative measures that should be taken first. The most important of which is never to pick or pop pimples and blackheads. Of course that is easier said than done when faced with a large pimple on your face. Sometimes they appear at the absolute worse time like when you have a big date or maybe even a job interview. Those situations are so much about first impressions that it is very difficult to feel like yourself when you have a red blemish marking your face. It might seem better to pop the pimple and deal with the repercussions later but there are a number of reasons not to do this. Picking or popping a pimple will actually make the problem worse and it can cause the bacteria to spread, resulting in more pimples down the line. You are also causing breaks in the skin that may scab over but over time your skin will become sensitive and weaker as scars will be more likely to form. Read more »

Overall Acne Control and Prevention

One thing about acne is that it takes an overall action plan to tackle the situation. But when you understand the basics of acne control, prevention, treatment, and after care then it makes the problem a whole lot more manageable. There are some things that affect acne that you may not have thought about. And on the other side of things, there are some misconceptions that don’t actually have any impact on acne one way or another. Sometimes it’s not easy to keep track of all the tips and advice when you have a big red pimple staring back at you in the mirror and you want to get rid of it right away. But be patient, and keep an eye on the overall situation of acne control as the good things you do will eventually have a visible effect.

Acne Control – Lifestyle

When considering how to prevent acne, think about what you do in your everyday life. Sometimes it is about what acne is, the thing biologically happening in your body, but there are also factors in our surroundings. For example, do you spend a lot of time in the sun? The sun can be very damaging to your skin overall, not just when it comes to acne. The sun can severely dry your skin and cause wrinkles, not to mention some forms of cancer. How does this impact your acne? When skin is dry then it produce more oil to balance things out, but more oil means more likelihood for clogged pores. Dry skin is also more flaky and full of dead skin cells that can further worsen the problem. The sun also causes bacteria living on your skin to thrive, especially the oil that may get trapped in your pores. So if you have to go out into the sun, make sure you use a good sun screen that doesn’t clog your pores.

Another factor that can lead to acne is smoking. There is no need to mention all of the other negative effects of smoking, but in terms of acne smoking can have a dramatic effect. The smoke itself can promote oil to form on the skin. It can also cause blockages and the effects can be seen as the toxic smokes builds up in pores over time. Smoke has a way of infiltrating every part of your body from your pores to your skin and even your bloodstream. If you have acne and smoke, make an attempt to stop and you should see some improvements in your appearance.

Exercise and overall healthy living - eating and drinking right - can have an impact on acne. When thinking of acne control, think of ways to incorporate more exercise into your daily routine. This will serve a number of purposes, the most important of which is making you feel better overall. You might think that all the sweat you form while exercising might worsen the problem, but if you exercise at a good pace, then clean your face afterwards, you will find that the activity actually helps to keep your pores open. When your heart is beating right and you have exercise related sweat on occasion, this will actually be a way for your body to cleanse itself and prevent a back up of dead skin cells and pore clogging oil.

There are many myths and theories about diet when it comes to how to get rid of acne and acne control. For example, many people think eating chocolate cause acne. But this is not the case and there is not one food that is directly linked to acne. Acne results from clogged pores and the bacterial reaction that results from that. So far it has not been proven that any food leads to his 100% of the time. If you find yourself getting pimples after eating certain foods, there might be an allergic reaction, and the simple solution is to simply not eat those foods. The only way greasy foods such as burgers and fried may cause acne is if you wipe your oily hands on your face afterwards. So when it comes to food, you can rest easy but also to make sure you eat healthily in general. As you can see, acne control is as much about an ovrall plan for health as it is about concentrating on the face.

How to get rid of acne fast – Water!

Remember that acne often requires a comprehensive treatment that involves prevention, treatment, then after care. As with many things in life, acne presents a situation where preventative steps can be taken before the problem presents itself. Sometimes there’s nothing you can do and if a pimple wants to form, then it’s just going to form. It’s a big pain as we all know when a pimple pops up at the exact wrong time and we are forced to deal with redness and visibility of an inflamed area. But interestingly enough, even though a pimple may appear to develop over night or as the day progresses, the process of the pimple formation starts a few days, even weeks, before the pimple is visible. How to get rid of acne is about what you do before a pimple even forms. This is why acne prevention plays a role in dealing with the situation as a whole.

How to get rid of acne fast – your relationship with water.

On the surface, factors that contribute to acne include excess oil, dirt, and anything that can clog your pores. One general rule for acne prevention and for overall good health is to drink a lot of water. Water is the lubricant of life and it will help to balance your body and its secretions – including oil. You should drink ample water so that your body is in peak physical form. It will also help to keep your skin moist and supple, and better able to handle the factors that can cause acne. So as for water in relation to what you put in your body, keep it flowing and it help with your overall body chemistry.

When it comes to water and exposing it to your skin externally, you have to be more careful as more is not necessarily better. Simply pouring water on your skin does not serve to moisturize it, and in fact it can be quite damaging if the water is too hot. Stay away from hot water directly on your face and body for extended periods of time because it can really dry out your skin. You might think dry skin would be a good thing when it comes to having a less oily exterior, but it actually has the opposite effect. Dry skin can actually cause your skin to become much more oily, and combined with dry skin flakes it can often result in a pimple-making situation.

You definitely want to keep your skin moist and a good moisturizing product will surely help. But be aware of moisturizers or creams that contain alcohol because they can actually serve to dehydrate your skin. Also stay away from perfumes in certain creams or soaps that can actually aggravate your skin as well. You can find more tips here on how to prevent acne.

How to get rid of acne fast – Your daily routine

Overall when it comes to water, your acne prevention will involve you drinking water throughout the day. You will wash your face gently twice a day – once in the morning, and once at night. Wash with warm water for a reasonable period of time with a nice cleansing soap that doesn’t react with your skin in a negative way. Wash gently in a circular motion that gets rid of sweat, oil, and dirt that builds during the course of a day. Then pat your face dry, be careful not to rub too roughly, and apply a moisturizer that is both gentle and water-based. Do not fiddle too much with your face and try not to pop pimples as this can cause acne scars – and even serve to spread the infection.

As for drinking water, there have been increasing concerns over the health of various water sources. In general, it’s still safe to drink from your tap in most cases. There are signs that you can tell that your tap water is not appropriate, and the most obvious is that the water tastes that in some way. Water should taste like water – that sounds like a simple statement not it’s a good general rule to follow. If you take something that isn’t quite right or possibly chemical, it’s important not to drink that water source and to find out what exactly is going on. You can also tell from the look of wonder whether it’s appropriate for drinking, and in general something that is cloudy should be stayed away from. If you are really concerned about your tap water, then you can always boil it beforehand or use some kind of household water filter to make it clean.

Of course you can choose to buy water as well and there are many sources for bottled water these days. You can undergo a subscription service that will deliver clean water to your house every month or depending on your overall usage. The only thing to watch out for when it comes to bottled water is making sure that it has not been contained for too long. There have been recent reports and concerns over whether or not the plastic that contains water can run off and possibly contaminate whatever is contained inside. There are also conspiracy theories over whether or not the hype surrounding clean drinking water is made up just so people can sell bottled water, filters, or accessories that are supposed to make water clean. Use your best judgment when it comes to this kind of thing and trust your instincts as to whether or not your water sources appropriate.