The Quick Guide To Acne

Wake Up It’s A Beautiful Morning…

I couldn’t think of anything more ironic than waking up to the sound of Boo Radley’s wake up its a beautiful morning blasting out from my alarm radio. The morning was anything but beautiful…well not for me anyway. After a 10 minute battle with my eyes in a near futile attempt to keep them ajar I managed to drag myself out of bed and went for my morning shower. I took a quick glimpse outside – the once grey, barren landscape that greeted me every morning for the past few months had been mysteriously transformed. The snow outside was descending heavily creating a white blanket on anything it touched. I turned on the shower, got undressed and proceeded to enter the cubicle. I don’t know if you are like me but I always dread the early morning shower but once I am actually in I find myself never wanting to leave. The rhythmic pattern of the water droplets systematically rejuvenating and massaging the body has a sort of mystical hypnotic grasp on me. After getting washed I dried myself off, got dressed and most importantly styled my hair. I took one last look in the mirror and was just about to go for my morning breakfast when I spotted a circular area of red bumps on the side of right cheek…acne!!!!

What Is Acne?

Acne comes from the Greek word ‘akme’ meaning ‘spot’ or ‘point’. We humans are covered in hundreds of thousands of microscopic hair follicles, often referred to as pores. Now for some unknown reason these follicles can sometimes overproduce cells and as a result become blocked. This blockage prevents the sebum, the skins natural oil, from being able to drain therefore it becomes clogged and bacterium begins to grow. Nice!!!

What Types Of Acne Are There?

Good question. There are actually two varying types of acne:

1. Non-Inflammatory

This is the most common type of acne. Most people refer to these as blackheads or whiteheads. When you have a blackhead the hair follicle is open but the excess oil which is blocking the pore is visible and darkened due to the contact with air. Once the pore is closed off the whitehead develops.

2. Inflammatory

This type of acne is usually caused by a response from the immune system when it detects a threat, such as a virus. With acne the invader that triggers this response is bacteria. This results in a red inflammation, swelling and rise in skin temperature.

So How Common Is It?

Dermatologists, basically clever skin experts in white coats, say that 75% of 11 to 30 year olds will get acne at some point in their lives. Acne affects both sexes, however young men suffer from acne for an extended period due to the higher levels in testosterone found in the male body.

Why Do I Get It?

Like Stonehenge or the continuous sightings of crop circles seen around the world, acne is surrounded in a haze of mystery. Nobody is 100% sure what actually causes acne but the main belief is that it is caused by a rise in androgen (hormone) levels. The reasoning for this is that a rise in androgen levels would make the oil glands in the skin grow therefore producing more oil. Other studies indicate a poor diet, medication containing androgen and lithium and using greasy products such as cosmetics on the skin can bring about the skin condition.

What Can Make It Worse?

If you want to try and keep your acne at bay try and avoid the following:

•  Stress / Anxiety

•  Touching your face with your hands (for acne on the face)

•  Hot Climates / Long Sun Exposure

•  Oil Based Cosmetics

•  Greasy Hair

•  Having Unclean Hands

•  Squeezing Spots

•  Wearing Tight Clothing

 How Can I Treat It?

There are varying acne treatments available to treat acne as well as natural remedies however some of the most popular treatments are:

IMAGE Acne Lift:

The image acne lift is a safe resurfacing treatment. It will reduce and treat all types of acne as well as smoothening your skin after a single treatment.

IMAGE advanced Acne Lift:

This treatment is normally reserved for the extreme cases of acne. It is a safe resurfacing peel that makes the skin smoother as well as providing anti-bacterial and antiseptic benefits.

Skinpeel With BHA Serum Infusion:

One of the most recent and unique skin treatments available for acne, the unique serum concentration is delivered deep into the skin. Encouraging brand new cell development the formulation has essential vitamins and anti-oxidants that effectively remove any skin irregularities.