Daily Health and Medicine News

Teen acne: What causes the skin disorder and options for treatment

If you’re a teen, chances are you’ve got a pimple or two on your face.

And while having zits is the pits, you’re not the only one to go through the expected rite of passage into adulthood.

According to the Nemours Clinic website, KidsHealth.org, nearly eight in 10 teens have acne, and so do many adults.

Typically developing during hormonal changes related to puberty, acne is one of the most common skin disorders that nearly everyone experiences at some point in their life.

But for teens, the appearance of tiny bumps on their faces, backs, necks and sometimes chests, is a horrifying ordeal regardless of its societal acceptance.

The good news is that the old adage – this too shall pass – really rings true, and most teens outgrow the inevitable.

“Acne is a disease of the follicles or pores,” said Mayo Clinic Florida dermatologist Juan Carlos Martinez. “Follicles in the skin contain oil glands that make a certain amount of sebum for our skin. Adolescence is a time when oil glands wake up. These glands get revved up in response to normal hormonal changes, which can result in clogged pores, bacterial growth and local inflammation – hallmarks of acne.”

If you think avoiding certain foods and eliminating stress and other factors from your life will give you acne-free teenage years, it won’t.

“While there are no great data to prove that stress leads to acne, stress doesn’t make anything better,” said Martinez. “If a teen’s parents had bad acne, there’s a higher chance that they will, too. Even though there aren’t data incriminating any one specific food, there are suggestions in the literature that diets with high glycemic index may lead to more frequent acne breakouts and that a low glycemic index diet may help improve acne to some extent. Furthermore, some makeup can promote acne if it blocks pores, but using a good cleanser and caring for your skin can help keep acne under control.”

There are three main types of acne, and according to Martinez, people can have a combination of all three.

“Comedonal acne results from overproduction of oil and dead skin clogging the pores, which lead to blackheads,” he said. “These clogged pores then can become breeding ground for bacteria, which the body may react to leading to red bumps or whiteheads known as inflammatory acne.”

The most severe type of acne, Martinez said, is nodulocystic, with inflamed, large, deep lumps on the face, chest and back. “This type of acne has the highest risk of leading to permanent scarring and should be treated by a dermatologist with systemic medication to reduce that risk,” he said.

Depending on the severity of the acne, several courses of treatment may be prescribed over a period of years. Martinez said most physicians will use a combination of topical gels or creams and also may prescribe oral antibiotics to treat acne if it worsens. Some over-the-counter products may work, too. Martinez advises parents and teens to discuss potential side effects of all medications with their prescribing physician.

Martinez’s advice to teens with acne: “Make sure you follow your physician’s advice for therapy. Stick to your routine, and do it regularly for best results.”

His best advice to parents: “Don’t minimize your teen’s acne. Cosmetic appearances are very important during adolescent years. Help them by making sure they follow through with their daily regimen.”

Skin Care Tips For Men

Men are advised to use Aloe vera based cream before shaving. Shaving makes men’s skin dry and harsh. To keep the skin smooth even after shaving, it advised to apply Aloe vera cream on the beard. This allows a smooth shave and saves the skin from being dry.

Is your skin prone to pimples? That’s because you don’t clean your face thoroughly after a battle with traffic and pollution. You need to cleanse, tome and moisturise your skin. Use a 15 SPF sunscreen before going out to the sun and after coming back cleanse your face with a mild cleanser.

Face cleaning, is a must for men. As their skin is more oily, dirt tend to stick to the skin and the dry skin tend to block the pores. There are several ways of face cleaning but steam face cleaning is the best. It opens up the pores of your skin letting it get cleansed completely.

Talking of cleansing, men should use soap free cleanser. This is help your skin retain the moisture.

Most men suffer from blackheads. It is necessary to get rid of the blackheads because they might later grow up to be painful. To get rid of blackheads and to prevent them from happening again, men need to use face packs. Natural face packs of honey and lemon works wonders. Both are natural bleach and thus takes off the tan as well as the blackheads.

Girls don’t like dry and rough lips. Keep your lips moist using lip balms. If your lips have gone blackish due to smoking, then apply some lemon juice on it along with with salt. Keep it for some time and scrub it off. Your natural lip colour will soon return.

Innovation in Body Care

When it comes to caring for the skin, its the ongoing pursuit of product innovation and breakthrough technology that keeps consumers thirsting for the ultimate in moisturization and nutrition properties. That’s why Fruits & Passion has made body care a priority in 2010–adding two new products packed with concentrated plant oils and active natural ingredients to its best-selling Nourishing Collection.

Nourishing Dry Oil for Body and Hair and Nourishing Body Scrub are designed to complement the full line of body-care offerings. As with every product in the collection, these two additions have been developed with all-natural oil and butter bases containing more concentrated active ingredients than most skin-care products available on the market today.

In formulating these new products, Fruits & Passion drew inspiration from the strict adherence of the Nourishing Collection’s sustainable development criteria of authenticity and ethical harvesting. The company made a special point of including a high percentage of natural-source ingredients and avoiding irritants such as silicone, paraben, sulphate, mineral oil and colouring. The result? Both Nourishing Dry Oil for Body and Hair and Body Scrub are healthy and effective with more nourishing and longer lasting benefits delivered to the skin.

Nourishing Dry Oil for Body and Hair: 32 percent plant oils* and costs $14 for 5 ounces. This nourishing, silicone-free oil is formulated with fatty acids derived from plant oils* to replenish the skin. It goes on smoothly, quickly penetrating the skin and hair follicle to hydrate, soothe and soften. Nourishing Dry Oil is a liquid yet nonoily formula, leaving a silky film that will not stain on contact with clothing (so there is no waiting for product to absorb
before dressing). Its texture makes this versatile oil great to use on hair for a restorative, nourishing effect.

Nourishing Body Scrub: 90 percent natural-source ingredients and costs $22 for 6.1 ounces. Breakout technology combining the nourishing properties of formulated plant oils* (35 percent) with the power of mechanical exfoliation through a rich and creamy combination of salt particles, bamboo and coconut powder, this “super scrub” leaves skin feeling clean, soft and silky smooth. Infused with natural extracts to ensure extra gentle, nonirritating, soothing properties and formulated without paraben, silicone, sulphate, mineral oil or coloring.