Here’s the latest information on acne treatment - We know acne starts at puberty, gets especially bad at certain times of the month, and for many of us it doesn’t go away. EVER.  Why, no one knows for sure, but scientists have  recently determined that one very significant trigger is an enzyme released only during hormonal changes in the body. Hmm, makes total sense, doesn’t it?

We have to understand the vicious cycle of acne-troubled skin to know how to treat it successfully.  The good news is, we now know that throwing the harsh chemicals and antibiotics at the problem really isn’t the best solution, and in fact may continue the cycle instead of stopping it.

The breakout starts literally weeks before you even see anything at the surface – one day your skin just produces too much sebum in one or more of your pores.

Since there is way too much oil for that tiny little pore,  it travels up the hair follicle and spreads to the skin’s surface, and creates oily skin. Some people just naturally have oily or combination skin, with no breakouts.  But people with blemish prone skin – that excess oil is now the enemy.

The oil on this skin type degrades and produces nasty chemical by-products that cause excess sloughing off  of skin cells around the hair follicle, creating a plug at the opening of the pore.  A slightly blocked pore looks dark from skin pigment (blackhead). With a completely blocked pore (air can’t get in, sebum can’t get out) the pore gets swollen (whitehead), and the acne bacterium now flourish.

Free radical reactions also occur in the sebum, causing more damage to the cells lining the pores, and so the body sends more white blood cells to do battle – redness and infection is now visible in the affected area.

For acne treatment to be effective and stop the cycle, we must address all four areas of concern – excess sebum production, clogged pores, bacteria that degrade sebum and create irritating byproducts, and free radical reactions in sebum.

For excess sebum – scientific studies have shown that Zinc Gluconate, Vitamin B6, and Licorice Extract will reduce oiliness.

For clogged pores – salicylic acid helps speed the sloughing of the skin cells blocking the opening to the pore.  It also penetrates pores to clear most acne blemishes and to help prevent the development of new acne blemishes. (note: benzoyl peroxide is also an effective treatment, but not recommended because it does produce free radicals on the skin),

For bacteria – Manuka Oil and Tea Tree Oil support the skin’s natural healthy microfloral balance; extracts of Burdock, Watercress, and Licorice soothe irritated skin, helping to reduce the redness of acne blemishes.

For free radical reactions – Vitamins A and E are oil-soluble antioxidants to help prevent free radical attacks and oxidation of excess and bacterially-degraded sebum.  In addition, Vitamin A supports health,normal skin cell turnover and Vitamin E softens skin.

You can successful treat oily skin that is troubled by acne breakouts with  products that contain natural, botanical ingredients. The key is to dry up the acne blemishes and gently encourage natural skin cell turnover.  Then protect the skin against moisture loss and free radical attacks that can lead to prematurely older looking skin.

Look for skin care products that contain these natural ingredients (rather than harsh chemicals) which effectively address the four areas of acne concern. Your skin will heal, and you will be able to minimize and/or prevent further breakouts. You will have the beautiful clear skin you’ve always dreamed of – naturally!

For your FREE personal skin care consultation, please complete the form on my sidebar, tell me as much as you can about your skin problem, and then submit.

There’s help and hope at the Skin Care Blog!

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Blemished skin can profoundly affect our social and professional lives. It can cause us to withdraw from others, avoid relationships, and hold back on seeking that next job promotion.  Our entire self esteem can be completely wrapped around our inability to control the way our skin looks.  Adult suffers are taking this problem very seriously.

For most blemish sufferers, however, the news in good.  Even though there is no cure for acne, we CAN safely control and manage the breakouts.  And you DO want to manage and control them – otherwise you’ll experience post-acne complications such as discoloration of the skin (brown spots from previous blemishes) and worst  of all – scarring.

Treatments for acne have significantly evolved over the years.  We’ve tried all sorts of remedies that failed.  But with more and more people demanding blemish control, we finally have some proven solutions that work.  No more spot treatments (they didn’t work), no more sun lamps or heavy alcohol toners (they just dried our skin out), and no more blaming the person who’s suffering with bad skin (it’s their SKIN that’s the problem, not the person).

Smart science tells us that if we treat our entire face, consistently every morning and every night, with the right formulations, we can manage most blemish-prone skin problems.  The formulations must contain only non-comedogenic ingredients.  A blemish is simply a clogged pore, so we can’t use ingredients that clog the pores on our skin.  Products must first – calm the skin’s irritations (botanicals like chamomile and aloe are the best), secondly – unclog the pores and eliminate the plug of oil and bacteria, and third – gently exfoliate the skin to remove dead skin that can clog the pores.

Sometimes all you need is a routine of twice per day using purely botanically-based skin care products to get the desired results.  But, if you’re still breaking out, you should try using botanically-based products that also contain over the counter strength medicines such as sulfur, benzoyl peroxide, and alpha hydroxy acids.  If, after several weeks on this regimen, you still don’t have your blemishes under control, it is recommended that you see a dermatologist immediately for prescription strength medicated skin care products to get your acne under control.  The important thing is -don’t wait! The condition will only worsen and now you’ll be dealing with the complications as well.

In most cases, you may only need to use the medicated products for a short while, until your skin is cleared, and then you can gradually change your regimen back to purely botanical.  If you find your skin flaring up again, you can go back on the medicated products as needed.

If you’re one of the millions struggling with blemish prone skin, just know, you’re not alone.  Many others are going through the same struggles as you.  There is hope!  I encourage you to act today, seek advice from a skin care professional.  Ask them for their recommendations for a twice daily skin care regimen that treats the entire skin, is botanically based, with non-comedogenic ingredients, contains over the counter medications (if needed), gently exfoliates, calms the skin, unclogs pores and fights bacteria.

And, of course, no matter what your skin concern, always- always- always wear your sunscreen!

For your own personal skin care consultation, you can go here for help.

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