Taking Care of My Skin

Having bad acne can be one of the most embarrassing skin conditions to have whether you are a teenager or well on in years. For a teenager it can seem to be crushing to their social status as well as hurting their chances with members of the opposite sex. Older people can feel as though they should be well and truly past this stage of their life. The truth is acne affects all people of all ages.

What is Acne?

So let’s look at what acne is. Acne is a common disease associated with our skin. You may not realise this but our skin is actually the biggest organ our body has and helps to protect us from infection by forming a barrier around our body. At times this disease, acne vulgaris, can break out on our skin resulting in any or all of the following symptoms: red scaly skin, blackheads, whiteheads, papules, huge pimples and even bad acne scarring.

What causes it?

The most usual cause is actually our hair follicles! You see our skin has a natural oil that is used to keep our skin smooth, supple and to stop it from drying out. This natural oil is called sebum and it is released from our Sebaceous glands. It’s a delicate balance though, not enough sebum and we get dry cracking skin, too much sebum and there is a possibility for acne to occur. Excessive sebum usually gets blocked before it can reach the surface of our skin, in particularly around hair follicles. This excessive sebum then gets infected and the site of the infection regularly becomes really bad acne.

Do certain things make it worse?

It’s been proven that certain things do not help if you are trying to prevent or control bad acne.

• Increases in hormone levels such as during puberty or a woman’s menstrual cycle are times when acne can be expected to occur. These are obviously things which are out of our control. However checking any drug prescription we are with our doctor can be a good idea. They may be affecting our hormone levels in unexpected ways.
• High levels of stress can result in more sebum being produced which we already know is a bad thing due to the fact that it will more than likely end up becoming clogged.
• Some people claim that consuming large quantities of processed food can be harmful for your skin as they contain lots of preservatives and additives and trigger acne outbreaks
• It could also just be your genetics, some people will develop bad acne scars whilst others will remain acne free their entire life!

So what can I do?

OK that’s all well and good to know but what are some practical things that I can do to help solve my very bad acne problem?

• Have a regular exercise routine. When you exercise you generate a lot of sweat and this means that the pores usually get a nice flushing out as well as any dirt or debris that may have been potentially blocking them. Exercise is also a great way to release stress so has added benefits. Just make sure to have a thorough wash or shower as soon as possible after your exercising otherwise there is the potential for the sweat to clog your pores!
• Make sure you get a good night’s sleep. When we are sleeping our body uses this time to do a lot of recovery and recuperation that is just not possible when we are awake. It has been scientifically proven that lack of sleep and poor sleeping patterns can lead to stress, increased inflammation and depression; all of which can trigger an acne outbreak.
• Make sure you drink plenty of water. This helps to ensure that your skin does not dry out and leading to dead skin which can potentially block pores and cause really bad acne. Also the body has four ways to eliminate waste: kidneys, liver, lungs and skin. If you are not drinking enough water your kidneys and liver may not function properly or be overloaded which means that waste will be eliminated via your skin.
• Reduce your stress levels. It’s a fact that stress leads to acne so you should try to remove stressful situations and environments from your life. Whether it is to do with work, certain relationships or just the busyness of life aim to have some down time each day when you can de-stress. Exercising, getting a good nights sleep, drinking plenty of water; all of these are great ways or relieving stress.

Summary

Suffering from bad acne can be a very embarrassing thing whether you are young or old. But by trying a few of the things mentioned in this article you will go a long way to reducing the likelihood of acne occurring as well as restoring some much needed self confidence.