I am 80% certain that you have heard of the phrase, name or word acne and how it destroys confidence and disfigures your self esteem. Acne is a common skin disease and I do not mean like a zombie disease but a condition that results in the build up of bacteria, oil and dead skin cells to create inflamed areas of skin which results in pimples, sore red skin and blackheads.

People with acne do get bullied, it is a serious issue especially in your teenage years because it arrises in areas such as the face and neck (most visible), back and upper chest and in some cases anywhere. But worry not, if you have acne and in your forties or fifties you are not alone. I have had acne as a teenager and I know how frustrating it is to constantly avoid people who are your friends or family because they will notice that big red lump on your nose for example.

"Hey, Rudolf! Come Hear"

Acne is treatable in many forms and ways ie products, routines or systems. However not all products take the same effect and every person's skin is different because it reacts in different ways to common treatments. Before we learn how acne is treated, I am going to explain what actually happens and how acne rears its ugly head.

Acne is the most common skin condition seen by physicians and usually starts around the age of 11 to 13 due to hormones 'kicking in' and growing from a child to a teenager. It also can occur during women pregnancy, hormonal changes and menopause. Plugged pores, blackheads, white heads, pimples, deeper lumps and cysts are all classed as acne and we need to understand more about acne before we look at treatment.

Try Not To Snooze

It all starts in the Sebaceous Glands. The skin is heavily dependant on the Sebaceous Glands because it is their job to keep the skin fresh, softening hair follicles, prevent drying up by lubricating and removing dead skin cells from under the skin.

The sebaceous gland are attached to a hair follicle and produces sebum which pushes upwards and out of your pores. In the process of doing this, the hair follicle routinely sheds dead skin cells which the sebum naturally pushes out of the pores to prevent clogging, infection and bacteria getting under the skin.

However, the sebaceous gland is strangely connected to your hormones and can increase the shed of dead skills and sebum which together can clog your pores increasing the chances of blemishes, which is an easy target for bacteria to flourish in the sebum which causes inflammation. ie big red pain.

• A clogged pore/follicle which is not exposed to air is a white head.
• A clogged pore/follicle which turn a dark black or brown due to the follicle being exposed to air. is known as a blackhead.
• Clogged follicle which is inflamed, full of puss and bacteria ia a pimple. ('The Party Popers')
• A clogged follicle similar to the above but deeper and more puss and inflammation is commonly known as a cyst

Common Side Effects

Unfortunately most skin conditions have side effects and for acne the most common is scars, holes and purple spots but fear not. There are plenty of products that can help to rebuild skin to reduce scars and act as a building block for skin repair and also treatments to cure acne for good. Patients with acne have far more success now with acne and treatments then they did 6 years ago when research and products were drastically less or even useless.

A couple of products on the market used today to either kill bacteria(to prevent the inflammation), reduce the build up of dead skin cells or sebum( prevent clogging of follicles) and they do these in different ways but normally using chemicals or acids. There are also more natural ways of curing acne without using harsh alternative's for your skin but generally these work the best.

Benzoyl peroxide is used to breakdown bacteria, sooth inflammation and reduce excess sebum(oil) on the acne area to prevent acne coming through in breakouts or blackheads. Benzoyl Peroxide is very effective at reducing acne but not curing for life, it is harsh on skin and can cause dry skin, irritation and stinging.

Salicylic acid is as it suggests an acid that cause be used to slow the shedding of skin cells to stop clogged pores and may break down white heads and blackheads. However it has some side effects like peeling skin, redness and pain so make sure you do not use a high dose.

Acne is a tough skin condition to live with because it really destroys you inside and out with the way it effects your social life, relationships, confidence and of course skin. People who have never had acne before judge it as being dirty when its nothing to with that. 90% of people with acne have cleaner, well maintained acne ie face than the people who judge them.

What Happens When Your Embarrassing Acne Is Gone?

As I said earlier most skin conditions have side effects and acne likes you to remember it was there for years once its gone, leaving you with holes, pits and worse. These scars are worse for others than some and can disconfigure an area of skin and depress patients, however there are ways to help scars improve and rejuvenate through natural ways like aloe vera and lemon juice.

Hope is not all lost, times are changing and people are dealing with acne and so should you and if you have scars there always is something on the market for your skin. If you can find a product which uses Benoyl Peroxide and Salicylic Acid that will benefit your skin the most.

Chin up it will get better.

Hope this helped