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| Facial Acne |
Acne is a common skin disorder caused by excessive production of oil in the sebaceous glands – oil-clogged pores. It can appear on our face, neck, back, chest, buttocks and shoulders. Acne mainly affects us in our adolescent years and those of us with oily skin are more prone to outbreaks. Even in our adult years we may be affected so it is important to understand our skin and utilize an effective skin care routine.
The most common type of acne is Acne Vulgaris which includes whiteheads, blackheads, papules, pustules.
Whiteheads resemble little white towers growing out of your skin while blackheads look like tiny black, sometimes puffy spots on your skin.
Papules are painful red bumps and pustules are similar, kinda like ripe papules but with a white or yellow centre.
More severe types of acne are nodules - large painful lumps and cysts which are like nodules filled with yellowish white fluid.
You may want to choose the type of treatment for your acne very carefully as most acne treatments may contain dangerous chemicals which can cause harmful skin and internal conditions over long-term use. Do your own research on cosmetic ingredient safety assessments before choosing your products.
Personally, using the aloe vera both internally and topically for over 30 years has not produced any harmful side effects. It is a natural, non-toxic, antiseptic skin healer.
CLEANSING:
As a rule, everything that comes into contact with your face/skin should be immaculately clean!
Clean your skin gently at least twice daily, morning and night, with aloe vera soap, medicated soap/wash or a water-based cleansing cream/lotion to remove makeup. Use a clean wash rag every time (a baby wash rag is great for face). Do not rub hard or you may harm your skin. Rinse and pat dry, do not rub or you may spread the bacteria from any open pimples to other areas of your skin. You may use a grainy scrub to tackle blackheads. This is much safer than squeezing.
APPLY ALOE VERA:
Apply pure aloe vera gel
or ointment to your face/skin. If you have dry skin you may want to accompany it with an aloe vera moisturizing cream.TREAT PIMPLES & SORES:
Apply aloe gel as often as you can throughout the day to quickly heal any sores or pimples. This will also help to reduce old scars and minimize or prevent new ones if you have picked your face.
AVOID:
1. Stress. When you are tense, stress stimulates the adrenal glands, causes an over-production of the hormone cortisol which increases the oil in your skin to create acne.
2. Dirty hair. Many infections (pimples) on the face can be caused by dirt, dust and oil being transferred from the hair to the face. You may want to keep your hair off your face if you are troubled with acne.
3. Soiled pillows. Try to change your pillow cases as often as you possibly can to avoid further infections as you sleep - when you toss and turn.
4. Dirty face basins and soiled makeup applicators. Make sure your face basin is scrubbed clean and use disposable applicators for applying all your makeup. Become a star for cleanliness.
5. Picking and squeezing. Don't squeeze that pimple!! This may transfer excess oils and infect other areas of your skin. It can also cause undesirable acne scarring. Try a gentle scrub instead; avoid scrubbing inflammatory lesions or "ripe" pimples. Be conscious of where you put your hands when you are distracted. Try to keep your hands off your face.
6. Smoking. This can affect your skin’s ability to heal and also cause wrinkles so you look older.
7. Greasy, spicy foods and sweets. These foods have been known to increase the production of oil and aggravate breakouts. If you stop eating certain foods and sweets for a month, e.g. fries, then resume eating them at a later date and your acne gets worse, you should permanently exclude these from your diet. Sorry! You need to eat a nutritious, well-balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, meat, milk and whole grains.
8. Greasy or oil-based creams, lotions and makeup. These can clog pores and encourage the growth of bacteria.
9. Being a couch potato. Sluggish circulation can often cause overactive oil glands. Improve your circulation with exercise.
10. Dehydration. Drink plenty of water to lubricate your complexion. Try an aloe drink. It helps to heal the skin from within by flushing out impurities.
