Goodbye Acne... Hello Clear Skin (Opinion Article)
Shannon Gossett
sgossett@sclance.com
Staff Writer
Are you constantly looking for that right product to heal your acne? Fix the scars left behind by acne and find a solution to the redness associated with it? Maybe you have tried every product you can think of and still no results.
Licensed Esthetician and Graduate of the Institute of Skincare Science here in Redding, Ca I am here to guide you along the way in your pursuit of a blemish free complexion.
In my teens and early twenties I never went through the suffering of acne breakouts.
I would always get complimented on my skin but going into my mid twenties that all changed and I began to experience horrible acne breakouts that would leave me in tears.
Yes I had entered into a phase of “Adult Acne.”
Going through at home remedies, over the counter products and even antibiotics I never really was able to permanently get rid of the acne and the scarring associated with it.
It wasn’t until my late twenties that I finally started finding products that worked. Before I recommend anything to you, you need to know a few things about acne.
First where does acne come from? Acne usually starts when you hit puberty but can also stem from genetics, stress, and hormone imbalances, picking at the skin, over exfoliating, pollution and humidity.
Acne products work in different ways, depending on their active ingredient.
So what should you be looking for? Available in strengths from 2.5 to 10 percent, benzoyl peroxide can cause excessive dryness, scaling, redness, burning and stinging, especially if you have sensitive skin but it is highly effective.
Next is Salicylic acid. This ingredient slows shedding of cells inside the hair follicles, which prevents the pores from clogging.
Lastly is your glycolic and lactic acids which are two types of Alpha Hydroxy acids. These are synthetic versions of acids derived from sugar containing fruits.
They treat acne by removing dead skin cells, reducing inflammation and also helping in reducing acne scarring.
Also vitamins can be a great help because it goes straight to the source.
Remember you can treat acne from the outside but it comes from within.
Your body needs complete nutrition to promote healthy skin and to prevent acne.
Vitamin A is essential for the maintenance and repair of skin tissue.
It is also a powerful antioxidant that relieves your body of stress caused by free radicals.
Free radicals are atoms with an odd number of electrons and can be formed when oxygen interacts with certain molecules.
This can be very dangerous when they interact with certain components such as DNA.
Another recommended vitamin is B complex, which helps you maintain healthy skin.
I take this every day! It helps relieve stress, which is one of the biggest causes of acne.
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that enhances healing and tissue repair.
Zinc helps with healing of the tissues and helps prevent scarring as well as regulating oil glands.
Now lastly I am going to mention sulfur pills. This is in no way meant to be considered as a cure for acne since everyone’s skin is so different but it did in fact work for my cousin.
Jeff had horrible cystic acne from forehead to cheeks to chin. He tried everything known to man even Acutane and nothing worked.
My aunt then heard of sulfur pills, which are all natural.
Jeff began placing 6 of these small white pills under his tongue 4 times daily and within 3 weeks his acne was completely gone! True story!
It is always important though when trying something new even if it is all-natural to check with your healthcare provider first.
Now what are some common myths about acne? Myth #1- Chocolate and other fatty foods cause acne.
There's no scientific evidence that proves a person's diet causes acne.
Take this study for example: In their book, The Acne Cure, Terry J. Dubrow and Brenda D. Adderly explain, "researchers at the University of Pennsylvania fed 50 teenagers with acne a pound of chocolate a day. T
he result was that the acne of 46 of them remained unchanged; two got worse; and two got better."
The only truth to this myth is that some people find certain foods exacerbate their acne. So it may make ones skin worse but it is not the cause of the acne. (http://chiskinlabs.com/acnemyths.html)
Myth #2- To get rid of acne you should wash your face more often.
Over-cleansing your face can actually make acne worse.
Using harsh scrubs and cleansers repeatedly can lead to over-drying. To compensate for your dry skin, your body begins to produce more oil.
When your skin is dry it begins to flake and these flakes will mix with the oil from your pores and cause clogging. (http://chiskinlabs.com/acnemyths.html)
Myth #3 Sunbathing improves your acne.
Sun actually stimulates oil production and thickens the outer layer of the skin.
This thickening blocks pores and causes breakouts, not to mention that excessive sun exposure is harmful to your skin, causing cancer, premature aging and wrinkles.
(http://chiskinlabs.com/acnemyths.html)
So all this information may be new to you or maybe you have heard it a million times before and if so it doesn’t hurt to be reminded.
In conclusion I would like to recommend
A few products that were highly-effective in rescuing my skin.
The first is Neutrogena’s pink grapefruit foaming scrub.
It was also the 2009 readers’ choice award winner in allure magazine.
This product is amazing and quite successful in ridding of acne breakouts.
You can get it all at Walmart for less than $7.00
It is important to have a 3-step program.
After a cleansing you should tone. A great toner, which is also reasonably priced, and a personal favorite, is Neutrogena’s pore refining toner.
It reduces the appearance of pores, balances out skin tone and leaves skin smooth.
Lastly you must have a effective moisturizer. I used to think using a moisturizer on my breakouts would make it worse. This is also a common myth but you NEED to have a moisturizer.
I recommend Acne Solutions Emergency Gel-Lotion by Clinique. Its $14.50 but well worth it. I follow this routine and also add in the Clinique acne solutions post blemish formula for acne scars, which is 14.00.
You may think it’s a little pricey but it has done great wonders for my acne scars, which are almost completely gone.
So there you have it; the scoop on acne! I wish you all the best of luck on your journey to clear skin and remember....this to shall pass. Consistency is the key!
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