Should I see a Dermatologist for Acne Treatment

Do you have a favorite acne treatment that’s stopped working? Are you unsure what acne treatment to try? Are you astounded by the high price of the newest acne treatments on the market and hesitant to spend the money when you’re not sure if they will work? If you answered yes to any of these questions it might be time to consult a dermatologist.

I Know I Have Acne. So How Can a Dermatologist Help me?

First, a dermatologist can tell you what type of acne you have. This will be important in finding an effective acne treatment. Some of the different types of acne include:

• Acne Vulgaris: this is the most common form of acne. It includes whiteheads, blackheads, papules, and pastules. In severe acne vulgaris nodules and cysts are usually present.

• Acne Rosacea: although this is not technically a form of acne, it is often mistaken for acne. It is most common in people over the age of 30. It appears as a red rash on the face. While blackheads are not present, there may be bumps, pimples and other skin blemishes.

• Acne Conglobata: This is the most severe form of acne vulgaris. It can cause severe scarring and damage to the skin. It is most common in males between the ages of 18-30.

• Acne Fulminans: This is the sudden onset of acne conglobata. This type of acne also includes a fever and aching joints. Scarring can be so severe that it is disfiguring.

• Pyoderma Faciale: This type of acne is most common in women ages 20-40. It is a severe, often painful form of acne that occurs on the face.

Next, a dermatologist can perform some procedures during your office visit that can immediately improve your complexion. There are many procedures available including:

• Acne Surgery: This is a simple in office procedure to remove blackheads and whiteheads.

• Mircrodermabrasion: This removes the upper levels of skin to generate new, healthier skin

• Chemical Peels: This removes blackheads and whiteheads and allow new skin growth

Finally, there are a great many medications available to treat acne. A dermatologist may prescribe one of the following types of acne treatment:

• Topical Creams or Lotions: Some of these creams contain Vitamin A, some contain benzoyl peroxide, and some contain antibiotics.

• Oral Antibiotics: Oral medication may be useful in clearing some types of acne by reducing the amount of bacteria in the skin.

• Birth Control Pills: Some birth control pills may help control the level of hormones in the body

Given all of these variables, it is best to consult with your dermatologist to determine the acne treatment that is best for you.

An Acne Overview

Most people deal with acne at some point in their adolescence or adulthood but not everyone knows what really causes it or how to treat it.

Is It Really that Big a Problem?

Acne is not life threatening. However, breakouts that are not properly treated can cause scarring. Breakouts and scarring can damage a person’s self esteem. So, it is important that it be properly treated. In order for that to happen it is important to understand what really causes this skin condition and consider some tips for effective treatment.

Common Misconceptions About This Common Skin Condition

You may have heard all kinds of stories about what causes acne. Stories have been past down from parent to child and circulated in the hallways of most middle schools. However, the following four stories are simply myths and do not contribute to skin outbreaks. They include:

• Poor Hygiene: Acne is not caused because people do not wash their faces. In fact, frequent face washing may contribute to it. The best plan is to wash your face gently twice a day.

• Poor Diet: There is no evidence to support that eating pizza, French fries or chocolate contributes to pimples. Eating a well balanced and healthy diet is always a good skin care option, however.

• Stress: Again, there is no scientific evidence to support the fact that stress causes acne.

• Sun Will Improve your Skin: This is just not true. However, there is a lot of documentation about the harmful effects of the sun on skin. A tan may mask acne symptoms but it does not cure it.

What Does Cause This Skin Condition

Basically, pimples, whiteheads and other blemishes occur when the skin’s pores are clogged and oil and bacteria are trapped within the pores. The body sends white blood cells to the clogged pore resulting in inflammation.

Treatments

There are many treatments on the market and finding the right one to use will involve some trial and error. Whichever treatment that you find works for you, can be made more effective with these simple tips: gently wash your face with a mild cleanser, do not touch, pick, squeeze or otherwise play with the blemishes and, use cosmetics labeled noncomedogenic. Also, whichever treatment you choose needs to be used as directed and for enough time to determine if it works. If you do not see an improvement in about 8 weeks, it is time to look for a different solution.

So, now that you know what really causes acne and how to get the most from your skin treatment you can look forward to clear beautiful skin.

Effective Home Remedies for Acne

Acne can be embarrassing and you may want to find some home remedies for acne that will work just as well as medication you purchase from the store. There are many options for home remedies for acne. When trying one, be sure to give it an adequate amount of time before you give up. Some of these home remedies for acne take time to work.

Warm Compress

Heat on a zit will help its size. Sometimes when you first get a pimple, it can be large and red. Just as placing heat on a sore muscle will help it stop throbbing, this compress will help your blemish stop throbbing and calm down.

Cool Compress

A cool compress will help the redness of your pimple go away. If you have a big date, a huge red blemish is the last thing you need. If you are a male, then this will help it be less noticeable. If you are female, you will be able to cover it much easier with some make up when it is not so red.

Ethyl Alcohol

Many people use Ethyl Alcohol or household rubbing alcohol to dry up a pimple. Rubbing alcohol as one of your home remedies for acne may dry the skin around your pimple. You should not place it all over your face. Your face may become red and irritated, which causes more outbreaks. This is just for the specific location of your pimple to help the zip dry up.

Orange Peel

Take an orange peel and water and pound it with a stone. Then place the orange residue on your face. It is suppose to make your complexion look better and help acne heal.

Raw Garlic

Another option for home remedies for acne is to take raw garlic and rub it on your face many times during the day. You may need to roll it on a counter first to get the juices to come out. Garlic is believed to be effective in treating the most stubborn acne.

Cucumbers

Take some cucumbers and place them on you face and over your eyes. People have found this to be most effective in preventing pimples and blackheads. You will need to place them on your face for at least 20 minutes every day.

Lemon Juice

Juice from lemons can also be one of the most effective home remedies for acne. Take a lemon and roll in on a counter with your hand. This will release the juice in the lemon. Cut it in half and the juice should be easily extracted. Place it on your entire face. It is believed to help reduce and prevent acne.

How to Get Rid of Acne Finally For Good

Many people struggle with how to get rid of acne. It is often a hassle and something that millions struggle with daily. How to get rid of acne is a two step process. You have to lay the foundation or clear skin through a good skin care regimen and then you have to treat already existing acne.

Defining Acne

In order to learn how to get rid of acne it is very important to understand how it forms in the first place. You have to understand this so that you can develop proper methods of prevention and treatment.

Acne is a skin infection. It can be caused by dirty skin, but more often it is caused by hormones. Excess oil production in the skin lead to blocked pores which in turn present as acne. Of course, dirt can also get into pores, clogging them and causing acne.

Acne forms when the pores become blocked, either by dirt or oil. The blocked pore is good breeding ground for bacteria. The bacteria take over and pus forms. The result is on the skin surface as a cyst that is swollen, red and often pus looking. Acne can also be in the form of blackheads.

Blackheads are caused by oil that gets hard in the pores. The hardened oil looks black on the skins surface.

Laying the Foundation

Dirty skin is the best place for acne to form. You want to try to keep your skin as clean as possible. It is also important to note that not just oily skin can produce acne, but dry skin can as well. In fact, when the skin is too dry, it produces more oil to try to combat the dryness which can then present as acne.

Everyday, preferably morning and evening, you should use a mild face wash to cleanse your skin. You want to wash it carefully without being to harsh and pulling the skin. Make sure to remove all the cleanser.

You should also exfoliate. You can do this with a scrub made for the skin. Exfoliating will help to get rid of dead skin cells, which are also a contributing factor to acne as they get stuck down in the pores along with the oil.

Use a toner that is designed for your skin tone. The toner will help to remove any skin cells you have exfoliated and any cleanser that may remain. It will leave your face feeling refreshed, but should not leave your face feeling tight.

You can now moisturize. Be sure to use a non-oily moisturizer that is designed to be used on the face.

Treatments

If you have acne, you will want to treat it. Be sure to follow all directions on any over the counter acne medication you use. Make sure to not over use the medication as this can dry out the skin and increase oil production. There are many acne creams on the market that will be suitable for use to treat your acne.

Learning how to get rid of acne is a process that you have to work at and be diligent in order to maintain. Make sure you keep up your daily routine.

Acne Vulgaris

Acne Vulgaris, which is also known as, Common Acne, is one of the biggest struggles that teenagers face. Adults also suffer this acne commonly found in adolescents. Many visits to the dermatologist are due to Acne Vulgaris.

Body Image and Acne Vulgaris

Body image can decrease when a teenager or an adult has Acne Vulgaris. The acne can be on the face, chest or back. The chest and back are easily covered but the face is much more difficult to hide. Because of this, you may be self-conscious due to the pimples on your face. Usually the pimples also have redness around them, which further contributes to its appearance.

Body image is everything in adolescence, which is why this form of acne is such a great deal during this period. Teenagers begin to feel bad about their looks because they cannot control the acne and they don’t know what to do about it.

Causes of Acne

The main reason why people suffer from this is due to fluctuating hormones. During adolescence, teenagers are going through puberty and their hormones are changing rapidly. These rapid changes cause pimples to form at the skin.

Another cause of acne is stress. Whenever someone is under stress they will normally have an outbreak. When the stress has been relieved the pimples will go away.

Genetics also plays a role in whether you will have to deal with Acne Vulgaris. If your mother or father had a skin problem as teenagers or even now, as a adults then there is a good chance you will as well. Genetics can play a role along with your hormones and stress.

Drug use, especially narcotics cause acne. Drug addicts will normally have pimples on their face and body in reaction to their drug use. Bodily reactions to the drugs are what cause the pimples to form in this case.

Dirty pores are another common cause of skin problems. Unclean pores are not due to not washing your face. Actually, washing you face too much can cause you more harm than good because it can irritate your skin producing more skin issues. Your pores have bacteria in them, which is what is causing them to be dirty. You will need to an antibiotic if this is what is causing your flare-ups.

Treatment for Acne Vulgaris

Topical bactericidals is a common prescription given by dermatologists. You can use this directly on your face and it will treat the acne from the outside in. It will begin to cut down on the bacteria at the pores and start to attack underneath. This works for many people who have mild cases. Other types of treatment include topical antibiotics and oral antibiotics, which help from the inside out.

Blemish Care, Acne Treatments Available

Whether you have one pimple or many on your face, you need blemish care. Acne treatments have hit the market like wildfire and there is much to choose from in the skincare isle. You may become overwhelmed when see all of the bottles with promise that it will clear your skin in a certain amount of days. It helps to know exactly what care acne needs.

Whom Acne Affects

Acne can affect adolescents and adults. It is usually due to hormones, stress, or drugs. You cannot control your hormones so this is something you will have to find blemish care. Acne doctors like a dermatologist can help you find a prescription strength medication if over the counter medications does not work.

If your acne is due to stress than you will need to find ways to combat your stress. Excellent ways to relieve stress include exercising, talking to friends or family or taking a break from work or school if possible. It is possible to find blemish care, Acne treatments can be used if you are unable to lower your stress levels.

If you are drug user, especially narcotics, your acne is caused by what the drugs are doing to your body. If you want your pimple problems to go away then you will need to stop the drug use. If you are trying to rid your problems with blemish care, acne will not go away.

Pimple Care, Acne Treatments

When you reach the skincare isle, you will need to know a few things before you start buying. The first thing to know is that your pimples are not from dirt. It’s true that you have bacteria in your pores but that is not because you do not wash your face. This being said, you still need to wash you face to clean it off pollutants in the air and make up.

Choose a cleanser that is gentle on your skin. Your face is irritated enough because of your acne. You want something that is going to take the dirt away without making your face dry and susceptible to more irritation. Cleansers with moisturizers work well if you have especially dry skin.

You will find that many cleansers that have acne-fighting medication. If you plan to use separate medication on top of your cleanser, you do not need the extra medication in the cleanser. All this will do is dry out your skin even more, which can cause more breakouts.

When choosing a topical medication, look for Benzoyl Peroxide or Sacillyc Acid. These are two leading pimple-fighting solutions. Some people do well with the Benzoyl Peroxide while others do better with the Sacillyc Acid. You might have to try each of them before you know what works best for you. Blemish care, acne treatments over the counter can be effective but you do not see improvement seek out your doctor’s advice.

Acne Medication that Works

Having you been searching for acne medication that actually works? When you are an adolescent, all you need are some unsightly pimples taking over your face. You have tried all of the over the counter remedies and nothing seems to do the trick. It just makes your face dry and irritated.

You may have tried all of the home remedies as well. Acne medications from home like Ethyl Alcohol, toothpaste, and picking your pimples off will only cause you more discomfort, worse looking pimples and vulnerability to more blemishes. You need an acne medication that will work without causing additional damage to your face.

Start with Gentle Cleansers

Since almost all acne medications cause you to have dry skin you will need to pick a cleanser that will make your skin soft. Cleansers with moisturizers are great in fighting the drying effect of these treatments. Even if you have oily skin, the treatment that you receive for your pimples will dry you out.

Beware of the cleansers with acne medication in them. This will just further dry your face because you are basically doubling the dose. You do not need the solution in your cleanser because your face wash is to do just that, wash your face.

Going to the Dermatologist for Acne Medication

When you visit your dermatologist, he will first make sure you are not allergic to any medications. Many people have been known to be allergic to treatment such as Erythromycin. The next thing he will ask if you are at risk for pregnancy. Many meds that are prescribed for pimples problems cannot be taken if you are pregnant or if you become pregnant. This is very important for the safety of both you and your unborn child.

Your dermatologist will probably start you off with a topic solution to try first. You may be thinking that you have already tried creams on your face and they didn’t work. The difference with the ones you will receive from your doctor is that the solution that it is made with is a higher dose than what you can buy in the store. You may need stronger treatment especially if your pimples are stubborn or you have a severe case.

If you try a couple of the topical creams and you have not seen improvement then your doctor may prescribe you an oral antibiotic. This antibiotic will send bacteria fighting power to your pores to kill off the bacterium you have. This treatment that works from the inside out rather than topical works from the outside in. Sometimes topical medications can get into the pores well enough to attack this bacteria. With continued use of the medications, you will have a clear skin free from unsightly blemishes.