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Lately, I've been hearing many misconceptions about acne. I think
very few people know the real facts about acne. So I figured I'd
help you all increase your knowledge.
First off,
acne is a medical condition. There is a medical reason why it
happens, and there are medical treatments for it. This isn't to
say that acne is curable: Acne is not curable, it can only be
controlled.
Most teenagers believe that if they wash their face more, their acne
will go away. This could not be farther from the truth.
Acne is in no way caused by lack of personal hygiene. Scrubbing
your face more than necessary will actually worsen your acne.
Why? Because scrubbing your face agitates the inner lining of
pores, which is the first step of creating a zit on your face. Also,
soap left in the pores will irritate the fragile pore, and the
more you wash, the more likely you are to leave soap on your face.
So if hygiene isn't what causes acne, then what causes it? Our
skin is made up of thousands of tiny pores. Deep in each
pore contains naturally occurring oils. If you did not have these
oils, you would not be a human. Sometimes, usually due to a
change in hormones, there becomes an overabundance of these oils.
When this happens, the pathway down to the bottom of the pore can not
release the oils as it should. When this happens, the pores swell
up, which ultimately cause those pesky red dots on our face.
What's worse is that there are naturally occurring viruses on our
skin. This is natural and healthy. Unfortunately, when the
pores become enlarged, the viruses seep in, and make the pimple even
worse.
Acne can also be caused by genetics, or just by some fluctuating
hormones, which would explain why most teenagers experience it.
So if washing your face won't help acne go away, what will? If
you have persistent acne, meaning you often
have more than one pimple
on your face, chest or back, then you should see a doctor. True
acne can not be cleared up by using over-the-counter creams.
These creams can only prevent the occasional pimple; they are not an
effective way to treat continuous acne.
When you go to the doctor, you will most
likely get some creams to use, with detailed instructions. The main
thing to
remember is to not use too much of the cream. Using too much will
only cause pores to become further irritated and inflamed, which is
just the
opposite of what you want.
You must also remember that acne can
not be controlled overnight. It takes at least one month
for a pimple to form, so it will take at least one month to see any
improvement.
I hope my article helped clear up (no pun intended)
some misconceptions about acne, and I hope you use this information to
possibly help your own acne.
-rlh27
Sources:
Acne.org (a business website)
Yahoo-Health
My own dermatologist
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