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Archive for the 'Skin Care' Category
Treatment of acne involves a total management programme rather than the use of one particular cream.
Cleansing the skin
When the skin is cleaned dirt and surface bacteria are removed. In acne, however, the pathology lies deep below the skin’s surface in the sebaceous glands which are not affected by regular cleansers or soaps. The skin should be cleansed once or twice daily but harsh products should be avoided. Acne skin is already inflamed and sore and harsh soaps and anti-bacterial cleansers will only irritate it more.
Suitable mild soaps include Almay cleansing bar, Clinique cleansing bar and Neutrogena for oily skin, while liquid, non-oily cleansers such as Cetaphil Lotion, Almay foaming cleanser and Yardley foaming cleanser can also be used. Anti-bacterial soaps are of no benefit and are too drying. However, special anti-acne washes which contain benzoyl peroxide and penetrate into the sebaceous glands do help to reduce the number of propionibacterium acnes. These washes include Oxywash and Paramet. Although they are helpful, they must be used cautiously to avoid excessive irritation.
Cleansing granules and buff puffs should be avoided as they only irritate the skin. Toners dry out excessive oil but tend to burn skin which is already inflamed. They are of little benefit and often produce excessive dryness. Cleansing masks are often advocated for acne skin. Although they absorb oil, they usually have no real therapeutic effect and can significantly irritate the skin.
Picking and squeezing acne lesions
Acne lesions are inflammatory and therefore should not be picked or squeezed. This will only spread and deepen the inflammation and may lead to scarring. People who have only blackheads, however, will often benefit from manual extraction. Beauticians are often very skilled in extracting blackheads and whiteheads, but red lumps and pusy heads should not be pricked. Neither should moisturizers be used after blackhead removal as they will only block the pores again.
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