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It is pretty irritating when you notice acne in your skin. It can be embarrassing to show off a red mark on the face, thereby creating a wrong impression about yourself. You have to take utmost care of your skin if you do not want to fall prey to any skin problems. Acne-prone skin can be treated in many ways, like removing dead cells, using homemade facials, and regular cleansing with mild products. To treat acne-prone skin, you must first identify the leading cause of the same. Let’s know more about acne and how to take care of acne-prone skin.
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What is acne-prone skin?
Acne-prone skin is the type of skin in which acne and pimples may develop. Acne occurs due to the clogging of sebaceous glands present in the skin and can be triggered by hormonal changes. Hormonal changes like the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, or even puberty can cause the growth of bacteria in the pores leading to acne breakout. These blocked pores get infected with bacteria resulting in redness, swelling, and sometimes pus formation. People having oily skin are more likely to suffer from such problems than those with dry skin. The use of cosmetics can also lead to the development of acne. Going out under direct sunlight for an extended period can trigger this problem as ultraviolet rays harm the oil secretion causing acne breakouts.
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What are the possible causes of acne?
1. Oily skin
Oily skin is the leading cause of acne because sebaceous glands in oily skin secrete more oil that blocks pores. Oily products like creams and moisturizers lead to clogging of pores while waxing, threading, or using hair removal products can harm your face by blocking facial pores. Even applying foundation or sunscreen before going outside under direct sunlight can damage your skin, making you prone to acne breakouts.
2. Hormonal changes
Hormonal changes occur due to various reasons like puberty, menstruation cycle, pregnancy, etc. These hormonal changes increase the level of the male hormone called testosterone, leading to increased secretion of oil through sebaceous glands, resulting in the development of acne on the forehead and chin. Women suffering from premenstrual syndrome have a very high risk of suffering from acne breakouts.
3. Using cosmetics
Certain cosmetic products that should not be used on facial skin can cause severe damage to your facial skin by clogging the pores, resulting in acne development. Ensure you keep away from using such cosmetics, especially for the face, as they destroy the natural balance of oils in your skin, making it prone to acne breakouts.
4. Excessive usage of scrubber brushes
Excessive use of scrub brushes or other such harsh accessories like triangular pads can harm your skin, causing redness, swelling, or even scars due to excessive dryness. These may lead to fine lines and wrinkles formation in facial areas giving an aged look to the face.
5. Sun exposure
Sun rays harm acne-prone skin, clogging the pores and increasing oil secretion through sebaceous glands resulting in acne breakouts. Hence, always use sunscreen creams before going out under direct sunlight for an extended period. Avoid going out from 10 am to 4 pm as most sunrays are harsh during this time leading to severe development of acne or its chronic form known as acne scars
6. Food habits
If you eat junk food with high content of hydrogenated fats, sugars, and salts, your body may react adversely, leading to acne breakouts. These foods may contain glutens which can cause immune responses in your body, thus acting as one of the main factors for acne breakouts.
7. Stress and anxiety
Under stress, your skin glands produce excessive oil, which clogs pores and inflammation leading to acne breakout. Therefore, it is recommended to take proper care while going through such kind of mental situations as it can cause severe harm to your skin and other organs present inside the body.
8. Hormonal imbalance:
Abnormal levels of hormones like estrogen or testosterone can also result in the development of acne on the face, back and chest area as female sex hormones stimulate secretion of sebum, making the skin oily, thus creating blockage causing facial pimples or blackheads. The same applies to male sex hormones like testosterone, which may lead to hormonal imbalance causing male pattern acne or female pattern pimples.
9. Pregnancy:
Pregnancy may also lead to the development of acne as, during pregnancy, hormonal changes take place, which causes estrogen and progesterone levels to fluctuate, leading to increased production of sebum and dead cells that result in clogged pores and inflammation leading to acne breakouts on the face area as well as other body parts such as chest and back area. Therefore, it is recommended for women suffering from premenstrual syndrome to avoid getting pregnant as it increases the risk of developing severe types of acne during the pregnancy period.
10. Using the wrong kind of cosmetics:
Certain cosmetic products like creams and moisturizers can be used but make sure you keep away from using such cosmetics, especially for the face, as they destroy the natural balance of oils in your skin, making it prone to acne breakouts. Make sure you use water-based cosmetics, especially for facial areas with light texture, and do not clog pores, resulting in acne on the face or other body parts.
11. Using the wrong kind of soaps:
Using harsh soaps with chemicals may also cause severe damage to your skin by destroying its natural balance resulting in increased sebum production through sebaceous glands causing acne breakouts. Hence, make sure you keep away from such kinds of products as much as possible and try to use only those soaps which do not contain harmful ingredients like detergents, fragrances, etc.
12. Using the wrong kind of cleansers:
Cleansers are meant for cleaning the skin and not to cure acne. Hence, it would help if you did not treat your blackheads or pimples with cleaners. They may contain strong chemicals that destroy the natural balance of oils in your face, resulting in increased sebum production through sebaceous glands giving rise to acne breakouts on the facial area. Cleansing is a process that ensures that there is no dirt left on the skin’s surface after using other methods like exfoliation, moisturizing, etc. Hence, always try to use mild cleansers while taking a bath or washing your face so that it does not harm your skin in any possible way if you have an oily skin type prone to acne breakouts.
13. Using strong chemicals:
Using too many chemical-based products can also result in the development of acne as these chemicals contain ingredients that may irritate your skin, resulting in increased sebum production from sebaceous glands. Therefore, it is recommended to use mild natural remedies to cure facial pimples and other acne breakout problems on the face area instead of using chemical-based creams or lotions containing harmful ingredients.
How to take care of acne-prone skin?
1. Make sure you always keep your skin clean as dirt accumulates on the facial area, resulting in clogged pores and increased chances of infecting pores by acne-causing bacteria.
2. Never touch or pick at acne pimples as it may lead to severe infection under the skin surface, making the breakout even more worse than before. Hence, leave all types of pimples on the face alone unless they are infected with puss.
3. It is recommended that all those with oily skin types drink plenty of water every day so that sebum production is balanced out through sebaceous glands that are present just below the outer layer of the skin surface, giving rise to acne breakouts.
4. You can apply natural ingredients like lemon juice or tea tree oil to your skin surface rinsed off later on with water as they help kill acne-causing bacteria, thus preventing the development of new acne pimples.
5. It is advisable for all those suffering from severe acne breakouts to avoid using pure lemon juice or tea tree oil directly on the facial area. It may cause further irritation giving rise to redness, burning sensation, etc. You can dilute these natural ingredients with carrier oils like apricot, coconut, etc., along with some other healthy homemade ingredients.
6. For people with oily skin types, you should never go for toners that have alcohol-based ingredients as it leads to the destruction of the natural balance of oil on your face, making it worse for acne breakout problems. Hence, it is advisable to go for toners that have natural ingredients.
7. Never sleep with full makeup on your face as this may block pores of your skin, giving rise to acne breakouts in later stages, especially if you have an oily skin type. Hence, make sure you remove all the makeup on your face before getting into bed every night.
These are some tips that can help to prevent acne. You can also try home remedies for acne that are much better than chemical-based products.
Home remedies for acne-prone skin:
1. Aloe vera gel :
Aloe vera plant has excellent antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties that can cure acne breakouts within a few weeks. You have to extract the gel from aloe vera plant leaves and apply it directly to your facial skin surface. Please keep it for 15 minutes so that it gets absorbed into the skin cells of your face. Wash off later with lukewarm water.
2. Lemon juice:
Lemon is rich in citric acid, having a natural bleaching ability, making it an effective ingredient for lightening dark spots of pimples or acne on your face area. It not only dries up acne but also helps to tighten pores giving rise to fewer new acne breakouts in the future. You have to apply fresh lemon juice to acne pimples before going to bed at night. Wash off the dried-up lemon color in the morning with cold water.
3. Tea tree oil:
Tea tree oil is much more effective than regular herbal oils used for curing acne breakouts. It has natural germ-killing properties, making it a potent antibacterial agent that does not let new acne cause bacteria from under the skin surface or around the facial area. It also helps cure all types of skin infections caused by severe acne having puss inside them due to excessive accumulation of sebum on skin pores. Hence, tea tree oil is considered a safe and easy homemade remedy for curing severe forms of acne breakout. You need to mix a few drops of tea tree oil in pure coconut oil and apply it over affected areas once daily before going to bed at night. Wash off later on with cold water.
4. Green tea:
Green tea is considered a rich source of antioxidants that help prevent your skin from free radicals, responsible for causing wrinkles, dryness, and other signs of old age on the face surface. It also helps cure acne breakout problems by its antiseptic properties making new acne disappear gradually, giving rise to better-looking facial skin. You need to take some green tea leaves, crush them properly, and boil them in water along with a little bit of lemon juice until the color changes into a light brownish shade. Now allow it to cool down completely before using the solution as a face cleansing agent for healthy skin. You have to wash off your facial skin regularly with this green tea-based solution every morning and evening so that a fresh layer of new skin cells can be created gradually, leading to acne-free skin shortly.
5. Homeopathic acne treatment:
Homeopathic remedies for acne are very safe and effective in curing severe forms of acne breakout problems without causing side effects on face skin. These homeopathy-based products do not contain any chemical or synthetic ingredients like antibiotics or steroids. Homeopathy doctors usually recommend the specific selection of homeopathy-based acne products from the market after a proper physical examination and detailed analysis of case history to cure this problem permanently. Homeopathic acne treatment is a holistic treatment system that heals acne breakouts from the root level. You must visit a homeopathy doctor for your acne treatment. You can book an appointment through OHO Homeopathy now!