Acne is a condition of the skin that occurs when any
one of the glands that secrete oil in the body is clogged or blocked with dead
cells of the skin or over secreted oil (Sebum) which results into inflammation
or infection of the skin. Acne appears as whitish, blackish or reddish tiny
spots on different parts of the skin like the chest, face, neck, shoulders and
the back areas which have high amount of oil glands. Acne is a skin condition
that is common amongst adolescents that just attained puberty although it can
also happen to adults and babies as well. Acne has a white head when the
clogged oil skin pore cause the follicle of the hair to bulge and it appears
with a black head when the clogged oil skin pore is open towards the surface of
the skin. The black head usually appears like the oil pore is clogged with dirt.
What are the Causes of Acne?
The hair follicles all over the body are connected
to oil glands that produce oil for the lubrication of the skin and the hair.
The oil produced by the oil gland for the purpose of secretion is known as the
Sebum. Sebum travels and gets to the skin for lubrication through the help of
hair shafts from which the Sebum gets to the hair follicles and then the skin.
When the skin is lubricated, dead skin cells are produced. When dead skin cells
and Sebum are secreted in excess by the oil gland it clogs the oil pores in the
body. When the clogged oil pores are infected by Bacteria it causes inflammation
on the infected part of the skin and results into acne. Stress, Hormones, diet,
use of medications that contain lithium, corticosteroids and androgens can make
acne get worse.
Factors that may Aggravate Acne
There are some factors that are notable for
aggravating acne and the following are a few of these factors:
A. Hormones: your hormones play one or two roles in
the aggravation of acne most especially the androgen hormone that is
responsible for the enlargement of the sebaceous gland during puberty. The
enlargement of the sebaceous gland leads to the increase in the secretion of
sebum. Hormones secreted during the period of pregnancy are usually on the high
side and this can also lead to a worsened case of acne. Finally on the issue of
hormones, when the androgen hormone secreted by a woman is on the low side, it
also leads to a bad case of acne.
B. Stress: when you are going through a lot of
stress be it physical, emotional, financial or otherwise, it leads to a bad
case of acne. Little or no sleep causes stress so, watch the way you get yourself
stressed up.
C. Medications: there are some kinds of medication
that can lead to a worse case of acne. This is common with medications where
androgen, lithium and corticosteroid are present. Birth control pill is an
example of such medications.
D. Greasy environment: when you work in an area that
is greasy in nature, there is the tendency that the case of acne can be made
worse and this is due to the amount of oil that will be splashed on your skin
on a daily basis. This oil might end up clogging the hair follicle on your skin
and end up giving you a bad case of acne.
E. Beauty Products: when you make use of beauty
products that are oily in nature and you are not conscious of cleaning off the
makeup that you applied while on your way out before going to bed, it will
eventually cause you a bad case of acne as the chemicals in the beauty products
will help cause the clogging of the follicles on your skin.
Symptoms of Acne
There are three (3) major symptoms of acne which are
as follows:
- Acne that
is characterized with white heads;
- Acne that is characterized with black heads and;
- Acne that is characterized with pustules and are
red in color, they are red in color simply because they are infected with
bacteria, inflamed and contain pulse at times.
How does your
Diet affect Acne?
There is a need to state here that the issue of diet
and acne has always been a very controversial topic among medical personnel as
there had not really been a very conclusive research on how diet affects acne.
This is no longer the case presently as recent studies have started shedding
the light on how the relationship between diet and acne is in existence. Your
diet can now be said to affect the rate of acne on your beautiful and handsome
skin.
Acne as has been stated earlier on is a skin
condition that comes from within the body and like any other skin condition
that is caused by the body metabolism, diet will always affect it negatively
and positively. It is always good that you watch what you eat because there are
certain kinds of food that will help you fight acne and there are some that
will only increase the rate at which acne will appear on your skin.
The various kinds of food that affect acne will be
taken on individual basis so as to help you better understand how to improve on
your diet for a clean and shiny skin. The food types that affect your acne
adversely will be treated first before the ones that affect acne positively.
The following are some of the kinds of food that
worsens the case of acne on your skin:
a. Glycemic High Index food: this can be broken down
to mean any kind of food that is rich in sugar. It is equally worthy to note
that the sugar talked about here is the type that can easily be broken down by
the body and digested. Some examples of this type of food are bread, crackers
(which belong to the class of processed food), saturated fats, refined grains,
sugary drinks and refined carbs. This type of food worsens the case of acne
because it spikes up the level of your insulin which in turn leads to an
increased production of sebum by the sebaceous gland and dead cells which clogs
the follicles of the skin leading to acne.
b. Dairy Products: although the research on this
type of food is not all that concrete but some researchers have concluded that
dairy products worsens acne. A good example of a dairy product is milk gotten
from cow.
These are a few of the food types that affect your
acne positively:
i. Fresh Plant Foods: this type of food is very good
for the body and it helps reduce acne because they are not rich in starch and
sugar. Foods in this category include but are not limited to vegetables, lean
protein, fruits, whole grains and so on.
ii. Lean Meat: lean meat is also a class of food
that affects acne positively because it does not spike up the production of
insulin in the body and this does not lead to the excessive production of Sebum
which leads to the clogging of the follicles of the body.
Poor nutrition can cause acne for you, it is
essential that you eat healthy food that will help give you a boost against
acne.
How does water affect acne?
A lot of people rarely consider the relationship
between acne and drinking a lot of water and this relationship is one that does
the body and the skin a whole world of good. The importance of water in the
body can never be over estimated as the body needs water to be able to function
properly and effectively. About 70% of the body of a child is made up of water
and about 55% of that of an adult. Water helps and plays a great role in the
detoxification of your body system. It also aids in balancing hormonal problems
and changes in the body. Since acne is caused by the production of some
hormones in the body, water can be used to put the outbreak of acne on your
skin. It is recommended that you consume water that is about half of your body
weight. This will help your skin feel rejuvenated and it will cleanse your body
wholly.
When you drink a lot of water, it helps the kidney
in detoxifying your body and when the body is properly detoxified, the excess
dead cells and secreted Sebum will be flushed out of the body system and it
will result into you having a skin that is not clogged and infected with
Bacteria and this means no acne or an end to acne. A good combination of eating
healthy food and drinking a lot of water will help put an end to the clogging
of your skin and this will then send acne packing out of your skin for good.
Water combined with fresh vegetables and fruits will
clear your skin and give it the radiance, beauty and shine that it deserves.
Tips to curing Acne
These are a few out of the numerous ways to keep
that acne in check and finally eradicate it for good:
1. Honey Cleansing: cleansing your skin with natural
honey in the morning and at night helps stop the outbreak of acne on your skin.
This does not only stop the outbreak of acne, it also leaves your skin smooth
and normally moisturized. This is made possible because of the presence of
antibacterial properties in natural honey. Half a teaspoon of honey can be used
for this, just rub it gently into the skin and leave it for thirty (30) minutes
before rinsing off.
2. Healthy Diets: eating healthy diets like fresh
vegetables and fruits will definitely help you to fight off acne for good. It
is a very healthy way of winning the war against acne because of the quantity
of water that is usually contained in vegetables and fruits. Vegetables and
fruits are also good for the body because of their ability to cleanse the body
and make the skin clean. They are rich in nutrients that help to rejuvenate
your skin. Eat a lot of carrots that will give you the much needed Vitamin A
that will help get your body rid of toxins, protect the tissues of your skin
and prevent the outbreak of acne on your skin.
3. Ripe Tomato and Cucumber Pulp: when you clean
your skin twice a day with the pulp of either ripe tomato or cucumber, it will
leave your skin feeling fresh and radiant. When the pulp is placed on the acne
infected part of the skin, there is a need for you to allow it stay on the spot
for a period of at least one (1) hour.
4. Natural Juices: the natural juices of either lime
or papaya can be squeezed out of the fruit and applied on the area affected by
acne and allowed to dry on the skin before rinsing off this is another
wonderful way of treating acne.
5. Aloe Vera: the application of Aloe Vera Gel on
acne infected part of the skin and allowed to dry before rinsing will not only
soothe your skin, it will also help in the treatment of your acne.
6. Your Hair: having a long hair is good but when
the hair is constantly on your face then it is bad and this is simply because
the hair contains some oil that will cause the outbreak of acne. It is better
to have your hair designed in such a way that it does not touch your face if
possible.
7. Ice Cubes: ice cubes will help close the pores on
your skin. The coldness of the ice will help constrict the outbreak of acne on
the skin because it helps check the inflammation of the blood vessels.
8. Egg Oil: this will help stop acne because it
contains a nutrient (the fatty acid of Omega -3) that helps in the killing of
bacteria and the reduction of inflammation. Rub in the egg on the acne and
leave it on for one (1) hour before rinsing off.
In conclusion, it can be stated that acne can
properly be managed by you and it can be prevented from turning into a menace
or headache for you. Watch what you eat, avoid washing your face more than two
(2) times in any particular day, avoid leaving hair on your face, drink a lot
of water and treat any little outbreak of acne with any one of the natural
remedy procedures stated above and you will have a radiant and beautiful skin
at your disposal.
