Mar 14, 2020 Dr. Preeti Talwar Skincare, Acne
For a long time, acne has made itself familiar to almost every person as a majority of the population has gone through it in some phase of their life. It brings a lot of issues like blemishes and itching, accompanied by other skin infections.
Usually, most suffer from acne vulgaris caused due to inflammation and infection of the sebaceous glands. Acne is prone to the face, neck, chest, back, and shoulders. Acne affects not only the skin of an individual but also puts a dent in their confidence.
Prominent Causes of Acne
- Genetics: Building healthy lifestyles is one way to go, butgenetics too determine the skin type of a person and the place you live in is another deciding factor of how your skin will react to things like the weather and food habits. But despite nature, the skin is a big responsibility that needs to be taken care of even if you happen to have good skin.
- Hormones: The development of sebaceous glands is the result of hormonal activity. If the sebum produced from those glands is more than the required amount, the skin will become highly prone to acne and blemishes.
Hormonal changes are on their peak during the onset of puberty and during the menstrual cycle in women. Therefore, an optimum hormonal balance is required to make sure that the skin is not getting attacked by acne-causing elements.
- Diet: Diet plays an important role in the metabolism of the human body as well as triggering acne-causing components. A diet with a high inflammation index, i.e., uncontrolled consumption of dairy, unsaturated fat, and oils, may give rise to heightened activity in the sebaceous glands, aggravating acne.
- Stress: Stress has the power to trigger hormones that, in turn, stimulate the sebaceous glands to produce more oil. This clogs pores leading to acne formations.
- Smoking: Oxidative stress caused due to smoking makes skin acne-prone by changing the composition of sebum production.
- Skincare: Theskin’s natural water-lipid balance wears out with regular use of chemical products that are harsh on the skin like soap-based cleansing products and high concentration of compounds known to remove acne and blemishes. Such products do not suit every skin type and hence, stimulates acne production.
Common Causes of Acne
- Inflammatory skin: Sensitive and oily skin types mostly bear inflammations. The reactions can be due to various factors like hormonal imbalance, inappropriate skincare, and bacterial activity. Build healthy lifestyles to see positive changes in your skin.
- Hyperactivity of sebaceous glands: Sebum produced from sebaceous glands helps keep both skin and hair moisturized. Excessive production of sebum leads to acne inflammations that turn into blemishes during or post the acne phase.
- Abnormal thickening of skin: Hyperkeratosis or thickening of the skin is due to excessive production of skin cells. The cells cause blockage in the sebaceous glands. Therefore, sebum builds up in the pores of the skin, making follicle walls to bulge out as blackheads or whiteheads.
- Bacterial action: The bacteria that cause acne reside harmlessly on the skin’s surface, but a particular portion of people are highly sensitive to these and therefore develop acne and blemishes on their skin due to inappropriate skincare. Excessive sebum production also provides an optimum environment for the growth of these bacteria.
Skincare Guide for Acne & Blemishes
A complete routine: Religiously follow the CTMP (Cleanse+Treat+Moisturize+Protect) skincare routine. Cleanse using an exfoliator that suits your skin type and concern. For people with oily skin, a foam-based cleanser would be suitable for people with dry skin, a cleanser with shea butter, aloe vera or any other fat-based reagent would be optimum. People having combination skin can use a mild exfoliator. Using too many chemicals can dry out the skin and cause acne. Moisturize twice daily and do not leave outdoors without sunscreen.
Choosing cosmetics wisely: Frequent use of concealers does not harm the skin, if not accompanied by an excessive amount of other cosmetics applied over it. Too much use of cosmetics can trigger pimples and blemishes. Therefore, consciously choosing cosmetics will be good for the health of the skin.
Medication: Consulting a dermatologist would be a good option if you have tried a lot of OTC products on your own and is still unable to get rid of acne. The dermatologist would help you determine the root cause and provide you with the best options to solve your acne issue.
Sun protection: Sunblock is necessary skincare essential as it’ll protect acne-prone skin from hyperpigmentation and blemishes. Over-exposure to sunlight, as well as going out in the sun immediately after applying acne medications, are both equally harmful. A sunscreen of 30-60 SPF is suitable to shield the skin from the harsh Indian weather.
Building a healthy lifestyle: A healthy lifestyle dramatically influences healthy skin. Sleeping for an optimum time (6 to 8 hours), staying hydrated, involving fruits and vegetables in your diet, exercising, avoiding smoking, limiting alcohol consumption, and removing both personal and professional stress will add quality to your skin. In this way, a healthy lifestyle greatly influences the skin as well as prevents the occurrence of acne along with blemishes.
Acne and blemishes are a normal part of our lives, although their existence affects many differently. Imperfections anywhere on the body lower self-esteem and make people feel uncomfortable in their own skin. A variety of solutions are available in the market. But, make sure to read labels and consult a dermatologist before making a purchase. Also, choose skincare solutions according to the skin type so that you don’t have to encounter any side effects and get flawless skin without facing any problem.