Types Of Acne
There are many type of acne ranging from small little bumps commonly referred to as pimples to large cysts known as Nodulocystic Acne. Not only does acne vary in physical size, it also varies in quantity from person to person, in other words, some people may have only one or two pimples while others may have their entire face or back covered. Another type of acne most often referred to as “whitehead acne” or “Blackhead Acne” occurs somewhere between the small little pimples and large acne cysts. This is the most common for m of the acne experienced by most adults and teenagers. The distinction “whitehead” or “Blackhead” is made from the color of the lesions.
What Causes Whitehead Acne?
As you know, our bodies are covered with tiny little hair follicles or skin pores from which the hair on our face, back, and legs grows. Contained within these hair follicles are little glands known as “sebaceous glands”, which are used by the body to secrete naturally occurring body oil called sebum to keep the skin lubricated. Acne, whether its whitehead or Blackhead is caused by the clogging of skin pores by debris such as dead skin cells, dirt, makeup and ultimately becoming infected with the p-acnes bacteria. Once the infection starts, the skin pores closes and starts to build up with white puss and expand. Over a period of day or so, this process will give birth to Whitehead Acne.
What Causes Blackhead Acne?
The process of blackhead acne formation is nearly identical to the formation of whitehead acne, listed above. However, the difference lays in the fact that with whitehead acne, the skin pore completely closes, but with blackhead acne, the pore remains open at the top. As the material within the skin pores begins to come out, it oxidizes with the air to produce the “black” color. This is how blackhead acne gets its name.
Who Gets Acne?
Traditionally, acne has been classified as a teenage disease primarily because nearly 80% of all teenage boys and girls are likely to suffer from this skin condition. However, it appears that times are changing; the number of adults suffering from acne has been steadily increasing over the past decade. It is now believed that nearly one in four adults is likely to experience acne in adulthood. In fact, this skin condition is so common that nearly 20 million people in the United States suffer from it every year.
How can you treat acne?
Now that you are familiar with what causes acne, let’s take a look at some common acne treatment options. Depending on the severity of your condition, you may need to seek professional medical advice, especially if you have severe Nodulocystic Acne. However if you suffer from minor to moderate case of whitehead or blackhead acne, in most cases this type of acne can be treated with over the counter acne treatments. Look for acne treatments containing Benzoyl peroxide or Salicylic Acid as the main ingredient. You will find different treatments with varying concentration of benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. You will find concentration levels ranging from 2% - 15%. I would highly recommend that start with the lowest concentration and work your way up.
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Acne Light Treatment - Light Therapy In Treating Acne
Many adults suffer from recurring acne. Oftentimes, their acne is too stubbornly persistent that creams, washes, or antibiotics that can be bought over the counter no longer work on them.
It was long believed that the ultraviolet (UV) lights of the sun can help improve problematic acne condition. This is true mainly because of the antibacterial benefits from the ultraviolet light spectrum. However, sunlight has been proven to have long-term and much serious skin damage effect, making it unsafe as an acne treatment.
But thanks to advance medical technology that we have today, many treatments are now available to reduce, if not totally cure acne. One of the effective treatments is the use of light therapy.
Acne Light Therapy
Light therapy has been technically and scientifically proven to minimize the extent and severity of acne condition, by destroying the bacteria responsible for acne infections.
Phototherapy or light therapy involves exposure to light with specific wavelengths, by using the following:
1. Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs)
2. Lasers
3. Very bright or Dichroic bulbs
4. Light with full spectrum
5. Fluorescent lamps
It was discovered that a number of the violet (or blue) light visible from the sunlight, within a range of 405 to 420 nanometers, activates the Coproporphyrin III found in the acne-causing bacteria, Propionibacterium acnes. The porphyrin destroys and kills the culprit bacteria as it releases singlet oxygen. An amount of 320 Joules per square centimeter of light in the 405-420 nm range prevents the survival and viability of the bacteria. This portion of the light spectrum, which is outside the sun’s ultraviolet spectrum, produces minimal sunburn or tanning.
Safety of Acne Light Therapy
Application of this blue light for three successive days was proven to reduce the surface skin bacteria by about 99.9%. The artificial light is typically created by using bright LEDs, Dichroic bulbs, or fluorescent lamps. The treatment can be safely used by most acne sufferers, with the exception of those who also suffer from Porphyria. Eye protection, by using eye shields, is crucial because the retina has chemicals that are sensitive to light.
For best outcome, the blue light treatment goes together with the red light application, which activates the very essential energy-transporter, Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), in the cells of the skin. This combination of blue and red light reduces the number of acne spots by approximately 75%.
Phototherapy using a combination of red and blue light has been proven to be very effective in acne treatment, possibly because of its combined anti-inflammatory and antibacterial action. Also, this acne treatment has shown no significant adverse effects.
At home, another form of Phototherapy is used by individuals who have long-term acne condition. They use light boxes as it is generally effective and convenient for them. Such light boxes produce both red and blue light wavelengths and may be used for about 15 minutes every day. It is also way cheaper compared to the light treatments that professional dermatologists use. Phototherapy, as one of the best and effective acne treatments, does not solely cure the symptoms, but the bacterial cause as well.
(note: This article is extracted from http://www.acne-shop.com/acne_treatment5.html. Author is the webmaster of www.acne-shop.com. Please let us know if you need further clarification. Thanks!)
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