How to Care for Acne Prone Skin - Your Tool Kit for Skin Care & How to Deal With Acne

How to Care for Acne Prone Skin - Your Tool Kit for Skin Care & How to Deal With Acne

It affects men and women almost equally, although young men are more likely to develop severe and longer-lasting forms of acne. Women are more likely to have intermittent acne prone skin due to hormonal changes associated with their menstrual cycle, and caused by the use of cosmetics. Rather than trying a scatter gun approach, one skin care company that has conducted a lot of research into the condition is Demagogic.

Demagogue's acne prone skin kit combines several products designed to adopt a total approach toward improving the condition. Because each product in the skin kit has been developed to work with in harmony with the other, the complete regimen is likely to offer a positive solution to acne sufferers. This skin condition appears mainly on the face and back in the form of any combination of blackheads, whiteheads, red spots, pustules and cysts. It can, however, also occur on the neck, chest, scalp, and upper arms and legs. It is caused by hyper secretion of sebum together with an increase in dead skin cells which plug up the philosophises gland. The sebum accumulates beneath the skin, forming micro cysts and blackheads. The skin's bacteria then finds an ideal growing environment in the oily sebum, and that only exacerbates the symptoms. Acne most often goes away on its own, although the rarer, more severe forms (which account for only around 4% of cases) may require treatment with antibiotics. There are many other readily available specially formulated products which care for acne prone skin.

Bad eating habits and a generally unhealthy lifestyle are the main causes of acne. Eating unhealthy foods, drinking excessively, sleeping irregularly, etc, can all play a major part in the onset of this skin condition and, if not rectified, will continue to adversely affect skin that is prone to acne breakouts. Chronic constipation is also another major cause of acne. If the body doesn't get rid of waste matter as quickly as it should, the bloodstream because surcharged with toxic matter. The skin then has to go into overdrive to try to eliminate excess waste and this can result in acne and other forms of skin disease. Eating a healthy diet is essential for keeping our bodies healthy and our skin in good condition, so it is important to eat well and try to avoid junk and over-processed foods as much as possible. Ideally anyone who has acne prone skin, in particular, should:-

• Eat plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables and cereals;

• Eat foods which are rich in zinc, such as beans, nuts, lentils and wholegrain cereals. Zinc is an antibacterial agent and is a necessary element in the oil-producing glands of the skin. A diet which is low in zinc can actually cause acne breakouts;

• Include chromium in your diet. This is excellent for healing skin infections. Taking a chromium supplement once a day will help heal pimples quickly and prevent future breakouts;

• Eat lots of carrots! They are rich in beta-carotene (Vitamin A) which strengthens the protective tissue of the skin and helps reduce sebum production. This essential for the maintenance and repair of the tissue which the skin and mucous membranes are made of, and is also a very powerful antioxidant which helps rid the body of toxins;

• Include honey in your diet. Honey has natural antibacterial qualities and has been used throughout the ages for medicinal purposes. All honey has some level of the antibacterial chemical hydrogen peroxide which is naturally produced by enzymes in the honey. Monika honey, in particular, has been proven to be beneficial for therapeutic medical use (Apitherapy) as it contains an antimicrobial property which is not shared by other hones. So, honey is an all-round excellent healer, both internally and externally, as well as tasting great!

• Drink plenty of water (around 8 glasses per day) as this purifies the system and helps flush out unhealthy toxins from the body;

• Take a potent multi-vitamin every day, because acne is a sign that something is wrong on the inside. Vitamin C contains anti-infective properties and Vitamin E speeds up the healing process and helps prevent skin from ageing as well!

• Take a Brewers Yeast supplement. Brewers Yeast is known as "Nature's Wonder Food" and is an excellent source of all major B vitamins, including Vitamin B2 which is essential for the maintenance of healthy skin. Brewers Yeast also contains 16 amino acids and 14 or more minerals;

• Avoid sweetened foods as much as possible;

• Limit your intake of dairy products, especially whole, unskilled milk;

• Limit your intake of bread and starchy foods (such as pizza), fats and chocolate;

• Avoid salty foods, such as cured meats, ready meals, crisps, etc;

• Minimise your alcohol intake and avoid smoking.

There are plenty of other easy things you can do naturally to help heal acne prone skin, such as:-

• Washing twice a day with a specially formulated acne soap or facial wash. Don't use regular soap on skin which is prone to acne as this will only aggravate the condition. Wash your skin gently first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Don't scrub as this, as well as over washing skin, will only stimulate the sebaceous glands to produce more sebum which will increase acne breakouts.

• Apply a honey mask to your face once or twice a week. Because honey has natural antibacterial properties it is great for disinfecting and healing minor blemishes, and skin that is prone to acne breakouts will greatly benefit. It is also extremely gentle on sensitive skin. You can make a paste by mixing honey with cinnamon powder. Apply the paste before going to bed and wash your face gently in the morning. This is a good natural remedy for skin that is prone to acne breakouts.

• Avoiding picking or squeezing your blackheads and pimples. It may be tempting to squeeze, scratch, rub or touch your pimples but doing this will only increase sebum production and constantly touching skin, especially with dirty fingers, will only make skin that is already prone to acne breakouts worse. Squeezing ruptures the membranes below the skin, which causes infection and sebum to spread underneath your skin. The result is more pimples so, no matter how tempting it may be to have a go, don't do it!

• Avoid wearing makeup. Leaving makeup on your skin only contributes to clogging the pores, causing more pimples and blackheads. If you must wear makeup, make sure it is water based and always remove it thoroughly before going to bed;

• Keep hair off your face. Hair contains oil as well and this will only contribute to breakouts on skin that is already acne prone. You should also wash your hair every day and after workouts;

• Wash your pillow case frequently. Your pillow case absorbs the oils from your skin and reapplies the dirt and oil. This causes acne breakouts. Keep your sheets and pillowcases clean and fresh.

There are also many acne skin treatments available today, both over the counter and by prescription, that can help sufferers of acne. Some cosmetic manufacturers supply everything you need to care for acne prone skin in a kit, making the treatment of acne easier than ever!