Health Living Tips

Acne is one of the major health related conditions, which is common in teenagers and youngsters. Acne brings huge problems to teenagers. Teenagers who have acne feel isolated, ugly, and insecure. Who wouldn’t when everywhere you look, only clear faced (skinned) people are put on the pedestal.

Acne is an inflammatory disease involving the sebaceous glands of the skin; characterized by papules or pustules or comedones. Acne is the term for plugged pores (blackheads and whiteheads), pimples, and even deeper lumps (cysts or nodules) that occur on the face, neck, chest, back, shoulders and even the upper arms. Acne can simply be defined as a group of skin rashes which appear basically at the teenage. But it can occur at any age and can happen to anybody.

When people think of acne, usually the figure of a person comes up with an occurrence of red, inflamed pores on his or her face. Though this is the most common form, but is not the only type of acne which people experience. There are various types of acne which people may experience and there are numerous causes reported for acne.

Types of acne:

• Acne Vulgaris – most commonly experienced around puberty, typically of the face and shoulders/chest

• Acne rosacea – a red rash predominantly on the face

• Acne keloidalis nuchae (Pseudofolliculitis nuchae) – a rash caused by shaving

• Acne conglobata (Hidradenitis suppurativa) – chronic abscesses or boils of sweat glands and hair follicles; in the underarms, groin and buttocks, and under the breasts in women

• Acne cosmetica – acne caused by cosmetics

• Acne fulminans – an extreme form of acne conglobata

• Acne medicamentosa – acne caused by starting or stopping a medicine

• Baby acne – a rash seen on the cheeks, chin, and forehead of infants

• Chloracne – an acne rash caused by exposure to chlorinated hydrocarbons such as dioxins or PCBs.

These are the several types of acne but the common type which occurs usually is acne Vulgaris. Acne Vulgaris occurs at the time of puberty. It is most common in the teenagers.

Causes of acne:

As stated earlier, acne can be caused due to numerous reasons. But generally there are four major factors responsible for causing acne. They are:

• Overactive oil glands

• Blockage of the skin pores

• Activity of normal skin bacteria

• Inflammation

They act together to cause the characteristic pimples, whiteheads and blackheads associated with acne.

Treatment:

The treatment procedure of acne started many years ago. Since then the treatment procedure gradually developed into better form. Acne treatments are also of considerable antiquity:

• Ancient Rome: bathing in hot, and often sulfurous, mineral water was one of the few available acne treatments. One of the earliest texts to mention skin problems is De Medicina by the Roman writer Celsus.

• 1800s: Nineteenth century dermatologists used sulphur in the treatment of acne. It was believed to dry the skin.

• 1920s: Benzoyl Peroxide is used

• 1930s: Laxatives were used as a cure for what were known as ‘chastity pimples’

• 1950s: When antibiotics became available, it was discovered that they had beneficial effects on acne. They were taken orally to begin with. Much of the benefit was not from killing bacteria but from the anti-inflammatory effects of tetracycline and its relatives. Topical antibiotics became available later.

• 1960s: Tretinoin (original Trade Name Retin A) was found effective for acne. This preceeded the development of oral isotretinoin (sold as Accutane and Roaccutane) since the early 1980s.

• 1980s: Accutane is introduced in America

• 1990s: Laser treatment introduced

• 2000s: Blue/red light therapy

Some old treatments, like laxatives, have fallen into disuse but others, like spas, are recovering their popularity. Acne responds well to treatment, particularly if treated early, at the onset of the condition. Treatment is offered to:

• Prevent possible scarring

• Deal with inflamed and painful areas

• Limit the formation of new blackheads and whiteheads

• Lessen any stress or embarrassment associated with the acne

Mild acne can be treated with over-the-counter medications. More serious acne requires treatment by a dermatologist.

Mild acne is managed well by over-the-counter preparations such as benzoyl peroxide, Resorcinol, Salicylic acid, Sulfur, etc. Nowadays acne is also treated with Natural Acne Treatment. Natural acne treatment doesn’t have any side affects and it also totally affective in treating acne. Now acne no longer remains a big problem for the teenagers and the youngsters.

Apart from the irritation and trauma that a sufferer has to face because of acne, there is yet another element which causes him as much, if not more, agony. This pertains to the scars that acne often brings in its wake. Trying to prevent these and then trying to eliminate them once they have appeared, is a cause of great concern to the concerned individual. The reason for so much concern is that while acne is thought to be a temporary condition, the lesions and scars which form are perceived to be of a more permanent nature.

There are, no doubt, treatments available these days which are quite effective, but some types of acne cause deep scarring which aren`t possible to cure. This is why, to avoid the psychological trauma and the expenses of trying to treat the lesions and living with the disfigurement, it is so important to avert acne scarring.

What I will try to do here is to talk about the various types of acne scars and to give you advice on how to treat them. But primarily, I will guide you on how to prevent these scars in the first place by eradicating the root cause of your acne.

The Causes and Types of Acne Scars and their diagnosis

Studies indicate that acne scars mostly come about as a result of severe acne which causes nodules and cysts to form in the deeper layers of the dermis. Other causes include damage caused to the skin by picking or popping acne, infection, cystic acne which works its way deep into the dermis and overgrown skin tissues.

It has also been found that some people, irrespective of the type of acne they contract, are more prone to the process of scarring. And acne scars sometimes occur because the body`s wound healing process sometimes goes askew, whether it be an improper deposit of collagen or the formation of new capillaries or a warped response to the inflammation or anabolic and catabolic phases: all these are meant to be part of the body`s natural healing phase.

Whatever the reason, the bottom line is that, if you do not wish to be permanently scarred by acne, treat the damage as soon as you can.

In essence, acne scars are of two types. Scars which have formed due to an increase in skin tissue formation and those which have formed because of a loss of skin tissue.

Scars which form because of an increase in skin tissue:

Where there are increased skin tissues, the most commonly found acne scars are Keloids scars. These scars are more likely to be found on people with dark skins and appear when an excess of collagen is formed by cells as part of the healing process. These scars are usually smooth and are shaped irregularly.

Scars which form because of the loss of skin tissues:

Acne spots: the skin surrounding these scars generally turn brown or red. In most cases they gradually fade away by themselves or after the application of some topical scar treatment. A similar fading away can be noticed in the case of post inflammatory hyper pigmentation but the use of MSM has often hastened the process.

Ice-pick lesions: as the name suggests, these acne scars look like ice which has been riddled with an ice pick. Most commonly they appear on the cheeks and the scars can sometimes be deep and sometimes superficial. These scars are more difficult to get rid of than acne spots.

Depressed fibrotic scarring: these scars mostly form as a result of deep nodules and are white and rigid. They are characterized by steep sides and sharp margins.

Atrophic scar macules: scars of this variety are generally soft, small and white and are distensible.

Other types of scars include rolling acne scars which come about because the surface of the skin gets stuck to the subcutaneous layer. Also, there are boxcar scars which are characterized by vertical edges and round indentations.

Treatment of Acne Scars

Just as the discoloration that accompanies an acne attack fades away slowly, so do most acne scars. However, some scars prove more difficult to smoothen away and require some manner of treatment whether it be topical treatment or surgical cosmetic intervention.

Different scars require to be tackled differently. And there are even scars which require to be treated using a combination of more than one elimination method. A large number of treatments exist for smoothening over scars and these include: pulsed laser technology, dermabrasion, chemical peels, laser resurfacing, punch techniques, collagen injections and creams.

Collagen injection involves injecting collagen or fat under the skin. This treatment is generally administered in the case of soft scars, whether deep or shallow. However, the effects of collagen are not long lasting and injections have to be repeated every 6 months. Also, it should be noted that collagen has some adverse side effects and allergic reactions could also develop.

Microdermabrasion is where tiny particles are passed through a vacuum tool with the purpose of scraping the external top layer of the skin. This process, which is only effective with mild scarring, acts as a stimulant and enhances the growth of new cells.

Laser resurfacing is a treatment involving the flattening and resurfacing of the skin layer by the use of laser thus making the scars more even with the surface of the skin. This, to an extent, camouflages the scars. However, this method often causes undesirable side effects such as infection, a reddening of the skin and can sometimes even aggravate the scars. Studies have indicated that laser treatment works better on newly formed scars rather than on old ones.

Punch grafting means slicing open the acne scar right up to the fat layer and stitching it up by means of a small skin graft.

We give you the recommended treatments for the various types of scars acne brings in its wake. Post hyper pigmentation marks are best tackled with MSM or Alpha lipoic acid acne cream. Dermabrasion or laser resurfacing is the suggested treatment for ice pick scars. Flat or thin scars should be dealt with by administering Collagen injections, which should not be used for ice pick scars. Keloids acne scars can be brought under control with steroid injections, silicone gel dressing, crytotherapy or pulsed laser treatment combined with carbon dioxide laser vaporization (where the keloid scar is not too red or too thick).

Prevention of Scars after Acne

Ideally, acne scar treatments should be tried as a last resort because they are highly expensive and have too many side effects. The best approach would be to first try and get rid of the acne. This will work only if you identify the imbalance in your system which is causing the acne. Try to cure it by using natural methods and avoid taking topical acne treatments, medication that is available over the counter or steroids.

Once you have corrected the internal symptoms that caused the acne, you will notice the acne disappearing gradually without leaving any scars.

Moreover, you will be saved the expenses and harassment of taking treatments that cannot cure the acne permanently.

We already know that acne and its resultant scarring are not a skin problem but are caused by internal imbalances. Once that is fixed there will be no acne and consequently no acne scarring.

If you succeed in nipping the acne forming process from its roots then you will not have any acne scars to deal with either. In this way you will be permanently free from acne and acne scars and enjoy a flawless complexion forever.

Nail psoriasis usually appears in people that already have psoriasis on their skin. In rare cases nail psoriasis may appear before the skin manifestations. And in the rarest cases psoriasis will only appear on the nails of a person and will never appear anywhere else.

In the case when there are no psoriasis lesions on the skin of a person, and only the nails are damaged with psoriasis, it is sometimes difficult for a doctor to make a correct diagnosis. Nail psoriasis often resembles a fungal damage of the nails. In this case it is helpful if the person knows of her/his family history of psoriasis.

Nail psoriasis that is mistakenly diagnosed as a nail fungus will not receive a correct treatment, which is why it is very important to achieve the correct diagnosis.

Here are the most common signs of nail psoriasis:

- Point hemorrhage of the nails – your nails in this case may resemble a thimble. The surface of the nail plates is covered with tiny grains or pits. This happens due to the loss of some cells on the nail plate.

- Some of your nails may become loose and to partly separate from the place where they are connected to the finger. There will appear hollow white spaces underneath the nails. Usually these spaces first appear at the tip of the nail and then start progressing towards the root of the nail. These spaces will grow with time causing the nail to rise above the surface of the nail bed.

- The skin underneath the nail may become thick. This also leads to the separation of the nail from the nail bed and to the raising of the nail above the nail bed.

- There may appear a discoloration underneath the nail plate that resembles a blood or oil drop. It is usually of a yellow-red color.

- Sometimes there may appear lines going across the nails. These lines appear due to the inflammation of the skin underneath the nail affected by psoriasis.

- Sometimes psoriasis also appears on the skin of the finger right next to the root of the nail and next to the nail cuticle. The affected skin in this case looks like a usual psoriasis lesion – silvery-white scales on top of a red inflamed skin.

- The nail affected by psoriasis usually becomes brittle, thick and starts crumbling. It is especially uncomfortable when the toe nails get affected by psoriasis.

- Sometimes there may appear the so-called splinter hemorrhage – tiny black lines visible through the nail plate. Splinter hemorrhage appears when the capillaries on the tip of your fingers or toes bleed underneath the nail plate.

Due to the unhealthy state of the skin affected by psoriasis under the nail it may become infected with a fungus. Sometimes it happens the other way around – nail psoriasis occurs after a fungal infection of the nail.

With the correct diagnosis it is possible to treat nail psoriasis (with different degrees of success). Besides hormonal medicines and other drugs that your doctor may prescribe to you, there are some natural means that may help your nails to feel better.

Here are some of the natural ways that you can try at home:

- Try to eat more Calcium (milk, yogurts, cheese etc.) and gelatin.

- Before going to sleep soak your hands in a tray filled with sea water (you can collect the sea water at the sea and store it in a large bottle in the refrigerator).

- Before going to sleep soak your nails in warm vegetable oil (olive, sunflower etc.), herbal oil (chamomile etc.) or apply a plain fatty cream onto your nails and underneath of them.