Acne is a skin condition which affects around 80% of teenagers to some degree. It most often commences during puberty and can continue well into adulthood, it’s course and duration being unique to each individual sufferer. Despite it’s widespread occurrence, there is no definitive cause of acne and to date no universal cure. However there are known factors which contribute to the outbreak of acne and many treatments available which may help.
So, what exactly is acne? Basically acne is a disease which causes spots and redness on the skin, most often on the face, neck, chest and back. These spots can be either whiteheads, blackheads, red or yellow spots or hard red swellings just below the surface of the skin. It occurs when the little glands below the surface of the skin produce too much sebum. This is an oily substance, used to keep the skin soft and supple. However if much sebum is produced it tends to clog up the tiny pores through which hairs grow out of the skin and this causes blackheads and whiteheads. To make matters worse, this build up of oil creates a perfect environment for a bacterium (Propionibacterium acnes) to grow. Your bodies immune system tries to fight this growth in bacteria causing the redness and inflammation which often comes with spots.
Acne can be affected by things such as hormones, especially the hormone testosterone high in both both boys and girls during puberty; genetic factors as acne seems to run in families; stress, possibly because stressed people tend to touch their face more often and so spread bacteria;and some chemicals. Contrary to popular belief acne is not caused by eating chocolate or being dirty and it is not infectious.
There are a number of treatments available for acne and your doctor will be able to advise you of these. In addition there are things you can do yourself to help improve the condition. Cleansing the skin is obviously very important as this helps to reduce bacteria levels. You should use a gentle cleanser twice a day and a facial steamer two to three times per week.
Steaming the face or other affected parts can be a useful addition to your acne treatment programme. Although people with very severe acne are advised not to use steam treatment, for the vast majority of suffers, steaming can really help clear the complexion since it opens up the pores and at the same time increases sweating and so helps to flush impurities out of the skin. Since sweat is salty, it can also act as an antimicrobial agent, killing some of the bacteria found on the skin. Steaming also increases blood circulation, bringing greater amounts of oxygen and nutrients to the skin.
To increase the effectiveness of a home steam, some people add herbs or essential oils to the water. These can have very beneficial effects. Rose hip for example is high in vitamin A and useful for skin regeneration. Mint can help to break down the dirt and oil in your pores making it easier for them to be flushed away. Since stress is thought to play a role in acne outbreaks, adding lavender a known relaxant to your steam treatment may help.
You can steam your face at home over a bowl of very hot water, with a towel covering your head. However, there are facial steamers available which are more effective, convenient and indeed safer to use. Since these are relatively cheap to buy, they can prove to be a wise investment, bearing in mind that they will be used on a regular basis. Facial steamers come in a variety of designs. Some facial steamers are made to be used with ozone which has a drying and antibacterial effect. Others are portable and these tend to be small and quite handy to use, all you have to do is fill up the reservoir and turn them on. One advantage of a bought facial steamer is that you can choose to have a mist or full steam delivered to the face. Facial saunas are also available to buy and these too are a great way of detoxifying the skin and improving your complexion. In addition to a facial steam, using a steam room can also help acne found in other parts of the body. Generally steam treatments need to be done 2-3 times per week for the most beneficial results.
Once you have finished your steam treatment, you must always wash your skin immediately afterwards to remove all the impurities which have been drawn out by the steaming process, otherwise you will make the condition worse. The results of steaming your skin in this way will not be seen for a few weeks, in common with all other acne treatments. But if you continue to regularly cleanse your skin in this way, you should be rewarded by a much improved complexion.
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