ZENMED Cosmetics

Teenagers have enough to worry about without adding acne control to that list. For some, acne control is only a passing phase and once the surge of hormones goes down, the acne also decreases. But for others, acne control becomes a lifelong battle. There are many ways to treat acne regardless of how mild or severe the case may be.

The acne sufferer must both keep the pores of the skin unclogged and work on unclogging already infected pores. One must keep at bay the bacteria that cause the infection and redness of acne and reduce any redness that is already present. The best line of attack is to apply preventive measures to avoid an acne breakout altogether.

Gently washing your face with soap and warm water a couple of times a day will help prevent your skin pores from becoming clogged. Using benzoyl peroxide, which is the active ingredient in Oxy Pads and in many other cleaning wipes, will also help to clean your skin as well as to dry it out. One of the great advantages of benzoyl peroxide is that it can be used together with other products to treat acne.

Another popular method of acne control is exfoliating. Simply put, it is a process that removes dead skin cells from your skin’s surface. It is these dead cells that can clog the pores of the skin and cause acne. The result of exfoliating is skin that is much softer, smoother, and healthy looking. Just as a word of caution: the compounds in exfoliating agents can be quite harsh, and therefore it is wise to test a new product on a small area of your skin before using it on your entire face, just in case there is a negative reaction.

Many of the products available to treat acne have a dual function: the exfoliating agents which remove dead cells from the skin can also kill the bacteria associated with acne and reduce the inflammation of the skin. Therefore these products not only help to prevent acne, but also reduce the swelling and redness associated with an acne breakout.

Other common ingredients found in products to treat acne are sulfur and azelaic acid. One ingredient to be cautious of using on the face is salicylic acid. While this ingredient can help to prevent the pores from clogging, it is very irritating to the tender skin on the face.

Some people with severe acne may need to consult a dermatologist for help with their acne outbreaks. A dermatologist may suggest a cleansing program, use lights or lasers to treat and prevent breakouts, or prescribe special acne medication. If you are prescribed medication, you should be wary of the side effects, as most acne medication can be very harsh, even toxic.

Not everyone needs to see a dermatologist for their acne condition. For some people the over the counter treatments are just fine and work great. If they solve your acne problem you will avoid the expense and dangers of taking prescription acne medications into your body, and suffer possible negative side effects.

Acne is a common problem for teenagers, and most parents of those teens probably dealt with it themselves, to some degree. In most cases, the acne disappeared once the teenage years were past but this is little comfort to most teens in the midst of it now. As a parent, you need to provide moral support but also some good hard facts.

Now, just because you dealt with acne when you were a teen doesn’t make you an expert. Treatments and medications have come a long way in the last few years. Knowing what is available today will let you help your child decide the best way to deal with their acne.

It’s always a good idea to talk to a health care professional for advice. For one thing, a dermatologist can tell you for sure whether those spots are in fact acne. There are other skin conditions that look similar, but need to be treated differently.

Teenagers are usually embarrassed by their acne, so it might be a touchy subject to talk about. You’ll know your teen best but it’s important to be supportive and understanding. Never accuse them of bad habits that led to acne - the old myths about acne being caused by chocolate and greasy foods have been proven to be false.

It’s likely that your teenager is trying everything possible to control their acne. If if they avoid talking about it, it’s probably on their mind most of the time. It can affect their self image and in some cases can ultimately lead to depression and withdrawal.

Let them know that you’re available and will do whatever you can to help them with their acne problem. It can sometimes help to talk about your own experiences if you dealt with it as a teen.

While it’s probably small comfort to them, you can remind them that most teens deal with acne to some degree. Studies show that roughly 85% of adolescents have acne and up to 40% have a severe enough case to require dermatologist treatment.

Acne doesn’t last forever - as your teen gets older it will most likely become less and less of a problem for them. By the time they reach their 20’s, it will likely be a distant memory - at least until they have teenagers of their own!

While a mild case of acne isn’t necessarily a serious problem, it’s still a good idea to see a dermatologist. They can give you helpful information about what could be causing your acne as well as the best treatments.

Plus, there is another skin condition called keratosis pilaris that is sometimes mistaken for acne and a dermatologist can tell you if that is what you’re dealing with, saving you the time and hassles of using the wrong treatment.

It’s a good idea to prepare for your visit with the dermatologist by making notes about your acne - as much as possible. They will ask you about your background - things like how long you’ve had acne, how you’ve treated it and what form it has taken (lesions, whiteheads, blackheads, etc.) They might also ask if there is a history of acne problems in your family.

Be sure to tell the doctor if you are allergic to any medications. Females might be asked about their menstrual cycle and males might need to tell the doctor how often they shave.

You might be given a choice of treatments so it helps to know a little about the options before you make your choice.

Antibiotics are one treatment - they’re used to kill the bacteria that leads to acne. They can be taken orally or as a lotion or ointment that gets applied directly to the skin. In severe cases, it may be necessary to use both forms.

Topical treatments include things like benzoyl peroxide and retinoic acid. They usually come in the form of a gel and can sometimes cause redness and dry skin.

In more severe cases of acne, the dermatologist may recommend a physical treatment. This could include removal of whiteheads and blackheads and possibly drainage of cysts.

Whatever type of treatment you end up choosing, it’s critical that you follow the doctor’s directions. Take the recommended dosage - no more or no less. And even if your acne clears up, you need to continue to take the medication for as long as the doctor tells you to or the acne may reappear.

Some of the questions you should keep in mind to ask the doctor include:

- What kind of treatment would work best for my acne? - How long will it take before I see results? - What is the best way to care for my skin? - What can I do to prevent scarring? - Is it okay for me to use makeup? - Does this treatment have any side effects? - How long will I need to take this medication?

As acne treatments can go on for some time, make sure you ask any questions you have each time to see your doctor. Being as informed as possible will make your treatment much easier to deal with.

It is popular today to talk about reversing the effects of age. More and more are looking for ways to look younger.

There are literally thousands of different types of anti-aging creams available on the market today. Since women are particularly concerned with the effects of age to their skin, most of these anti-aging creams are targeted towards women, but many men have turned to them as well.

So do any of these anti-aging creams work at all in the first place? And what do they do really exactly?

Most of these products promises reduced wrinkles, which normally can be noticed after a short use of the cream.

But, there are no known anti-aging creams that will actually eliminate wrinkles or otherwise permanently reverse the aging effects to the skin.

The facial creams remove layers of dead skin from the surface, and hydrate the lower layers giving them a plumper and fuller look that helps reduced the appearance of those wrinkles.

The wrinkles are not permanently removed, and will reappear after the discontinued use of the skincare product. Therefore, you have to keep applying the cream everyday.

Since the cost of many of these ant-aging creams is not cheap, it is not cheap to maintain the reduced wrinkle effect.

You can achieve a somewhat fuller, plumper skin appearance by using the less expensive type of skin moisturizers.

The only anti-aging cream ingredient that was proven scientifically are vitamin C and E, as well as Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA).

These three ingredients have been proven to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, but there are likely also many other ingredients that will produce similar effectsl.

The result differs user to user and it is good to try out different brands and see which is the best for you.

In addition to antiaging cream, the two most effective things you can do to slow down the appearance of wrinkles is not to smoke, and to apply sunscreen at the beginning of everyday if you plan on being outside for more than fifteen minutes.

SPF 15 or higher is highly recommended here. It looks good to be tan, but excessive UV exposure is a sure way to bring on wrinkled skin before its due time.