Fighting Acne? Know Your Over-the-Counter Options
Author: Joseph Y. Ellis
Source: ezinearticles.com
Having trouble fighting acne? Don’t believe what friends tell you. Fries, chocolates, and other greasy good eats won’t give you zits. The real culprit is testosterone (a hormone that’s present in both women and men) and your genes. Don’t believe me? Do some research. Acne tends to run in families.
At puberty, we all start to produce more testosterone and androgen. Besides causing facial hair to grow and making our voice break, this process also makes the sebaceous glands in our skin produce more oil. On the upside, this keeps our hair shiny and healthy. But the downside is that if your family is prone to zits, the hair, cells, and oil lining your pore will stick together and clog your pores. In turn, the buildup allows bacteria to thrive, resulting in blackheads, whiteheads, and the dreaded zits.
So, how do you go about fighting acne?
Your cheapest and often, most effective, option is found over the counter. Soaps, lotions, creams, solution-soaked pads, and gels can help cure your present outbreak and at the same time, prevent new ones. Do you have dry or sensitive skin? Use creams. They are gentler on the skin and will irritate it less.
On the other hand, if your skin is oily, you will be better off with gels and lotions because these typically have more astringents in them. Do not be too liberal in your application, though. Ingredients found in gels and lotions (among them propylene glycol) can cause burning irritation and in some cases, even swelling. Use your product sparingly at first, to see how your skin responds to it.
Finally, always look at the product label before you bring one home with you. Do they contain astringents like alcohol and propylene glycol? If so, you may want to try other creams instead. These two dry out the skin so fast they may do your skin more harm than good in the long run.
Fighting acne may or may not be easy for you; but it never hurts to explore all your options. The more you know about your problem and your options, the easier it becomes for you to find solutions.
About the Author:
Joseph Ellis is an expert on acne treatment system and the director of AcneSimpleTreatment.Com. He provides honest information and advice on choosing an acne treatment system and all things acne-related. Get free tips when you visit his website today!
