RCTI HEALTH

When talking about skin problems, nine times out of ten you will discover that the topic is acne. Acne is one of the most common skin conditions, mostly in teens but also with adults, acne can prove to be a very serious problem.

One of the products that have been swiping the markets is acne soap, almost every cosmetics and dermatology company that respects itself has some kind of acne soap out there for the public to use, many soaps may cause irritation to some of its users, some soaps are scented and some users are irritated by them too. Soaps have become the number one product to fight acne.

These anti acne soaps come in two different forms, in liquid or in classic bar shape, most of the soaps have a similar version in bar or liquid so it is really the preference of the user if he or she likes this form or the other better. Cleansers are used to fight and remove oil and dirt from the surface of the face thus cleaning and “opening” it. this is not a one step procedure, the cleaning is a first step, allowing the active topical acne cleaner to treat the acne and decrease it.

One major problem with teens using these soap and anti acne treatments is that they are too eager to eliminate their acne that they overuse the products, this may cause other problems, as the use of soap on the face skin creates dryness and irritation. In this case there should be a regular, and steady use of the treatment products, and not an acne blitz to try and eliminate acne immediately, this simply does not work.
(more…)

Sebum is part of the oil that is found on the surface of the skin. Other ingredients of the oil on the skin are- sweat, lipids and environmental dirt. It is sebum, which contributes a lot to our body odor. Sebum itself is odorless but its bacterial disintegration produces odor. That is why if you keep your skin clean of bacteria with anti bacterial soaps regularly, you can reduce body odor to a great extent. Sebum reaches hair follicles
and coats the hair and also reaches the skin through the hair follicles. Many people experience oily hair if hair is left unwashed for few days. That happens because of sebum. The Latin meaning of sebum is fat.

How sebum is produced- sebum is produced by sebaceous glands. These glands are found on most parts of the body. Except few, most sebaceous glands open into a hair follicle. These are the sites of acne formation.

What does sebum do- sebum protects skin from bacterial infection. Sebum also reduces the natural water loss of body from the skin. Increased sebum production can cause acne.
(more…)

Everybody has had to pass through this tumoultous period and the acne that characterizes it. Apart from causing unsightly physical appearance, it carries a multitude of psychological effects that affects teens in different ways, especially if it is of the severe type.

Teens being a very self conscious lot are greatly affected by acne making them have low self esteem. This might lead to them shunning social settings due to perceptions of others.

So what are the social ramifications that this condition brings?

Those suffering from acne have often been accused by their non-acne friends of being overly-sensitive. However the physical and psychological problems suffered by them have been recognized nowadays as being real and efforts have been made to deal with them appropriately.
(more…)