Acne-What is It, and What Causes It?

Acne is a disease that normally strikes during your teenage years. Acne is characterized by pimples (whiteheads and blackheads), in more severe cases there may be lumps (cysts and nodules) affecting the deeper layers of skin, sometimes causing scaring. Just when you want so desperately to 'fit in" you get a big zit on your nose, you talk to someone and their eyes are drawn to that zit like a magnet! Most of us know all too well the embarrassment this can cause. One thing to always keep in mind is that, your acne is not you're fault, nothing you did or did not do caused your acne!

Acne is thought to be be caused by hormonal imbalance with genetics playing a role as well. It's now believed that stress is one of the main causes of out-breaks. Over 85% of people in the 12-25 age group or 17 million people in the US will suffer with this affliction! Is there a "cure" for acne? No, unfortunately there is no real "cure" for this disease, but for most people the symptoms are very treatable.

Natural Control Of Outbreaks

While there is no real cure for acne, you can minimize your outbreaks (and sometimes eliminate them altogether) by maintaining a consistent preventative treatment program, that should include:

• Proper diet-Eat lots of fruits and vegetables,include fiber in your diet,and drink 6 to 8 glasses of fluid daily (juices are good),eat protein from chicken and fish (mostly.)
  
• Foods to avoid-Saturated fats,processed foods,sugars (including soda and soft drinks),and high-fat dairy products,artificial sweeteners,limit the number of eggs to a few a week,high fat meats (beef,pork,lamb),alcohol,and pasta (especially if make with white flour.)
• Supplements-These supplements are known to help in controlling outbreaks:Beta-carotene,Zinc,Omega-3fatty acids,Pantothenic acid,and Flaxseed oil.

Other Things That Can Help Get Rid Of Your Acne

• Keep the affected areas clean-Try to keep the affected areas clean of dirt and oil at all times.Wash with an acne soap regularly (wash gently, never "scrub" your skin as you can cause even more damage!) Use oil-free or "noncomedoggenic" make-up (or none at all-even better.)
• Don't "pop" your zits-Never squeeze hard on your whiteheads or blackheads, because you can force the infection even deeper into your skin. If you must get the pus out of a whitehead, lance it first with a sterile needle, and gently squeeze the pus out. Make sure to thoroughly wash the area afterwards.
• Reduce the stress in your life-This may well be my most important tip to gaining control of your acne outbreaks! Learn to relax, don't take yourself too seriously! Cut out caffeine and any other stimulants. Exercise regularly to help reduce stress.

In Conclusion

Acne sucks! There's no doubt about it, but if you can consistently make these preventative measures a part of your daily life you can greatly reduce the severity of your outbreaks or in many cases completely eliminate them. If you suffer from severe acne, or if your acne doesnt respond to self treatment, I would recommend seeing a qualified Dermatologist. Sometime prescription medicines are required to gain control of acne symptoms.

For more information visit How To Get Rid Of Your Acne