Author: blogger

According to recent studies, echinacea and goldenseal may be good for those who have acne.

Echinacea has also been a successful treatment for eczema, psoriasis and general skin problems, with no known side effects.

Echinacea, also known as coneflower, is a plant that has been used for centuries to quicken the healing of colds and flu, and is also known for its ability to enhance the immune system. This immune system enhancement helps the body to fight infections, including acne. Echinacea is also proven to have antibacterial and antiviral agents.

For the treatment of acne, echinacea can be ingested internally and also used externally on the skin.

Echinacea is available in many forms, some of which are:

* Echinacea acne lotion

* Echinacea facial soap – made with echinacea and cleansing herbs to clean and purify the skin.

* Echinacea facial serum

* Echinacea facial creams

* Echinacea as a skin gel

* Echinacea pills or capsules, sometimes combined with Goldenseal.

Goldenseal, also called orange root, is an herb that has also been used for centuries as a healing agent. Goldenseal has antibacterial, antimicrobial and antifungal properties, and has been used to treat skin diorders, as well as a variety of other diseases, including digestive ailments and upper respiratory problems.

Goldenseal is available in several forms, here is a common list:

* Goldenseal herbal lotions

* Goldenseal ointments

* Goldenseal tinctures

* Goldenseal cream

* Goldenseal capsules

Echinacea and Goldenseal are also available blended together in an alcohol free liquid extract.

When it comes to acne, a pimple reduced, is a scar prevented. That is, preventing the arrival of deep acne scars is a simple matter of controlling the size of a growing acne lesion.

Acne lesions like cysts, large pustules, papules and nodules notoriously leave behind indentations in the skin to mark their previous home. A large part of the skin damage created by large acne lesions results from inflammation and skin expansion that accompanies the acne healing process.

However, in three steps, you can control the inflammation and swelling that characterizes enlarged acne lesions and save your skin from deep acne scars.

Step 1: Displace swelling fluids

The easiest way to shrink a growing pimple is to displace the antibacterial fluids that the body creates in response to an acne lesion. You can help reduce the swelling resulting from inflammation by applying wet heat to the acne lesion.

To do this, place a damp wash cloth in the microwave for 60 seconds. Let the cloth cool for 10 seconds and then apply it to the pimple for one to two minutes. Repeat this heat treatment three times to help reduce the swelling of the acne lesion.

Another way to remove antibacterial fluids from a pimple is to apply tea tree oil to the inflamed lesion at night time. Throughout the night, the oil will seep into the skin and displace the antibacterial fluids surrounding the inflamed pimple. In the morning, the pimple should be smaller.

Step 2: Speed up the healing time with a mask

The longer an acne lesion remains in the skin, the more cosmetic damage it can inflict. To hasten a zits healing time, increase blood flow to the acne lesion. This increased blood flow transports a therapeutic envoy that includes skin cells, vitamins, enzymes and antimicrobial agents to the site of an inflamed pimple.

Applying a clay mask to the acne lesion increases blow flow to the sore as a the clay dries. Furthermore, the mask will draw away excess, inflammation-aggravating oils from the acne lesion, further reducing the papule’s size.

Step 3: Icing the swelling and reducing the pain

The intense pain an enlarged acne lesion incites serves as an indirect source of acne scarring. This excruciating pain increases an acne sufferer’s desire for immediate relief. You can soothe acne induced pain by icing your lesion. Just take an ice-cube from the freezer, and then wrap five sides of the cube with a paper towel. Massage the unwrapped side of the ice cube over the acne lesion for 30-60 seconds using circular movements.

Avoiding the temptation to extract a pimple when it has not yet reached a head- an exposed tip where all of the post-inflammation cellular waste resides- will help a pustule heal faster without leaving a deep scar. When the acne lesion does rise to a head, you can use a sterilized needle to puncture the head and release the debris inside the acne lesion.

Cleanse the area with a sanitizing wash afterwards. (Note: In some instances, embedded and long-term cysts should only be removed under medical supervision to avoid harmful side-effects.)

In short, whatever you can safely do to speed the healing time of an inflamed acne lesion reduces your chances of experiencing deep scars.

Copyright (c) 2007 Naweko Nicole Dial

A Case Study On Acne

What is acne?

Acne is a simple, harmless skin infection that affects almost all people at least once during their lifetime. The scientific name of this problem is acne vulgaris. In colloquial terms, acne vulgaris is referred to as pimples, spots or simply acne. Acne causes itching and irritation of the skin.

Causes of acne

There are a few portions of our skin that tends to have a dense follicular population i.e. the density of hair growth is high. Such regions have a higher availability of a gland called sebaceous gland. This gland is responsible for the secretion of an oily liquid called sebum which slowly converts into body fats along the topmost layer of the inner skin. These fats slowly protrude through the skin to form acne marks.

Apart from these sebaceous glands, the formation of androgen in young adults also attribute to the formation of acne. These are often acquired at the time of puberty. However, these acne marks are short lived and often disappear within a few months or years without any medication or skin treatment. More than 80% of teenagers around the world acquire acne due to this reason.

Modern researches have shown that acne marks are formed due to reasons other than scientific problems as stated above. Scientists attribute small psychological problems and stress that the individual undergoes as a reason for acquiring acne marks. An acne treatment is not the right choice for this type of problem. Instead, a treatment for stress illness will automatically cure the acne marks.

Where does acne usually occur in the human body?

The region where the sebaceous gland is densest is the scalp. Hence, the scalp has the highest probability of having acne marks. Though these are often hidden inside the dense hair growth above the scalp, they exhibit all symptoms and problems of the normal acne. The next most probable areas are the face and the upper areas of the neck. Other than these, the chest, the areas along the upper part of the back and sometimes along the upper arms and the shoulders also tend to have acne marks.

Acne treatment

The best possible acne treatment is to take correct diet at correct times of the day. A fat less diet for a period of six months can cure 90% problems due to acne.

Dieticians recommend fat less chocolates that tickle the activity of the brain and improve blood circulation. Apart from this, chocolates are anti-depressants and hence reduce mental stress. This helps massively to reduce acne. Intake of milk and carbohydrates also help to reduce acne because of their ability to neutralize the activity of sex hormones and help the body to secrete insulin. Though the intake of sugar indirectly increases the body fat, consuming a minimal amount of sugar regularly helps to reduce the effects of androgen’s. Medical practitioners recommend a higher intake of vitamin A and vitamin E for patients having acne problems.

Apart from the diet solution, there are other direct treatments to cure acne. Most of those treatments heal the ailment for the time being but it cannot be guaranteed that the disease will not return again. Go today and control your acne, and have your healthy skin back! http://no-more-acne.com/