What should you do if you have acne? Acne is a skin condition characterized by masses of inflamed, sometimes pus-filled skin eruptions on the face, neck and shoulders, as well as other areas of the body. If you have acne, it can be a painful and embarrassing condition, and can lead to permanent scarring without treatment. If you have acne, you should first determine the cause accurately. Before you dash off to the doctor, question yourself the following questions.
”Am I under undue stress?? Very often stressful periods lead to outbreaks of acne. If you’re in the middle of one, get some extra sleep and cool down.
”Is there a relationship between acne and my menstrual period?? If there seems to be, see your gynecologist. Possibly you should change to a different type of birth-control pill.
”Have I started any new medications?? Drugs like cortisone, for example, cause acne as a side effect. Perhaps your doctor will taper your dosage or switch you to a different medication.
”Have I changed my makeup?? Possibly you should cut out makeup altogether and use an astringent like Seba-Nil to counter the acnegenic oils contained in nearly all make-ups. Seba-Nil has acetone, alcohol and water, which combine very effectively to dry the skin.
”Have I been out in the sun lately?? Sunshine, especially on that midwinter jaunt to the Caribbean tends to initially draw out whiteheads. Abrasive scrubs like Pernox will peel the top layer of skin and usually relieve the problem. Acne soaps with salicylic acid will do the same. Excellent ones are Fostex and SAStid.
”Am I eating acnegenic food?? Maybe you are. Some of the foods traditionally thought to cause increased acne symptoms include chocolate, sugar, walnuts, candy, cheese, malted milk and oil- and deep-fried foods. More recent studies show that chocolate may not be the villain it has been thought to be in the past.
Once you have removed potential causes from the list above, you may go to the next step which is over-the-counter medications. Conventional therapy for acne basically boils down to drying up the skin. There are a host of products on the market, many of which are not very useful. When shopping, look for ingredients like precipitated sulfur, resorcinol, and especially benzoyl peroxide. Excellent products include: Benoxyl, Transact, Rezamid, Xerac, Thera-Blem, Acnomel and Fostex.
If you have light skin and eyes, you might want to try something a small milder, like Klaron or Rezamid.
