Acne is mainly associated with adolescence. Because, it is during this time in one’s life that hormonal levels increase. And change in hormones is the primary cause of acne. A similar rise in hormonal level is noticed during the time of pregnancy. And thus a number of pregnant women also face the problem of acne. So let’s find out the different aspects of acne trouble during pregnancy and how to deal with it.

Acne during pregnancy: understand the forthcoming trouble
The occurrence of acne is most seen during the initial three months of pregnancy because it is during this time that a steep rise in hormone level occurs. If pregnancy is on your mind, it is advisable to discuss the treatment for the forthcoming acne problem with your doctor.

Is there a medication for pregnancy acne?
The medications that are normally prescribed for acne could be harmful to the baby, which is why acne products are generally not prescribed during the pregnancy.

The only antibiotic that is considered safe during pregnancy is Erythromycin. However, there is a problem with Erythromycin as well. It may not be as effective as the other antibiotics as many skin bacteria have developed resistance to it. So, it is better that all kinds of medication are avoided during pregnancy. And only the natural remedies to acne are used.

Natural remedies are the best to fight acne in pregnancy
One should wash face with clean water as often as one could, and may use tea tree oil seen for blemishes and spots. Do not use chemical based face wash. Get a natural one instead.

If you suffer from blackheads and have oily skin with blocked pores, you can use clay masks.

Above all, start drinking plenty of water. The best way to do it is to drink a couple of glasses of water in morning after leaving bed, and a couple before going to bed. Bring it into your routine because nothing does detoxification better than water.

Also eat lots of fruits and vegetables. They not only clean and detoxify but also keep the digestive system in good order. Avoid fatty foods and fast food as much as you can because the oil and spice that these foods have can worsen your acne, besides they are not healthy for the unborn baby.

Healthy eating habits go a long way in giving one a life free of acne. Moreover, healthy eating also gives the unborn baby ample nourishment.

Blockage

Our skin is covered with tiny little holes, called pores.  These pores are important to ensuring that we sweat, keeping our body temperatures regulated.  However, one of the substances that these pores secrete is called sebum, which is a sticky substance.  As the outer layers of skin are shed, a process which happens continuously, some of the dead skin cells might mix with the sebum, blocking pores.  This is the start of a pimple, because then further secretions of sebum back up behind the blocked pore.  This blockage tends to occur most often at puberty, when the skin starts to become thicker, which explains why teens often have pimples.

Whiteheads

The backup of sebum, however, is only the start of the pimple.  As the sebum is stuck under the skin, it will start to harbor bacteria, including proprionibacterium acnes, which is the bacteria that actually causes the swelling of the pimple.  However, some people will note that in addition to a red swelling where the infected site is, there may be a whitehead, a discolored spot at the center.  This is a result of the workings of  a person’s immune system; that is, white blood cells go to the infected area to try to fight off the acne bacteria, resulting in a whitehead..  You don’t always see the whitehead, since sometimes this occurs a little deeper in the skin.

Treatment

Knowing how pimples are made helps us to know what to do to treat them.  Since the initial problem is the way that pores get blocked, good exfoliation will help the body to better shed dead skin cells, resulting in clearer pores.  Because the actual pimple is caused by bacteria, topical creams such as benzoyl peroxide creams will help to rid people of that bacteria.  Such creams also help to dissolve some of the materials, such as keratin, that blocks the pore.  However, because this bacteria can spread with contact, it follows that you should not ever force a pimple to burst, since that will spread the bacteria over the skin, resulting in further outbreaks.  With this knowledge, you should be better able to understand how to treat the pimples that show up on your face.

If every problem only had a known cause there would be no problem finding a cure for it. In the case of acne, what causes acne, if it could be pinpointed would lead to finding an effective cure for the condition. However, the case of acne is rather muddled and the cause is not able to be attributed to any particular instance. Also, why this condition arises varies from person to person, who means it is still rather unclear what causes acne.

A Good Understanding About The Underlying Process

However, unclear what causes acne may be, there is a pretty good understanding about the actual process behind the occurrence of acne. Still, doctors and scientists need to do more in order to find out the real reason why an acne breakout occurs. What causes acne can best be understood by linking the production of excess oil by the sebaceous glands of the skin to the actual outbreak. Such excess oil will mix with your dead skin and thus clog the pores of the skin close to the hair follicles, and thus give rise to pimples, which in any form, are most unwelcome.

Furthermore, when studying what causes acne we may have to look to the hormones within the body as another possible cause, though it may not be so in each and every case. Most often, during puberty in boys as well as in girls, the increase in hormones causes the glands to get over stimulated and in the presence of other factors can lead to the formation of acne.

No doubt, hormones are a contributing factor to what causes acne, especially in teenagers, pregnant women as well as even during adulthood. Nevertheless, there are other potential factors too that may be considered as being instrumental in causing acne. Some of these other factors that can be considered in the study of what causes acne include stress, heredity, as well as medications.

So, what causes acne can vary from person to person, which make it very hard to pinpoint the exact cause, and thus removing the problem is even more difficult. There are some mythical reasons as well as that are considered as being factors that cause acne and these include eating chocolates, greasy food as well as consuming other dietary foods. However, food is not what causes acne, though it can play a part in exacerbating the problem. You will certainly find treating acne more difficult if you insist on a heavy intake of French fries in spite of warnings to the contrary. Other mythical causes include dirt, touching of the skin, and makeup. Rest assured what causes acne cannot be one particular thing in each and every person.

The question, “what is acne?” may be annoying and serious especially for those people who suffer from it.  We may have the perception of acne as something that we only experience and have during our teen years, but it is a skin disease that people often experience even in their adulthood.  Some people may be too embarrassed to come out and reach out to other people, affecting their self esteem and their relationship with others.  What is acne?  Why do we have it and is it necessary that we must undergo through such embarrassing suffering?

To the question, “what is acne?”, it is generally characterized by our skin having whiteheads, blackheads, and inflamed red pimples or what is popularly known as, zits.

What Is Acne, Commonly?

Probably, the most common form of acne is the “acne vulgaris” and is brought about by changes in the hair follicle and our skin’s sebaceous gland.  They say that the condition is commonly known to occur in teenagers during their puberty stage.  Due to the excessive secretion of oils from our sebaceous glands combined with the dead skin cells or corneocytes, it blocks the hair follicles making it infected.  The oil secretions build up at the blocked pore giving way to a perfect environment for the bacteria Proponibacterium acnes and oil-loving yeast, Malassezia to breed and multiply.  The face, neck, back, and the upper arms are the parts of the body that are greatly susceptible to acne.

Besides the pain and scarring, the effect of acne to an individual is mainly psychological and can lower the self-esteem of a person.

What Is Acne And Why Us?

Usually, when we suffer from acne, the most common question that enters our mind is, “why me?”.  There are many factors and contributing causes as to why we get affected with it.  Though theory also suggests that acne is also partly hereditary, there are many possible causes in our environment that leads us to it.  One is hormonal activity like menstrual cycle or when we are in our puberty stage.  Another may be stress due to the increased output of hormones in our adrenal glands, hyperactive sebaceous glands, or excessive accumulation of dead skin cells.  Bacteria in our pores and other skin irritation that we could experience may lead to acne.

Also, the use of prescription medicine that we may be taking could result to acne like anabolic steroids and any medication that may have halogens, androgens, lithium, and barbiturates.  Contact to high level of chlorine compounds may also contribute to acne particularly dioxins which could cause a long-lasting type of acne which is called, chloracne.

Zit popping may not be such a good idea after all, as without really realizing what you are doing; it could actually lead to a worsening of the condition. Some people even recommend speaking with a dermatologist to get the complete facts regarding whether or not it is advisable to pop that zit or not. Dermatologists are the best persons to advise you about zit popping and don’t be surprised if you are advised against it.

Handle With Gentle Care

Zit popping can often require handling the zit with gentle care, which if mishandled or done too aggressively, can actually cause a major zit disaster. It is better to leave the zit alone and let a qualified person such as a dermatologist handle the situation. However, people are often given to zit popping though they must necessarily handle this with care otherwise there may be left many scars that can only cause a worsening in the appearance of your skin.

The best method of handling zits would be to first closely inspect what it really looks like. Those zits that are new as well as may be pressure pimples are best left alone. If you must indulge in zit popping, make sure that it is dry which is often how a white head looks like. Pop these zits if you must as they are the types that lend themselves easily to popping.

When you actually pop that zit make sure also that you know how to squeeze the zit, since there is a particular method that must be used. It is not advisable to push the zit inwards; instead, use a gentle squeezing method – otherwise more pimples may pop around the site of your last zit popping action. In case the squeezing causes you pain, you can stop as the pimple is not yet in a condition to be popped.

Another important facet to zit popping is that you should sterilize yourself. It is a good idea to use a good facial soap to wash your face before you begin your zit popping. Women need to wipe away their makeup and their hands should also be clean. Other precautions required include using cleansing agents to wipe off the infected area, so that there is minimal chance of infection.

It is also not advisable to pop the zits when they are not ready for popping, and some people that have uncontrollable urges to pop their zits may even require being hypnotized in order to control their impulsive behavior. It may be better to let the zit heal itself rather than rushing into popping it.