There are four major types of acne scar which affect acne sufferers in a major way. They are, in order of regularity: ice pick scars; boxcar scars; rolling scars and hypertrophic or keloid scars. The most common of these is the ice pick scar, it is not difficult to work out how this kind of scar got its name – in short, it looks as though the sufferer has been attacked with an ice pick or a similarly sharp, thin instrument. Ice pick scars are characterised by their depth and their narrowness. Some people say that ice pick scars look like a hyper-large open pore.
The way that an ice pick scar is formed explains its unique appearance. Usually a result of cystic acne, the scar develops after a cyst, or other rooted, inflamed blemish works its way up from the inner layers of dermis. Al the skin tissue in its path, and nothing else, is effectively burrowed away, leaving behind this long and deep scar. If seen as a cross-section diagram, an ice pick scar looks like a deep, narrow ravine.
Treatment is available to improve the appearance of ice pick scars, if not remove the scarring entirely. The most popular metjhod of treatment is a form of surgery known as punch excision. A small tool is pressed into the skin like a cookie-cutter in order to pull away individual scars. The wound, scarcely any wider than the original scar, is then closed using surgical stitches or skin glue. Once it has healed, the skin looks a great deal more normal.
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Home Acne Remedies
Although there is a big market for specific acne treatments, and it continues to grow, there is no product currently available that will fully clear the problem up on its own without having major side effects. As has been shown by clinical studies, there are dangers involved in taking any of the most effective medication for the problem of acne vulgaris. The best strategy is to take a holistic approach designed to deal with the internal problems which cause the external breakouts, and deal with the problems externally as they occur.
There are, however, some home remedies which will suffice as short-term measures to deal with the external problems. One of these is white vinegar. Available freely in any supermarket and a staple product in many kitchens, it can be used as a facial application. After washing your face with mild soap, apply the vinegar using a cotton ball and leave it to sit for ten minutes before rinsing it off. If you have sensitive skin, beware the strength of the vinegar, and water it down if you have concerns.
Steaming your face is also a worthwhile pursuit in clearing the skin of any impurities. By pouring a kettle full of freshly boiled tap water into a basin, then adding a few drops of essential oil, you can create a steam bath by putting a towel over your head and placing your head a safe distance above the steam after five minutes, you should then wash your face with cold water to rinse away any impurities which have seeped out, and help close the pores.
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There are, however, some home remedies which will suffice as short-term measures to deal with the external problems. One of these is white vinegar. Available freely in any supermarket and a staple product in many kitchens, it can be used as a facial application. After washing your face with mild soap, apply the vinegar using a cotton ball and leave it to sit for ten minutes before rinsing it off. If you have sensitive skin, beware the strength of the vinegar, and water it down if you have concerns.
Steaming your face is also a worthwhile pursuit in clearing the skin of any impurities. By pouring a kettle full of freshly boiled tap water into a basin, then adding a few drops of essential oil, you can create a steam bath by putting a towel over your head and placing your head a safe distance above the steam after five minutes, you should then wash your face with cold water to rinse away any impurities which have seeped out, and help close the pores.
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Hypertrophic Scars – Not Something You Need To Face
Among the many types of acne scar that can be found regularly among sufferers, the hypertrophic scar is unique in that it is rarely found on the face of a sufferer. It is also rare in that it is not seen where tissue has been eaten away by a breakout of acne, but rather where there has been extra tissue created. A hypertrophic scar – taken from the term “hypertrophy” which means an increase in the size of an organ due to overgrowth of cells – actually stands out from the skin rather than being sunken into it.
Most usually, hypertrophic scars are to be found on the torso of a male sufferer and look like a raised, firm bump of tissue. Often, a hypertrophic scar will grow larger than the original wound and they happen as the result of an overproduction of collagen, the tissue that allows our skin to be flexible enough that we can manipulate it easily. Hypertrophic scars are often confused with “Keloid” scars. Keloid scars routinely overgrow the area of the original injury, and may affect the ability to move the skin in the area where they grow.
In order to treat a hypertrophic or Keloid scar, cortisone is injected into the affected area, shrinking and flattening the scar tissue area. The shrinking and removal of this scar tissue is also aided by a softening process involving the injection of Interferon. If you suffer a hypertrophic scar and cannot fund the surgery, it may not be that big a deal – they often decrease in size and improve in appearance over a short time.
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Most usually, hypertrophic scars are to be found on the torso of a male sufferer and look like a raised, firm bump of tissue. Often, a hypertrophic scar will grow larger than the original wound and they happen as the result of an overproduction of collagen, the tissue that allows our skin to be flexible enough that we can manipulate it easily. Hypertrophic scars are often confused with “Keloid” scars. Keloid scars routinely overgrow the area of the original injury, and may affect the ability to move the skin in the area where they grow.
In order to treat a hypertrophic or Keloid scar, cortisone is injected into the affected area, shrinking and flattening the scar tissue area. The shrinking and removal of this scar tissue is also aided by a softening process involving the injection of Interferon. If you suffer a hypertrophic scar and cannot fund the surgery, it may not be that big a deal – they often decrease in size and improve in appearance over a short time.
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Getting Rid of Adult Acne
When you kissed goodbye to your teens, it wasn’t just the end of an era of freedom and happiness. No, for many of us the end of adolescence was marked more by the departure of the majority of our skin problems. It is pretty galling when they then return as we enter our thirties and prepare to enjoy the decade that should be our prime. Having to spend time getting rid of the acne and blackheads all over again feels like such a waste of time when you have an adult life to lead. No matter – with what you learned as a teenager and what you know now, this time you can beat it once and for all.
Spotting acne before it goes too far is the first thing you need to do. Generally the first outward sign of an acne breakout is the appearance of blackheads. As oil and dead skin collects in the pores of your skin they mix with bacteria and air and turn black. These can be removed with a good exfoliant, massaged across your face gently but firmly. Pore cleansing strips are also excellent for getting out the pesky hard-to-get ones.
Additionally, now that you are an adult you may have a bit more cash in the bank. This could well be put to good use at the spa, where trained beauticians will give you a facial that clears away the bad stuff on the outside. As for the bad stuff inside, stress and hormonal imbalance are your enemies. Look for a de-stressing method, and speak to your doctor about options for stimulating or retarding the production of a troublesome hormone.
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Spotting acne before it goes too far is the first thing you need to do. Generally the first outward sign of an acne breakout is the appearance of blackheads. As oil and dead skin collects in the pores of your skin they mix with bacteria and air and turn black. These can be removed with a good exfoliant, massaged across your face gently but firmly. Pore cleansing strips are also excellent for getting out the pesky hard-to-get ones.
Additionally, now that you are an adult you may have a bit more cash in the bank. This could well be put to good use at the spa, where trained beauticians will give you a facial that clears away the bad stuff on the outside. As for the bad stuff inside, stress and hormonal imbalance are your enemies. Look for a de-stressing method, and speak to your doctor about options for stimulating or retarding the production of a troublesome hormone.
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External symptoms of acne and how to identify them
The condition known to most of us simply as “acne” is actually an outward symptom of a largely internal condition known as Acne vulgaris. This condition is something which affects the sufferer’s skin and causes “breakouts” of outward skin problems which are occasionally inflamed, and often painful. The difficulty caused by acne is that it presents problems on two fronts. The cosmetic difficulties, shallow as it sounds, make a big difference to sufferers because they can affect an individual’s confidence and self-esteem, and the way that others look at them. Physically, it also presents problems because the breakouts can be extremely painful and itchy.
Among the outward signs of acne are papules. These can be inflamed or not, and stand out from the skin. When scratched, these papules can open, breaking the skin and often becoming infected. This causes further pain and discomfort as well as looking unsightly. There are also problems such as blackheads, which are formed from excess oils which accumulate in the duct of a sebaceous gland. Blackheads themselves can be removed using pore cleansing strips and by squeezing with the tips of the fingernails.
These and other lesions on the skin can be clear signs of acne vulgaris, and for a sufferer they create endless problems from a cosmetic and physical point of view. As much as anything else, these skin blemishes can be itchy and when they are scratched the problem multiplies. The key to remember is that prevention is far, far better than cure.
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Among the outward signs of acne are papules. These can be inflamed or not, and stand out from the skin. When scratched, these papules can open, breaking the skin and often becoming infected. This causes further pain and discomfort as well as looking unsightly. There are also problems such as blackheads, which are formed from excess oils which accumulate in the duct of a sebaceous gland. Blackheads themselves can be removed using pore cleansing strips and by squeezing with the tips of the fingernails.
These and other lesions on the skin can be clear signs of acne vulgaris, and for a sufferer they create endless problems from a cosmetic and physical point of view. As much as anything else, these skin blemishes can be itchy and when they are scratched the problem multiplies. The key to remember is that prevention is far, far better than cure.
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Excoriated Acne – If you pick at it, it WILL get worse.
When your mother used to tell you that picking at a cut would make it worse, she wasn’t kidding. If you are still doing it to this day, however, then the chances are that you have a compulsive skin picking disorder – apparently not that uncommon in this day and age. But picking at a healed cut or spot is a big mistake. It can lead to a small scab becoming a large wound, and can very easily result in infection. The unsightly blemish that results is known as excoriated acne.
“Excoriate” means to strip the hide or skin off something. It is a word that is used figuratively as much as anything, often being used to explain the severe telling off that an unruly child might get from a parent. But it does have a literal application, and the obsessive habit of picking at our skin is an example of how excoriation is a genuine problem. Anyone can develop excoriated acne, but it is more common among women.
Excoriated acne is the result of a desire to pick, squeeze, or scratch at blemishes, even creating new blemishes in some cases. This leads to open sores which, when they scab over, are prime for picking again. It can be a very hard habit to break, sometimes only stopping when the skin ceases scabbing. At this point, what you are left with is open red sores and inflammation. This is excoriated acne, and can be very unsightly and also potentially very unhealthy.
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“Excoriate” means to strip the hide or skin off something. It is a word that is used figuratively as much as anything, often being used to explain the severe telling off that an unruly child might get from a parent. But it does have a literal application, and the obsessive habit of picking at our skin is an example of how excoriation is a genuine problem. Anyone can develop excoriated acne, but it is more common among women.
Excoriated acne is the result of a desire to pick, squeeze, or scratch at blemishes, even creating new blemishes in some cases. This leads to open sores which, when they scab over, are prime for picking again. It can be a very hard habit to break, sometimes only stopping when the skin ceases scabbing. At this point, what you are left with is open red sores and inflammation. This is excoriated acne, and can be very unsightly and also potentially very unhealthy.
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Causes of adult acne – Why, after all these years?
Adult acne seems like the most unreasonable thing that mother nature can throw at you as you move into your late twenties and thirties. As trade-offs go, having to hold down a job and pay bills is probably a fair price to pay for not having your teen acne bringing you down. But then adult acne shows up and all of a sudden you have the worst of both worlds. What is going on? Your voice broke years ago, you aren’t getting any taller and you’ve stopped blushing at the most inopportune of times. So why are you all of a sudden dealing with blackheads and zits again?
The chances are that you fall into one or more of three categories. The main three causes of adult acne are hormones, stress and genetic predisposition. Hormonal imbalances can be caused by a number of different factors, some of which are environmental and others which are down to more specific factors. Either way, it can trigger a case of acne. Alternatively you may be experiencing a great deal of stress in the workplace or in your personal life. Stress causes the overproduction of stress hormones, which are a guaranteed way of causing acne.
Finally, genetics are known to play a part in causing adult acne – if your parents, or one of them, were prone to it then you may well be too. In fact, if even one of your parents was a sufferer of adult acne, the chances that you will be as well quadruple. Hardly fair, is it?
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The chances are that you fall into one or more of three categories. The main three causes of adult acne are hormones, stress and genetic predisposition. Hormonal imbalances can be caused by a number of different factors, some of which are environmental and others which are down to more specific factors. Either way, it can trigger a case of acne. Alternatively you may be experiencing a great deal of stress in the workplace or in your personal life. Stress causes the overproduction of stress hormones, which are a guaranteed way of causing acne.
Finally, genetics are known to play a part in causing adult acne – if your parents, or one of them, were prone to it then you may well be too. In fact, if even one of your parents was a sufferer of adult acne, the chances that you will be as well quadruple. Hardly fair, is it?
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