Acne Vulgaris – Causes and Treatments

Acne has long been the sworn enemy of people about to go to prom or, at least, are about to get their picture taken. According to movies, it always seems to pop up right at the morning when you really don't want it to come.

While that happens every now and then, movies are astoundingly inaccurate and rarely pay attention to reality - just check out Independence Day or the various failures in physics fantastically represented in The Core. They did get one thing about acne vulgaris right: it is almost certainly universally unwelcome.

Acne vulgaris treatments and causes vary from person to person in terms of effectiveness. People around the world are looking for the acne solution that will work for them and, hopefully, the following will able to help them achieve that goal.

Acne Vulgaris - The Cause

Sounds lewd, but it really isn't. It's just something that affects over 80% of the people in the world at one point or another. There are plenty of names and forms for acne vulgaris, from pimples, zits and blackheads to blemishes and whiteheads. But one thing is sure, acne vulgaris can cause a lot of emotional aggravation for adults and teenagers alike. It may start at puberty and may well continue to haunt adults in their forties or beyond.

Acne vulgaris can be partly hereditary or genetic, so if your parents have it, you're most likely vulnerable to it. Hormonal changes brought about by puberty, menstrual cycle or stress can also be blamed for the occurrence of acne vulgaris. Any one of these hormonal activities, or a combination thereof, causes the sebaceous glands to go into hyperactive mode triggering the outbreaks.

Acne vulgaris can also occur when oil or even dead skin cells clog up your pores, or when bacteria accumulates in the pores due to improper hygiene. Use of anabolic steroids or taking medications containing barbiturates or androgens can also cause acne vulgaris.

The severity of the acne and, thus, of the required treatments for acne vulgaris ranges from person to person and usually case to case. Some people have severe and intense occurrences with literally hundreds of pimples blemishing their face, neck and back, while others are lucky enough to get only one or two.

Acne Vulgaris Treatments

Acne vulgaris treatments varies on the exact type you're suffering from and the severity of the condition itself. The best approach that most doctors will advise you of is to simply combine treatments to maximize the chances of affecting acne vulgaris positively.

Mild Acne Vulgaris Treatment

Mild acne vulgaris ranges from whiteheads, blackheads and, of course, the eponymous pimple. Treatments for acne vulgaris of a mild severity requires simple actions, such as using mild soaps like Dove. The more common method of handling it involves Clearasil and Benzac or anything that has benzoyl peroxide as main ingredient which is every effective against acne vulgaris. Acne solution such as these should be enough to handle most mild outbreaks. If they're not effective, you might have a more severe case than you think.

Moderate To Severe Outbreak Treatment

This is when treatments for acne vulgaris tend to be combined to truly affect a change. Cysts and nodules or deeper blemishes matter a whole lot – these are the ones that tend to leave scars. Most doctors and dermatologists actually end up prescribing antibiotics as well to help you heal.

Treatments involve a combination of most of the same stuff involved in mild acne vulgaris treatment and with some additions. Larger pimples and cysts should actually be drained by a professional to prevent most of the scarring. Antibiotic gels and oral antibiotics also feature prominently in this case.

Home Treatments for Acne Vulgaris

Treating yourself well at home can easily aid in handling the random flare-ups that most teens and even some adults tend to experience. Gently washing your face once or twice a day does wonders. Go with water-based products. Milky cleansers and cold creams can end up aggravating the problem and making it worse, so does lip gloss and lipstick that are loaded with oils.

Everyone knows that squeezing and popping pimples is generally a bad idea, but people do it anyway. Squeezing and popping zits and pimples can lead to a whole lot of nastiness, from mild infections to permanent scarring. So, once again, never squeeze your pimples even if you're tempted to do so.

You can also head to your local drugstore to buy some cheap treatments for acne vulgaris. Benzac, Clearasil and Benoxyl can help unclog pores, prevent the onset or reduce the occurrence of acne vulgaris. Alpha-hydroxy acids can dry up those annoying blemishes and can cause the topmost skin layer to peel off. This item is easily found in various facial treatments from moisturizers to sunscreens. Salicylic acid, also found in Clearasil, does pretty much the same thing that alpha-hydroxy acids do.

Make sure to consult with a dermatologist before self-medicating or you may end up using treatments for acne vulgaris too much, which can lead to worsening of the condition or you might end up using too little and changing nothing.

Hacking the Acne

Acne is a difficult thing to handle for some people while others seem to be dealing with their acne vulgaris extremely well. It's all in the way you deal with your acne vulgaris. If you're not okay with "you" as an individual, no amount of treatments for acne vulgaris will help you feel better.

There's always going to be something wrong with your external self, some blemish you can pick at or something that you want to fix. But, it is best to fix what you can and be contented and happy with what you can't. Acne vulgaris is just a pockmark that you can beat with some medication, after all.

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Jayna

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