Prime Weapon: Role of Antioxidants in Controlling Acne
Antioxidants, eh? Bet most of you don’t know what they are. Ok, only gloating. Get a load of this: “Antioxidants are substances or nutrients in our foods which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body. When our body cells use oxygen, they naturally produce free radicals (by-products) that can cause damage. Antioxidants act as ‘free radical scavengers’ and hence prevent and repair damage done by these free radicals.”
How, you may ask, do antioxidants control acne? Well, the antioxidants present in our skin neutralize nascent oxygen molecules, which are responsible for the worst skin damages. Therefore, antioxidants keep your skin supple and healthy, and also reduce bacterial activity. See, antioxidants on their own do not control acne, but they certainly minimize damage to the skin and act as a check on bacteria that cause acne. Read more on Prime Weapon: Role of Antioxidants in Controlling Acne…
Direct Action: Should you use Antibiotics for Acne?
Having used antibiotics for acne myself, I can go on and on about how beneficial they are. Brought up by parents who looked on antibiotics only as a last resort, I had always treated antibiotics with suspicion anyway, but a few years ago, after a friend claimed that her dermatologist had prescribed antibiotics for her severe acne and that the drugs were having a miraculous effect, I decided to try them myself.
Ok, the anti-antibiotics brigade (brilliant coinage!) will probably point to the following extract from an article that appeared in Science Daily: “Antibiotic-resistant propioni bacterium acnes (the bacterium that causes acne) strains were significantly more often isolated from antibiotic-treated than from non-antibiotic-treated patients. When patients with acne are treated with antibiotics, the risk of development of antibiotic resistance should be realized.” Thus spoke Carl Erik Nord, lead investigator of a study conducted at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. Read more on Direct Action: Should you use Antibiotics for Acne?…
Spotless! How do Acne Cleansers Work?
First up, do not believe in the miracle cures that acne cleansers promise to deliver. There are no miracles in acne, and while acne cleansers may keep your skin dirt-free, they will not strike at the root of the problem. No, I’m being slightly unfair here, because keeping your facial skin dirt-free is a large part of the battle against acne, and acne cleansers certainly help you do that.
Years ago, a colleague at what was my workplace then was planning to sue a company that manufactured and marketed a fairly reputable brand of acne cleanser, because he insisted that far from improving, his acne had actually worsened after using the cleanser. I remember it all, the name of the cleanser included, but it has since vanished from the market, so I will refrain from naming it here.
How Is Acne Related To Bacteria?
During the course of my research on acne, I have been forced to change my opinion on several previously held beliefs, chief among them the firm conviction that bacteria cause acne. Now that I know better, it is easy to laugh airily at my earlier naiveté. However, I am amazed at how many people I speak to believe that acne is directly related to bacteria. So I’m doing my good deed for the day by telling you that there is no direct link between acne and bacteria.
Yes, there is a bacterium – first name Propionbacterium and last name acnes (P. Acnes, in short) – that lives in all skin types and is harmless on its own. However, the problem begins when a follicle is clogged. P. Acnes really comes into its own and starts breeding at an alarming rate under such conditions. As it breeds, it causes chemical changes that cause acne eruptions.
Read more on How Is Acne Related To Bacteria?…
Read more on How Is Acne Related To Bacteria?…
Incoming search terms:
- is it healthy to steam your face?
UNCLEAN! Acne And Its Social Impact
If the headline above seems a little strong, I use it with good reason. Can you think of any other affliction that causes more psychological trauma, more social awkwardness, and greater insecurity than acne? I can, actually, and it’s called leprosy. From the way some people react to acne, they would be better off living in such-and-such BC, when lepers had to carry warning bells with them and shout ‘Unclean’!