Posts Tagged ‘Back Acne’

Common form of acne problem for women and men is the chest acne, pimples on back, neck and shoulders. People suffer from facial acne due to its increased exposure to pollution and other outer acne-inducing factors. However, people’s bodies may also become prone to acne when the internal factors like hormonal change, genes, and medication are accompanied by perspiration trapped by synthetic clothing. The best way to avoid this condition is to wear natural breathable fabrics, like cotton, in order to induce evaporation of sweat.

Another effective control measure against pimples on chest, shoulders, back and collar areas is the ClearPores Acne Cleansing System. This is a safe and popular acne fighting solution, containing an excellent combination of high quality natural ingredients and free of harsh chemicalsis, such as benzoyl peroxide that may cause skin redness and irritation. According to the pharmacy magazines and medical professionals ClearPores is one of the best acne elimination and prevention systems on the market today.

Doctors may use other types of procedures in addition to drug therapy to treat patients with acne. For example, the doctor may remove the patient’s comedones during office visits. Sometimes the doctor will inject corticosteroids directly into lesions to help reduce the size and pain of inflamed cysts and nodules. Early treatment is the best way to prevent acne scars. Once scarring has occurred, the doctor may suggest a medical or surgical procedure to help reduce the scars. A superficial laser may be used to treat irregular scars. Dermabrasion (or microdermabrasion), which is a form of “sanding down” scars, is sometimes used. Another treatment option for deep scars caused by cystic acne is the transfer of fat from another part of the body to the scar. A doctor may also inject a synthetic filling material under the scar to improve its appearance.

How Should People With Acne Care for Their Skin?

Clean Skin Gently

If you have acne, you should gently wash your face with a mild cleanser, once in the morning and once in the evening, as well as after heavy exercise. Wash your face from under the jaw to the hairline and be sure to thoroughly rinse your skin. Ask your doctor or another health professional for advice on the best type of cleanser to use.

Using strong soaps or rough scrub pads is not helpful and can actually make the problem worse. Astringents are not recommended unless the skin is very oily, and then they should be used only on oily spots. It is also important to shampoo your hair regularly. If you have oily hair, you may want to wash it every day.

Avoid Frequent Handling of the Skin

Avoid rubbing and touching skin lesions. Squeezing, pinching or picking blemishes can lead to the development of scars or dark blotches.

Shave Carefully

Men who shave and who have acne should test both electric and safety razors to see which is more comfortable. When using a safety razor, make sure the blade is sharp and soften your beard thoroughly with soap and water before applying shaving cream. Shave gently and only when necessary to reduce the risk of nicking blemishes.

Avoid a Sunburn or Suntan

Many of the medicines used to treat acne can make you more prone to sunburn. A sunburn that reddens the skin or suntan that darkens the skin may make blemishes less visible and make the skin feel drier. However, these benefits are only temporary, and there are known risks of excessive sun exposure, such as more rapid skin aging and a risk of developing skin cancer.

Choose Cosmetics Carefully

While undergoing acne treatment, you may need to change some of the cosmetics you use. All cosmetics, such as foundation, blush, eye shadow, moisturizers, and hair-care products should be oil free. Choose products labeled noncomedogenic (meaning they don’t promote the formation of closed pores). In some people, however, even these products may make acne worse. For the first few weeks of treatment, applying foundation evenly may be difficult because the skin may be red or scaly, particularly with the use of topical tretinoin or benzoyl peroxide.

To choose the best acne treatment is a tricky task because not all acne is the same.  There are a number of different types of acne, and there is no common treatment that is equally effective for each.  Nor are there treatments that work with each form of acne in the same way, since the treatment depends a great deal on the severity of the condition.

One of the more effective acne treatments is benzoyl peroxide, which is the active ingredient behind many different topical treatments such as Clearasil Max and ProActive. However, you have to be careful with benzoyl peroxide on your face because it could cause irritation of your skin.  It is better used on thicker skin, and is therefore widely used for treating back acne. It not only possesses antibacterial properties but also promotes the flaking of dead surface skin cells.

One of the problems with acne is that a treatment that one person finds effective might not be so for another. Each person has to find an acne treatment that is most effective for their own condition. Some of the milder forms of acne can be treated simply with a mild facial cleanser.  If you follow this up with a commercial antibacterial acne treatment, then you will have as good a chance as any of controlling your condition or even of curing it. 

If your acne is deeper and more persistent, a treatment needs to be designed to effectively reduce the production of sebum.  This is the oil that is believed to be responsible for most acne conditions.  This treatment approach would be an effective way of preventing the acne from getting worse and possibly even stopping it altogether.  One prescription for achieving this is called isotretinoin (e.g. Accutane), a Vitamin A based treatment. It will only be prescribed by a doctor if the acne is severe and persistent, and is not suitable for anybody with liver problems.

With regard to topical acne creams, Vitamin A (retinol) can be effective, although a proportion of the population contract dry and flaking skin when they use it. In fact that is how it works:  by promoting flaking off of the top skin cell. It is basically a topical form of the oral isotretinoin, but not as strong. It is not the perfect treatment, and like most acne treatments, it will suit some more than others.

Antibiotic treatments can be effective, particularly when used in conjunction with skin-shedding applications such as benzoyl peroxide or retinol. However, most topical treatments will show few benefits for at least six months.  So you are looking at long-term treatments rather than the quick fix. In fact there really are no quick fixes for acne, although laser treatment can produce rapid results in serious cases.

Oral contraceptives have been found to work for women with acne.  A combination of the testosterone suppressant, cyproterone acetate and the hormone ethinylestradiol (eg. Dianette) have been found to be an effective treatment. It works by suppressing the male hormones (that all women have) and with it, the production of sebum.

There is really no such thing as the best acne treatment because each works differently with different people.  This simply indicates the difficulty in understanding the true causes and nature of the condition.  The way for you to find the best acne treatment is start off with the milder treatments and work up.  Thus, antibacterial soaps and body scrubs should be followed with topical over the counter acne creams.  If these don’t work, then your physician might suggest a prescription treatment, and eventually, with a bit of persistence on your part, you will come across an acne treatment that suits you. The best acne treatment for an individual is the one that works.