Skin Zen

Acne Scar Home Remedies

irreedy — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 19:35:51 +0000

You have probably heard of several acne scar home remedies. Sure, there are stories of them all over the internet. But the question is, are they just stories, or do they actually work?

If you have finally overcome your insomnia, but now want to resolve the leftover scarring then you might want to have a look at acne scar home remedies to get rid of those scars.

There are lots of commercially available solutions. These tend to be pretty harsh on your skin though. If you choose chemical peels, you will be chemically removing a layer of your skin. If well done and if your skin is not too sensitive, a chemical peel can give lasting benefits. But for some people, something goes wrong and they are left with worse scarring than before.

Another option is laser resurfacing. This uses light to remove or blur the signs of acne scars. This will make them less noticeable. This is an expensive and a successful way to minimize scarring.

Home remedies are more effective on relatively light scarring. Natural remedies rely on the body’s own healing process to heal the scars. The actual remedies that we use are therefore intended to help the body to get back to its normal condition in which it can heal itself.

This is a gentler and often slower way of removing scars but it can be more effective in the long term. It involves considering how you will look and feel in 20 or 30 years time, not only right now.

Many natural remedies for acne scars rely on food products. The nutrients that they contain can nourish the skin and help it to regain its natural beauty. In this respect you can either take the nutrients internally or externally, or both.

Taking a long hard look at your diet is one of the best things that you can do for your skin. Cut out refined sugar. Do not cook with oil or eat fried foods, because cooked oils contain free radicals that will suck up all the good antioxidants you are taking in, and stop them getting to your skin.

Add into your diet all foods that are high in antioxidants. These include raw vegetables, salad and fresh fruits. Try eating ‘all raw’ for breakfast and lunch – for example, a big fruit smoothie for breakfast, fresh fruit for snacks, and a big salad with nuts and avocado for lunch. Do this for 6 months and you should see an improvement in your skin.

You can also use face packs made with sliced or blended vegetables that are high in antioxidants. Tomatoes and cucumber are a good combination. Cucumber is well known as a skin remedy as it tightens and tones the pores. Tomatoes have a very high antioxidant component. However, do not use tomato on your skin if you are allergic to it.

Fresh aloe vera juice can be a very effective way to treat acne scars. Aloe vera is a succulent plant that you can keep in a pot indoors. You will need a leaf about 2 inches wide. Remove it from the plant and peel it. Put the flesh in a blender and puree it. Then apply it as a face pack twice a day for at least 5 minutes each time. The puree will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, but take it out an hour before using it to let it revive to room temperature. This is great for scars and also for healing and preventing pimples.

Tea tree oil is an antibacterial that can help prevent scarring and clean the skin to give it the best chance of healing scars that are already present. Use this in addition to other acne scar home remedies.

How To Get Rid Of Blackheads On Your Nose

irreedy — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:13:39 +0000

Blackheads on your nose can be a major annoyance. Blackheads seem to never go away, and can lead to pores becoming permanently enlarged and will get worse as you get older. Can anything be done about blackheads on your nose?

Blackheads are caused by overproduction of oils (sebum and keratin) by the sebaceous glands in the skin. These substances solidify and darken on contact with air, blocking the pore and creating a plug that can be hard to remove.

People often think that the black color at the surface is dirt, but it is not. It is caused by oxidation. You cannot wash it away with soap. However, there are other treatments that you can try.

First, you can buy preparations from the drugstore that claim to get rid of blackheads. These vary in their active ingredients and how they work. Some dry out the skin, which can look alright in the short term but only leads to more oil production.

Other products contain salicylic acid which is believed to dissolve keratin. In fact, aspirin is mostly salicylic acid so if you are not allergic to aspirin you can make a home blackhead removal face mask by making a paste from a soluble aspirin tablet and a few drops of water. Mix with honey to help adhesion if you wish. Apply to the affected area and leave for 15-20 minutes before rinsing off with water. Then moisturize, otherwise the skin can become too dry.

Most people can use the aspirin face mask a couple of times per week, but test on a very small area first to make sure that your skin can take it. In most cases any redness associated with acne will improve after using this mask, so if your redness is worse after the aspirin, this is a sign that salicylic acid is too harsh for your skin and you should not use it.

Do not use any other type of painkiller, only 100% pure soluble aspirin.

Some people prefer to physically remove the blackhead. If you want to do this, please do it gently. The best way is to give the face a steam bath to open the pores, then take a tissue and use your fingers (not your nails) to press against the sides of the blackhead. Be sure to close the pores again afterward either with an astringent wash or cold water.

Another method is to use a blackhead removal strip which adheres to the blackheads and pulls them out. These seem to work for some people and not others, depending on the texture and oiliness of your skin generally.

We are all unique, so always consult a health professional or dermatologist before trying any treatments for acne and nose blackheads.

Steam As An Acne Treatment

Can Dairy Products Cause Acne?

irreedy — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:55:46 +0000

Acne Vulgaris: Is There A Dairy Connection?

Is it really possible that milk, the highly touted super-drink, can be the cause of your acne? Believe it or not, the answer may be yet.

Around 80% of American teenagers have acne, while in countries on traditional diets that do not include dairy products there are virtually zero cases of acne. However, as soon as a culture becomes westernized and starts including milk and cheese in the diet, acne appears. Japan is an example of this.

Of course there may be other factors at work, but there are two reasons why milk and other dairy products may contribute to acne.

First, many people do not digest milk products well and their bodies react by dumping many of the elements that they cannot digest through the lungs in the form of mucus and the skin in the form of acne vulgaris.

Second, even in people who can digest milk just fine, there may be a reaction to the hormones that are believed to be in milk. The main cause of teenage acne is said to be hormone imbalance, and milk these days probably contains a lot more hormones than it did 50 or 100 years ago. Here’s why.

Any female human or animal that is pregnant naturally has more of certain hormones in her body. In the wild, this doesn’t matter because milk is not used until after the baby/calf is born, when the excessive hormones are no longer there. But in present-day commercial milk production cows are kept pregnant almost constantly, to make them produce more milk. Because of this, the excessive female hormones are believed to get into the milk that we drink, probably contributing to acne and possibly other problems such as obesity, breast tissue forming on men, and even breast cancer in older women.

So if you have acne, consider staying off dairy products completely for 2 weeks. This takes some planning because dairy products can be hard to avoid. You will have to check the ingredients in every food or drink that goes in your mouth. Milk powder can appear in places you would never expect it.

If you are a teenager and your mother says that you need milk, explain that this is just a 2-week test, and why you are doing it. She was young once and she probably understands more than you think! Tell her that you can still have eggs, and you can take a calcium supplement, but for these 2 weeks you will have no milk, butter, yogurt, cheese or anything containing them.

During these 2 weeks be prepared for your acne to get a little worse before it begins to get better. You may be detoxing for the first 3-7 days. You may also develop a cough or cold symptoms.

After 2 weeks, has your skin improved? Very likely the answer will be yes.

Now you can informally test your dairy tolerance by drinking a glass of milk or eating a normal portion of cheese. If you are dairy intolerant you may have an immediate reaction such as blocked or runny nose, or a headache soon after. You may have diarrhoea or a very loose BM the next day. Or you may have no immediate symptoms but if you go back to eating dairy regularly your skin may break out worse than ever. If as a result of this informal test you believe that you may be milk intolerant, have your results checked by taking a food sensitivity test with a nutritionist.

If you had a reaction, stay off dairy for another 5 days and then test yogurt. Some people can digest yogurt but not other milk products.

If there was no reaction, you are probably not sensitive to milk. You may still want to cut down your consumption to avoid the hormones that it is believed to contain, but don’t stress out about little bits of milk or cheese in foods that you eat.

Be sure to get enough calcium through other food sources or supplementation, and consult a doctor or dermatologist about treatment for severe acne vulgaris.

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Early Symptoms of Genital Warts

irreedy — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:50:12 +0000

One of the unfortunate facts about genital warts is that there are no early warning signs that are easily detected by someone who has contracted them.

Treatment may not be permanent as warts are from a virus under the skin, and even with a vaccine to immunize people does not cover the whole spectrum of viruses that cause all warts.

You won’t ever find any painful symptoms for genital warts either, because there are none, but if you suspect any, feel free to have yourself checked out at your gynaecologist. If you are sexually active and or over the age of eighteen you should still go annually for a pap smear.

The only genital wart early symptoms that you will be having are embarrassment, or fear and concern of the situation getting worse at this point in time. Besides that you won’t have an itch, or anything that your mind can conjure up if you have no information on hand to put your mind at ease. Yes, they may spread if they are not seen to as soon as possible, and if you are intending to still have sex a condom does not offer one hundred percent safety in passing on the STD that it is classified as.

What It Is!

The HPV or the Human Papilloma Virus is just one of the few STD’s that can be treated, but cannot be cured one hundred percent either with medication, burning off with ice or with laser treatment to reduce any other genital wart early symptoms.

Contracting The Virus

To eliminate any genital wart early symptoms, you would have to just abstain from any sexual contact be it in oral, anal or vaginal form. And if you find that your partner has warts too, it is important that both of you get treated, as there is no genital wart early symptoms that you would know that you have contracted the virus.

Signs And Symptoms Of Genital Warts

Home Treatments For Genital Warts

irreedy — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:43:34 +0000

Are concerned that the only treatment options available for genital warts are painful and only available at your doctors office? Fortunately there are treatments you can try from your own home.

Common Treatments

The usual treatments for genital warts include everything from injections to creams to surgery. People wanting to use home treatment for genital warts usually want to avoid those more extreme methods. For instance, if warts are small enough they can be frozen off.

There is a lotion that can be used for genital warts home treatment called podofilox. This gel is meant to be applied twice a day for three days. The next four days you do not apply it. This cycle is then repeated for the next four weeks. This is a popular genital warts home treatment because it has very few side effects and is easy to do at home. There are also other types of creams that are great for home treatment of genital warts. Imiquimod cream, for instance, is effective when applied to the infected area. However, if you are pregnant, these types of creams should not be used without consulting a doctor because they can cause birth defects in fetuses.

There are home treatments for genital warts that don’t involve medical creams as well. One of these methods is taking a hip bath, where only the hips and buttocks are immersed in water, is popular. Applying vitamin-E oil to the affected area also helps, as does applying aloe as long as it’s in cram form. If you do decide to go with a home treatment for genital warts make sure you read and follow all the directions given. You don’t want to risk injury or irritation to your genital area.

Unfortunately, whether you try home treatments for genital warts or go with something prescribed by a doctor, there is always a risk the warts will come back. The reason? Genital warts are caused by the human papillomavirus, also known as HPV, and there is no way to get rid of HPV. Home treatments for genital warts can get rid of the warts themselves and while they will come back, getting rid of them for even a short while can be a big relief.

Treatment For Genital Warts

Steam As An Acne Treatment

irreedy — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:52:47 +0000

Steam is one of the easiest natural treatments you can use to treat acne. How does steam actually treat acne, and will it work for you? Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of treating your acne with steam treatment.

There are two ways to take a steam bath for your acne. One is to use a sauna or steam room. The other, for facial acne only, is to steam at home. Let’s take the second one first.

Steam At Home Acne Treatment

This is a very simple treatment where you take a bowl of hot water and a sheet or large cloth. Never use plastic – this is very important – you could suffocate if you put plastic over your head. Only use fabric that you can breathe through.

Fill the bowl with hot water and put your head over it, facing the water. Put the cloth over your head to hold in the steam.

Don’t have the water too hot. This means do not use boiling water from the kettle. Only use hot water from the tap.

You can stay for about 10 minutes (but just 5 minutes the first time to check for any adverse reaction). Then wipe your face with an astringent such as witch hazel or apple cider vinegar to clean off any oils that have been drawn out of the pores by the steam and close the pores. Test for any allergy to these products by applying them to a small area first. Cold water can also act as an astringent.

Steam Room Acne Treatment

If you want a more controlled way of treating acne with steam, you can either take a sauna that will treat the whole body, or you can take a facial steam treatment from a specialist.

If you like to use a sauna, be sure to wash or rinse away all the impurities from the skin and then close the pores with cold water.

Professional treatments are available from some dermatologists, beauty parlors or commercial saunas. These will have you lie on your back with the eyes and hair protected, and steam will be directed at your face. The advantage of this is that the temperature is controlled at the best level for acne.

The professional steam session will usually be followed by cleansing and perhaps a face mask whose properties will be selected to suit your skin type.

How Does It Work?

Steam treatment can help cases of acne in two ways:

First, it opens the pores and hair follicles and causes sweating that can wash away any dirt and bacteria in the pores.

Second, it stimulates blood circulation to the skin. This brings oxygen and nutrients to the skin which helps it to resist infection.

Are There Any Bad Effects?

A few people with very sensitive skin may find they have a bad reaction to the steam, especially if it is too hot. In a very small number of cases it can even aggravate the acne. Consult a dermatologist to check if steam is recommended for your own acne.

It is normal for the skin to be red straight after. The redness should disappear within about a half hour, but this can vary from person to person. So do not plan any social events immediately after your steam for acne treatment.

How To Get Rid Of Blackheads On Your Nose

Cystic Acne – Treatments For Cycstic Acne

irreedy — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:49:29 +0000

Without a doubt, cystic acne is the most painful, disfiguring form of acne you can be inflicted with. Also known as nodulocystic acne, it creates cyst-like lumps under the skin that are in fact inflamed nodules. These are bigger than the small whiteheads or pimples of other varieties of acne vulgaris (common acne) although like those pimples, they usually contain white pus.

Cystic acne is rarer than other types of acne, but still it is fairly common.

Contrary to popular belief, acne is not caused by a lack of personal hygiene. The direct cause is an excess of sebum or oily fluid in the pores of the face, neck, chest, or back. The sebum blocks the pores which then become inflamed or infected.

Acne usually begins at puberty. It is believed that hormonal changes or imbalances in adolescents are the reason why there is an excess of sebum in the first place.

Even though hygiene issues are not the cause, if you have acne it is important to keep the area clean and try not to touch the pimples, to prevent the infection spreading.

Probably the worst feature of cystic acne is the scarring that it leaves behind. If a nodule or cyst is not treated immediately with medication it can leave a scar that in some cases will be permanent. In other cases it leaves a ‘macular scar’ which is not a true scar but an area of redness that will slowly fade within about 6 months.

It is better not to try to pop the pimples of cystic acne, especially when they are deep. You will often fail to extract the pus, making the cyst look worse and probably creating a bigger scar.

There are some medications that can have a remarkable effect on cystic acne in up to 90% of cases. The main one is Isotretinoin. This is a product that is derived from vitamin A. It is marketed under various brand names – one of the most common in the US is Accutane, but there are many other names for it.

You can also get an Isotretinoin product that is not taken internally but is used as a topical cream applied directly to the cysts. Brand names for this include Isotrex and Isotrexin.

These products can act very fast to clear up cysts and prevent scarring if taken quickly enough. However, always take medical advice before beginning to take a product like Isotretinoin. It is not safe for everyone, e.g. pregnant women should not take it. Consult with your dermatologist or doctor to find the best product for your acne.

Vitamin A is found in many fresh raw fruits and vegetables including most of the ones that are colored red, orange and yellow – for example, carrots. Increasing these in the diet may help to prevent future breakouts. Be careful if considering supplementing with vitamin A for cystic acne, however. It is possible to overdose with this vitamin.

Acne Scar Home Remedies

Genital Warts: Uncomfortable, Embarrassing, Treatable, Removable

irreedy — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:02:31 +0000

Although most people would prefer to avoid the topic of genital warts, there are many who suffer from them. This highly contagious and uncomfortable condition can be treated with genital wart cream. Both prescription and over the counter solutions exist. Aldara is a highly recommended genital wart cream. Other treatments exist as well, some of which are on the painful and intensive side.

Aldara is a topically applied genital wart cream that is unique in attacking genital warts. This genital wart cream works by using your body’s own immune system. Aldara activates immune cells in the area where it is applied and your immune system begins attacking the genital warts.

How Do You Get Genital Warts?

Genital warts are caused by the Human Papilloma Virus or HPV. People who have HPV can transmit the disease even if they do not have visible signs. It can take day, weeks, months for signs to appear if you have contracted genital warts. Screen your sexual partners. Get tested for STD’s often if you are sexually active. Use condoms, and if you think you may have genital warts, ask your doctor for a genital wart cream.

There are other treatments besides Aldara that have been and still are used. Another genital wart cream is Condylox. Condylox is useful for prevention and is reasonably high in its rate of successful cures. Another genital wart cream that is commonly used is trichloroacetic acid. This Trichloroacetic acid has the potential of causing burning and pain and tends to have recurrences after treatment.

Treatment is necessary to control genital warts. Treatments available include genital wart cream, cryotherapy, and laser treatment. It is rare for symptoms to subside without treatment. Regardless of treatment options, you should seek the advice of a medical professional. It is no longer necessary to suffer with genital warts and carry the burden of passing the condition. Aldara genital wart cream and others are breaking new ground and keep hopes of cures up.

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Cure Options Available for Genital Warts

irreedy — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:01:23 +0000

One of the most common STDs, genital warts are caused by HPV, human papillomavirus. There are several hundred strains of HPV, 30 of which can result in genital warts.

There is no cure for genital warts, however treatment is available. These will allow you to get rid of the warts, however the virus will remain … at least until they find a cure for the disease.

Treatment Options

So when you are considering the treatment options for genital warts, the first that your doctor will probably start you on is the genital warts cream. You are able to take this cream home with you and will typically be told to apply it before going to bed, so that it has the longest to stay on the affected area without getting wiped off.

Now if you try these creams and find that they do not work, there are certainly other options. There is the cryotherapy, which is also very commonly used to treat genital warts and involves freezing of the warts for removal. This will have to take place in the doctor’s office or a clinic, and it can hurt a little bit but usually does not cause much pain.

You will need to work closely with your medical practitioner during your treatment of genital warts. They will assist you in finding the best treatment options available.

Treatment For Genital Warts

Dealing With the HPV Virus and Genital Warts

irreedy — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:59:59 +0000

HPV genital warts is one of the most common STDs. Many people contract HPG genital warts and are unaware they are carrying the virus. This leads to inadvertently spreading genital warts to others. By the time they become aware they are carrying, it is too late and they have spread HPV to others.

You know that HPV causes genital warts, but do you know how to deal with HPV virus genital warts if you develop them? Although there is no cure available for HPV at the moment, there are fortunately a few treatments that are available for the HPV virus genital warts.

Treatments

If you are interested in learning about treatments for HPV virus genital warts, Podophylloxtoxin is one of the first options that your doctor may suggest to you. This is a product that comes available as a liquid or cream, and the clinic that you get it from is going to show you how to use it so that you can take home and use it yourself.

There is another cream that is often used for HPV virus genital warts and which is known as Imiquimod. This cream is typically applied three times a week before you go to sleep, and this is so that the cream can remain on the skin for at least eight hours before being washed off in the morning.

There are also other more serious options that can be taken for the treatment of HPV virus genital warts, including cryotherapy. This can be done right in the doctor’s office, and involves the physician freezing the warts and treating the problem this way.

You are going to have to talk to your doctor to figure out which treatment is going to be right for you, and remember that some cases of genital warts are very difficult to treat and so you are going to want to stay positive about it all, even if you have to go through a bit of trial and error. You don’t have to let genital warts ruin your life, and you can get them treated successfully.

Prevention is the best option of all. Using protection will certainly reduce your chances of catching HPV genital warts. The only fool proof method of prevention is abstaining from sex.

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