Oily/Acne Skin 

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Oily skin can be a challenge, this conditions is caused by overactive sebaceous  glands that are  affected  by a variety of  stimuli such as hormones, humidity, heat and even stimulation by aggressive scrubbing or over-washing. Oily skin produces excessive amounts of sebum (oil) a lipid-rich protective substance. Oily skin is a common cosmetic problem that occurs when  oversized sebaceous glands produce excessive amounts of sebum  giving  the  appearance of  shiny and greasy skin. People with oily skin might exhibit shiny skin that also has enlarged pores. Oily skin is also more  prone to  blackheads, blemishe s and acne, as well as occasional tightness, feel of  dryness or flakiness. Oiliness can change, depending upon the time of year or the weather, and hot humid climates. 

 

Oily skin can be caused or worsened by:

* Excess sebum of oil gland production (influenced by hormones). 

* Skin cells that shed become abnormally sticky and accumulate, or clog up, in the hair follicle (influenced by hormones). 

* Increased number of the acne-causing bacterium Propionbacterium acnes, or P. acnes. 

* Skin inflammation. 

* Stress 

* Exposure to heat or too much humidity

 

Oily skin routines 

Wash your skin twice a day with a cleanser containing AHA/BHA that reduces sebum production. 

If you skin is mild to extremely oily,  you can follow with AHA/BHA toner.

Avoid alcohol-based cleansers and toners due to the drying effect of alcohol. 

Avoid any kind of scrub; (avoid cleansers or other skin care products with scrubbing particles or a gritty texture,

as they can irritate the skin). 

 

A general term of Acne

Acne is a condition that most people have experienced at some point in their lives. Whether, as a teenager, adult or both, those who’ve been unfortunate enough to cross its path know what an  incredibly  frustrating  condition  it can be. Acne  is a common skin disease characterized by pimples on the face, chest, and back. It occurs when the pores of the skin become clogged with oil, dead skin cells, and bacteria. A  chronic  disorder of  the  hair follicles and sebaceous glands characterized by pimple outbreaks, cysts,  infected  abscesses, and  sometimes  scarring. Characteristic  lesions  include open (blackhead) and closed (whitehead) comedones, inflammatory papules, pustules, and nodules. It seems to result from a combination of factors, such as thickening of the follicular opening, increased sebum production, the presence of bacteria, and the host's inflammatory response.

 

Acne is formed by a collection of sebum (oil), bacteria and dead cells trapped in the lining of the hair follicle (skin pore), which causes inflammatory condition of the sebaceous glands and hair follicles. Acne is not purely a teenage predicament, 20-40% of the adults do encounter problems with acne. The lesions are usually found on the skin of the face, neck, chest, and shoulders. Nearly six out of ten young people between the ages of twelve and twenty-eight suffer from some degree of acne. The disease causes a great deal of embarrassment at an age when people tend to be sensitive

about their personal appearance.

 

Understanding Sebaceous gland 

A strong increase in sebum excretion occurs a few hours after birth; this peaks during the first week and slowly subsides thereafter. A new rise takes place at about age 9 years with adrenarche and continues up to age 17 years, when the adult level is reached. Sebaceous lipids (oil) are responsible for the three-dimensional skin surface lipid organization; Contributing to the integrity of the skin barrier. They also exhibit strong innate antimicrobial activity, transport antioxidants to the skin surface, and express pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory properties. 

 

Hormones and Acne

There are various factors that cause  acne, and the most common is hormones. The “hormone androgen“, is  generally responsible for over-activity in the sebaceous gland which results in the oily, and shiny skin.  The bacteria  Propioni-bacterium acnes occurs naturally in healthy hair follicles. If too many of them accumulate in plugged follicles, they may secrete enzymes that break down sebum and cause inflammation. Some people are simply more sensitive than others to

this reaction.

 

Sebum  levels  that might cause a pimple or two in one person may result in widespread outbreaks -- or even acute cystic acne -- in another person. Sometimes, this clogging causes the follicle wall to break under the pressure of this buildup. When this happens, sebum leaks into nearby tissues and forms a pustule or a papule -- this is called inflammatory acne. Larger, tender pustules are called nodules. Personal stress levels is one of the other most important factor that is overlooked by many. The majority of women with acne have normal androgen levels, but hormonal testing is recommended for females who have acne accompanied by excess facial or body hair, deepening voice, or irregular or infrequent menstrual periods.

 

Common acne in teenagers starts with an increase in hormone production. During puberty, both boys and girls produce high levels of androgens, the male sex hormones that include testosterone. Testosterone signals the body to make more sebum, the oil produced in the skin's oil glands. The more oil produced inside the pores, the more likely the pores will become clogged and rupture. For girls: Not completely removing their makeup at night will definitely make matters worse.

 

Understanding Acne Types

This information provides a basic idea of where your acne falls on this scale, because it will give you a good idea on where to start with your treatment. There are many different types of acne blemishes, but three main types as mild, moderate, or severe of inflamed acne blemishes are the most common. In general all of the three types begin as a

blockage of oil and dead skin cells within the hair follicle. When bacteria infect a comedone, inflammation occurs. Inflammation is characterized by redness, swelling and pain. 

 

Mild Acne: Mild acne is the most minor form of acne. Mild noninflammatory acne consists of the two types of comedones, whiteheads and blackheads. Not all people with mild acne get those "typical" pimples either. Some people are surprised

to learn that the bumpiness they have on their face or back is actually a mild form of acne. Mild acne can occur across all ages, in all skin types and ethnicity. Almost every teen has acne; people in their twenties, thirties as well as many adults

are shocked to learn that the acne they thought they outgrew... it's back. Yes, mild acne is common in adults as well. 

 

Sometimes you might have acne-like conditions like Acne aestivalis (also known as Mallorca acne) is a special form of Polymorphous light eruption occurs most often during spring and early summer when a person's exposure to sunlight increases, people who have developed a sensitivity to sunlight (photo-sensitivity), experience red rash, tiny bumps or slightly raised patches of skin Keratosis Pilaris (Chicken Skin), Folliculitis (infected hair follicles (ingrown hair), Miliaria Rubra (Heat rash) and Milia (a sharp grainy white-heads) milia are not red or inflamed.

 

It's always best to treat acne at this stage, when it is mild. Too  often, people  take  the "wait  and see" approach-waiting

to see if acne will just go away on its own. Unfortunately, it usually doesn't. Very often the acne gets worse, and progresses to a more severe case. No matter what your age, you'll want to start treating acne right away, when it's still mild. You'll get better results, much more quickly.

 

Moderate Acne: (Acne vulgaris/common Acne)

The medical term for common acne, which is characterized by the presence of one or more of the following: blackheads, white- heads, papules and pustules. 

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Blackhead: result when a pore is only partially blocked, a non-inflammatory acne lesion that is filled with excess oil and dead skin cells. The color is the skin's own pigment, reacting with the oxygen in the air, and get oxidize. Blackheads are also called “open comedomes” because the surface of the skin remains open. A blackhead tends to be a stable structure, and happen to anyone, male or female, at any stage of life. If blackhead left untreated, they can permanently widen your pores or leave behind scars.

 

Whitehead: An acne lesion that forms when a pore (hair follicle) is completely blocked, trapping sebum (oil), bacteria, and dead skin cells, whitehead is called “closed comedome.” One of the cause of whitehead is food allergies; dairy products being the biggest culprit. When allergic to a certain food, the body may react to its presence as it would bacteria or virus; this may lead to skin inflammations that result in acne, stage make-up is the other cause.

 

Papule: An inflammatory comedo that resembles a small, inflamed, red, tender bumps with no head on the skin.  

Pustule: A pustule (zit) is inflamed comedo, a whitehead appears as a red circle with a white or yellow center. 

 

Severe Acne (Cystic Acne)

Severe acne such as Acne conglobata, Acne fulminans, Gram-negative folliculitis, nodulocystic acne (Cystic Acne) can affect many facts of a person’s life, causing a great deal of embarrassment, stress, can hurt the self-esteem, and may lead

to depression. Severe cystic acne may significantly limit one’s social life.

 

Nodulocystic acne: (Cystic Acne): is the most severe form of acne vulgaris. Deep, inflamed bumps (nodules) and large, pus-filled lesions that resemble boils (cysts), develop on the face and/or other areas of the body. The nodules tend to be tender when touched and feel firm. The severe inflammation can cause the acne to become very red or even purple. Cystic Acne can become large, and are the most serious kind of acne blemish. They feel like soft, fluid-filled lumps under the skin's surface.

 

Cystic acne can affect anyone, but it is more common in teenage boys and young men. Acne seems to run in families, if your parents had cystic acne, you are more likely to experience severe acne yourself.  Extreme overactive oil glands, excess dead skin cells within the hair follicle, and acne-causing Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes bacteria), triggers inflammation within the hair follicle, when the follicle wall ruptures, creating a cyst. Reducing the P. acnes population is an important step  in controlling acne. Cystic acne breakouts damage and destroy healthy skin tissue, greatly damage the skin, lead to scarring. Intensively treating this form of acne can help limit the severity tissue of scarring.

 

Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes): is largely part of the skin flora (microorganisms) present on most healthy adult human skin. It is usually just barely detectable on the skin of healthy pre-adolescents. When a pore is blocked, this bacterium overgrows and secretes chemicals that break down the wall of the pore and forming an acne lesion (foliculitis), possibly spilling bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus bacteria into the broken skin. Preliminary research shows healthy pores are only colonized by P.acnes (Propionibacterium acnes) while unhealthy ones universally include the non-pore-resident Staphylococcus epidermidis amongst other bacterial contaminants. Since this condition can be disfiguring and require years of treatment, it is very important to visit a dermatologist. 

 

Inflammatory: a word that means "causing inflammation." In acne, "inflammatory" is usually used to describe lesions that are inflamed by bacteria in clogged follicles.

Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation: excessive skin darkening at places where the skin was inflamed.

 

Milia: is a tiny spheroidal cyst (small white sharp bumps) lying superficially within the skin, usually of the face, containing keratin and often associated with eccrine sweat gland, a common skin condition that affects people of all ages. Milia are the result of skin that does not slough off normally, or some milia may occur after sunbathing, an injury or blistering of the skin and have appeared on people suffering from sun-damaged skin. Rosacea and facial dandruff (seborrheic dermatitis) are rashes that can cause milia to form. So are the rashes of allergic reactions and irritation from harsh products. Mineral

oil eye make-up remover pads and some eyelash growth accelerator products cause milia.  Milia are generally found around the eye on adults and children but can be found around the nose area on infants. Because the oil glands of infants are not fully developed, milia may form in the blocked pores. Milia in infants tends to correct itself, whereas milia in adults are long- lasting. Regular facial treatments and mild cosmetic peels often help.

 

There are two types of acne scars: 

Pitted and pigmented. Pitted scarring is a result of damage to underlying skin tissue.

Pigmented scars are red or brown marks left behind after an acne blemish has disappeared. Pigmented scarring is the most common and while it is not permanent, it can take weeks or months for it to clear. Often, the scar has not gone away

before a new set of blemishes arrive causing a perpetual cycle of disfigured skin that can leave many acne sufferers depressed about the condition of their skin. Some people may have found a treatment that keeps their blemishes under control - only to discover that the red or brown marks remain-preventing their skin from looking completely clear and acne-free.

 

Diet & Acne

Wrong eating habits, excessive consumption of starch, sugar, fried and fatty foods and chronic constipation is another cause of acne. If the bowels do not move properly, the waste matter is not eliminated as quickly as it should be and the bloodstream becomes surcharged with toxic matter.

 

How to treat acne

Acne treatment depends on whether you have a mild, moderate, or severe type of acne. Acne is a disorder of the skin caused by inflammation of the skin glands and hair follicles. Since it forms under the skin, only washing away surface oils does not do much to prevent or cure it. 

 

Adapt Your Facial Regimen

How oily your skin looks can vary season by season, week by week, even day by day. “Oil production is influenced  by hormones, by mood, even by the weather and your diet". Some people have problems with oily skin only in the summer, when they’re sweating, for example, but not in the winter. To keep your skin healthy and looking great, it’s important to be aware of how your skin varies so that you can adjust your regimen accordingly.

 

Professional Facial Treatment 

If your oil glands are active, your skin is more prone to clogging and breakouts. Regular facials will help balance the

skin’s oil production, minimizing acne breakouts and potential acne scarring. When skin is constantly congested and not “unclogged”with proper extraction, pores are filled with impurities, oil and dirt, causing them to stretch over time. The

longer they remain in this state, the harder it is to minimize their size. Regular facials control and minimize the pore size.

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Make Oily/Acne skin

Facial treatment should be a part of your skin care routine, remember you will get the best results if they are done regularly. A deep pore cleansing acne facial helps lymph vessels open and drain more efficiently to remove toxic waste from the

cells and promote a healthier looking skin. A deep pore Cleansing Acne Facial will help kill bacteria beneath the epidermis where your cleanser can't reach. Purifying facial refines the pores and lends the complexion a fresh and clear appearance.

 

Diet for oily-acne skin

Eating a healthy diet may help the appearance of your skin. Eat a diet rich in antioxidant foods like blueberries, spinach, carrots, and other fruits and vegetables to keep blood pH balanced. Include foods that contain Omega-3 fatty acids like salmon,tuna,mackerel, walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts to improve skin texture. Detox your body twice a year to clean your liver.