Acne Self Help in Walsall - spot the difference
Acne; let's play spot the difference
No-one should have to just put up with having a spotty uneven complexion, it can damage self esteem and confidence and in extreme cases lead to more serious conditions leaving scaring and long term problems. For some it's a right of passage during the teenage years, but for many others it lasts well beyond the 21st birthday, can be an ongoing lifelong problem. Also believe it or not, people can develop Acne in old age, Geriatric Acne is a not uncommon but often under diagnosed skin complaint for the elderly.
Acne is not as many believe caused by diet, so don't give up chocolate as this genuinely doesn't cause spots. what does cause acne is the male hormone testosterone causing the
Sebaceous glands to produce more oil, the pores may become blocked leading to black heads white heads etc, and some of these blocked pores then become infected leading to swollen red areas on the skin. acne is most common on the face neck and back, but may also affect the chest and other areas.
There are many treatments for acne and we would always suggest you discuss treatment with your GP as sometimes it is a symptom of an underlying medical condition such as polycyclic ovary syndrome. there is lots you can do to help yourself and enlisting the help of a beauty therapist is a really good option, you can get help for this problem and the earlier you start the better in terms of reducing long team scaring.
Things to avoid. don't pick at your spots, as this will lead to scaring by causing a small rupture in the skin which will leave a sort of dent in the skin surface and uneven skin in latter life which is much more difficult to conceal. An unpicked spot is likely to leave a small discoloured area which is muck easier to conceal with makeup or smooth out later with skin treatments than a pit mark or deep scar.
Also avoid or deal with stress, as the hormonal changes brought about by stress, do seem to make acne worse and because it lowers the immune system, it makes skin infection much more likely. drink plenty of water and eat a healthy diet (poor diet doesn't cause acne but extends healing time so a healthy vitamin rich diet can help your skin recover from spots.
Avoid heavy clogging makeup, choosing instead light oil free non comedogenic mineral based makeup and get good at applying a concealer. A good makeup artist can teach you how and you really can cover up most blemishes effectively.
Try natural therapies such as a natural facial using Eve Taylor or similar products that will clean the skin without irritating it. The aim here would be to reduce the clogging god pores, and reduce the bacterial load on the skin, to enable the skin to breast and heal naturally. a facial once per month for routine maintenance and more often during a flare up can be very helpful.
At Walsall MindandBody we use Tincture of Thyme and Thyme oil, along with tea tree and lavender all of which are scientifically proven to be gently effective in treating acne. In fact a recent study at Leeds Metropolitan University found Tincture of Thyme used carefully was more effective than the medical options for treating the bacteria that cause spots. vitamin A is also very effective and promotes healing in a natural way.
The benefit of this approach over other options is that natural products don't contain the irritants and other ingredients that may damage the skin while trying to help it, so they are working with nature rather than against it.
To book a free skin consultation or make an appointment for a facial please ring 01922 649142
