Acne: Types, Causes and Cure

Almost every person has had some kind of acne trauma at some point in their lives. Whether it’s teenage acne or adult acne, it affects the self esteem. Remember when you thought you would never get a date for the school dance because your skin looked like the surface of the moon?

acne causes and cure

There’s no need to panic, we have doctors who charge goodly sums of money to solve your problems. But the first step to cure your acne is to understand what kind of acne you have and how you got it.

Causes of acne could vary from a hormonal problem to an infection or irritation of the skin.  Some blemishes even occur due to in growth of hair follicles. The most common types of acne are blackheads, whiteheads, papules, postules and cysts.

Blackheads are pores that have been partially blocked in which the dirt and bacteria have been allowed to rise to the surface. The black color is not due to the dirt but because of the melanin reacting with the oxygen in the air.  A good steam can normally cure these brats.

Handy tips to cure blackheads

proactiv acne ad
proactiv acne ad

* Make a mixture of ground nut oil with equivalent quantity of lime juice and apply it on the acne. This prevents the formation and development of blackheads.
* Apply any toothpaste on the area where the blackheads have developed and let it dry. Wash it off after drying.

Whiteheads are the nigglier versions of blackheads as they occur when the pores are completely blocked and appear as tiny bumps on the skin with a whitish appearance. These normally heal faster than the open pored blackheads.

Handy tips to cure whiteheads

* Mix one teaspoon of baking soda with water and massage till it reaches within the skin and rinse off.
* Steaming also helps in removing whiteheads.

Papules are red bumps with no head. These are normally a little painful to the touch and if picked at, result in facial scarring. So keep those fingers away from these ones!

Handy tips to cure papules

* Usually, salicylic and glycolic peels are recommended for papules treatment, but I would strictly advice you to consult your doctors, rather than trying home remedies which could cause irritation and inflammation.
* Tea tree oil can also help in getting rid of papules.

Pustules are papules, which are filled with pus, giving them a white or yellow centre. These ones are most tempting to pop, because nobody likes their ugly appearance and no amount of concealer covers their ugly head. Be careful when you do this though, as they say pimples heal best on their own… but if you really must then make sure you pop it with a disinfected needle before squeezing the pus out. If blood or clear fluid comes out … step away from the mirror and keep your hands up!

Handy tips to cure pustules

* Drinking Ginger juice is used for treating pustules.
* Have aloe vera face masks for getting rid of pustules.

Cysts are a more severe form of acne and are formed as large hard bumps under the surface of the skin. These are normally painful and could take up to months to heal. Whatever you do, DO NOT SQUEEZE THEM, as this can cause greater infection and pain making it last longer, not to mention the severe skin trauma. In this case, your best bet would be to try and get an emergency appointment with a dermatologist who can administer the right medication to control the swelling and scarring.

Handy tips to cure cysts:

* Controlling your diet, i.e not having fried and junk food helps in avoiding cysts.
* Having vitamin C rich food also helps in getting rid of cysts.

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32 thoughts on “Acne: Types, Causes and Cure

  1. Blackheads are the bane of my existence. All my zits are caused my the blackheads getting inflamed. I have come to terms with my skin and it’s disobedience, but blackheads are my enemy. They are so deep and determined to stay put. I don’t know what to do!!

  2. LOL I love that ad – its so horribly mean – but I have acne and I have a boyfriend so HA ! to the proactiv ad ! 😛 😛 😛 😛 😛 😛 😛 😛 😛 😛 😛

  3. I think now I can write a book on acne! They are more consistent in my life than anything else! I have a few spots on both the cheeks but NO MATTER WHAT I DO, they refuse to go..Name a cream or a kitchen recipe and I have tried it. Now honestly looking for a miracle to happen 🙂

    Please people suggest any miraculous product you know.

    thanks

  4. Swati have you tried Benzac AC ? Use this combined with Cetaphil cleanser ( so no soap or anything else) and a water based moisturiser – the treatment takes about ten weeks to show results but even then just the Benzac alone really works – if you wanna give it a try – Benzac is only available at a chemist or pharmacy though …..

  5. Actually..now I am moving from the “all natural ingredients” products to such things. I have tried himalyas acne cream and also biotique’s. Currently I am in the switching mode.I still use fabindias or Body shops tea tree face wash but now instead of any regular face mask. I am using asprin mask. (thanks to youtube) .If this shows any result in a weeks time then I have already decided to move to cetaphil facewash or any other chemical based cleanser. Can you just elaborate on whats Benzac AC and how it is used?

  6. http://www.benzac.com.au/

    I know this an australian website but I know the product is available in India ( in Mumbai at least). Its a gel contain Benzoyl Peroxide which basically works to reduce the bacteria on your skin and therefore reducing the chances of you getting any pimples. Just read the about Benzac section on the website – it should give you a good idea as to how it works.

    About a year ago – I stopped using all products on my face – because they would dry my skin out and they werent helping. I started using only coconut oil as a moisturiser at night (which really helped with the scars) and only cetaphil as a facewash. This definitely improved my skin from what it was. Now am using Benzac but because its really im still using coconut oil at night to keep my face my drying out completely.

    But since you are in India – go to a dermatologist – truly, its the best thing you can do for your skin. They can figure out the cause of the pimples and then help you treat it. I know in India we feel ki pimples are a natural part of life – but at the of the day acne is a medical condition and if you really want to treat it right – the best place to begin is by visiting your dermatologist.

    Not a lot of people are aware that sever cases of acne can be stopped with antibiotics or even roaccutane (all of which need to be prescribed by a dermatologist). In fact I really wish that when I first started breaking out my mommy had taken me to a doc instead of saying – you will grow out of it – because some people do and some people like me are doomed with adult acne 🙁

  7. oh and did you know that while there is no significant research linking diet to the causation of acne – drinking a lot of milk can exacerbate existing acne ?

  8. thanks for this info…I am planning to visit a dermatologist soon.. because i have never got a pimple in my life and now suddenly i have so many.. but anyways thanks a lot for all the above info.. 🙂

  9. hai..every1 :snicker:
    i hav pimples..and i’ve dis habit of prickling ’em and so i’ve got a lot of scars…plz help me…any home remedies to remove dose pimple marks..

  10. Never pricked your zits nor take any unsure medication for it might be the key to a more complicated skin problem. You should not also implements a self estimated medication to avoid problem. And don’t ever forget to consult the expert so that you won’t be misinform.

  11. Perhaps one of the best home remedies for acne is the application of pure sandalwood paste on the skin.
    If chemically formulated products may do harm on your skin, why not try natural and herbal acne treatments that is effective in
    getting rid of your pimple. The soothing effect
    helps ease the irritation and the acne is cleared away without leaving any trace.

  12. Regular acne is one of the easiest things to treat! And not all dermatologists charge godly amounts of money so go and consult rather than wasting time discussing. I myself am a dermatologist treating patients for almost no consultation charge!

  13. I hv acne scars which are reddish brown on both of my cheeks nd some on forehead…! How to get rid of these scars?? Also I hv tried natural remedies nd medicines suggested by skin doctor…it only affected the acne but not scars 🙁

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