Acne is a skin disease that is caused by a type of bacteria called P.acnes. The oil that is produced by the glands in the skin attracts the dirt and hence provides a favorable environment for the bacteria to increase in number. This causes infection resulting in inflammation in the skin. Pimples are developed as a result and they look like small nodules on the surface of the skin. These pimples spoil the look of the person and also cause pain in some cases. Acne is commonly found in teenagers during the stages of their puberty. This type of acne will disappear naturally when the boy or the girl crosses the teenage. Acne is also found in adults of the age thirty and forty. For these people specific treatments have to be taken so that the complexion of the skin is maintained.

Various acne products are available in the market for curing acne. These medicines are either ointments that are applied externally or pills that are consumed internally. For teens these products are sufficient to cure their mild acne but they are not suitable for adults. Adult acne can be cured only with the help of dedicated treatment that involves various cosmetic therapies.

The actual cause for acne is still unknown while for teens acne is mainly caused by the hormonal changes in the body. The food habit also has a major influence in causing the disease. When people take items that contain more oil, the sebaceous glands are activated to produce more sebum. The excess secretion of sebum results in the formation of pimples causing acne. Acne will become severe if the symptoms appear on unhealthy skin. When dirt is allowed to settle down on the skin for a long time, it blocks the pores thus creating acne. It is always better to maintain a dirt free skin to prevent acne. Use of cosmetics is also a major reason for acne in adults. The creams that are used in the make up stick to the skin blocking the pores. As a result the dirt is clogged up in the pores and the bacteria multiply leading to acne.

While choosing acne products you must know the ingredients of the product. Generally creams, gels and ointments are used as products for treating acne. These creams reduce the secretion of sebum and fights against the bacteria to cure acne. Doctors suggest the use of creams containing benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid for treating pimples as they are very effective. You must read the labels before buying the product to know what is included in the creams. Many of these creams will claim to have 98% nutrients for the kin and these nutrients will be present only in the outer layer. Some manufacturers may call their product as a natural one but actually these will be made of extracts from natural substances. You have to be careful while choosing these natural products. You can choose a cream that contains organic products. Organic products are safe for the skin and organic creams contain 95% organic substances and 5% water.

The acne products that are effective with one person need not have the same effect with the other person. This is because each of us has a different skin type and different products have to be used accordingly. For some people use of wrong acne products created harmful effects. For oily skin types gels should be used. If you have a normal skin you can choose any product that is found to be effective.

A good acne product must reduce the itchiness after applying over the pimples. You must not get irritation in the skin when you apply the cream on your pimples. If you have a pain or irritation then you must understand that the product is not suitable for your skin. Persons with sensitive skin should not try our acne products on their own. The product you buy must be feasible in terms of cost and cure. However none of the acne products are found to have immediate results. You need to follow the treatment for about 8 months to cure acne completely. You should not find discoloration in your skin after using the acne product. When you choose the right product for your skin you can cure your acne. Otherwise you have to visit the doctor for some other skin problem.

Scratching the pimples for clearing them off is a very bad habit that will intensify the problem. Many teenagers do this and they are left with permanent scars of acne. The modern medicine has therapies that can remove the acne scares completely.

Various home remedies are available as acne products. Vegetables and fruits must be taken in large quantities to nourish the skin form inside. Sandalwood oil is an ancient treatment for acne that is found to be very effective. Rosewood seed oil and tea leaves are also effective to cure the itchiness in the skin due to acne. Natural products in the kitchen are found to be effective against the pimples. But if you have already developed whiteheads and blackheads you must go for the medicines to cure acne. These home remedies are good for mild acne problems but for severe acne a dermatologist will prescribe medicines.

When you have symptoms of mild acne you must start using the acne products. Ayurvedic products are also found to be very effective. If your acne forms pustules and nodes it will become difficult to cure them with acne products. You must go for intensive treatments for removing the pimples. To treat the irregularities caused by the removal, various treatments like laser treatments are available that will let you regain your original complexion. However of you start treating acne at the early stages you can escape from the scars, otherwise you will have to spend more for removal of the scars. Teenagers can use the acne products for treating acne since they will have only mild acne, but for adults intensive treatments are required.

One of the ways to combat acne is to gain every bit of knowledge about it, and this article is going to offer you all about the types of acne available ranging from the least worrying to the one that requires your immediate attention.

Let’s begin with the acne that needs the least attention.

Acne Vulgaris

Vulgaris means “common”, not “repulsive”. Thus the following states the acne mild enough for you to treat at home.

Whiteheads are also known as pimples, zits or spots. This is the classic image of acne, small round pus-and-oil filled globes sticking out on your forehead or anywhere else on the face. Your pores are clogged with bacteria from dead skin cells, dirt, oil, sweat, old makeup, and grease. You need not worry much about whiteheads, but you have to clean the affected area after it bursts.

Blackheads are what you get when your pores have only gotten partly clogged. Instead of a bright white pimple, you get a smaller, less noticeable blackhead. You can treat them with some products you can buy at the store but do not squeeze or pop them.

Baby acne only happens to newborn or young babies and is a common condition. It appears to be like a smaller version of adult whiteheads. One of the safest treatments you can treat baby acne, is ionic colloidal silver.

Medium Acne

Pustules, also more commonly known as “blind pimples” are one of the most aggravating types of acne. You can see and feel a pimple occurring on your skin. The skin becomes sore, raised to a 3 millimeter lump, and can be red or pale pink.

You may feel like popping them, but that might make things worse. You have to let them heal in their own time. If they pop, they are open for infection, so you have to apply antibacterial ointment on it.

Adult Acne

The most common belief is that only teenagers have acne but the thing is, acne can happen when you have reached full adulthood and it is normally brought about by stress and hormones at any age. It is mostly because stress hormones could cause existing comedones and impactions to break down, and then be inflamed which in turn develop to red nodules and postules.

Body Acne

Most people have outbreaks of acne on the face and are not aware of what body acne is and how it is different from the regular types of acne. Acne is considered as being body acne if it occurs on the back, chest, shoulders, and even the buttocks. The following are some details of body acne.

Back Acne

Back acne is no different from zits on the face, only they sometimes appear to be more cystic and vulgar.

Genital Acne

Genital acne is the same kind of acne you get on any other part of your body, only it grows on your genitals. This can be either annoying for some people or downright painful for others. They appear to be like whiteheads or blackheads on your genitals.

Severe Acne

These forms of acne need a doctor or dermatologist for proper treatment and care.

There are mainly four different types of severe acne, which are: acne conglobata, acne fulminans, gram negative folliculitis, and nodulocystic acne.

The first, acne conglobata, is a very rare, chronic and the most severe type of acne and it is characterized by the following conditions: deep abscesses, inflammation, severe damage to the skin, scarring and blackheads. It usually feels like you have boils all over you. It normally only hits males between the ages18-30 years old.

Acne fulminans is different from acne conglobata in that it is a sudden onset highly destructive inflammation. It is characterized by symptoms of severe and often ulcerating acne, fever, inflammation and aching of joints, especially in and around the hips and knees.

Corticosteroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications are the most regular form of treatment for acne fulminans. However the outbreaks are apt to reoccur and the patient may in fact end up developing acne that needs long-term treatment with isotretinoin.

Nodulocystic acne or Cystic Acne is also one of the most severe forms of acne, and it is usually characterized by cysts. These cysts may appear singly, or they may be spread out all over the face, neck, scalp, back, chest and shoulders.

Treatment for this type of acne typically involves an insistent form of treatment, which may consist of isotretinoin and antibiotics. This form of acne is also characterized by large pus filled sores on the face or other parts of the body. These sores are usually painful and, if not treated, can lead to scarring and a pitting of the skin.

If you suffer from some of the larger cysts, ones that do not respond to medications, you may require drainage and surgical excision by a medical professional.

Gram-negative folliculitis is the type of acne which is caused by a bacterial infection that can result from long-term antibiotic treatment. In gram-negative folliculitis, the bacteria are likely to be resistant to many different types of antibiotics. Anyone with this severe type of acne should ensure that they have the proper care of a dermatologist.

The ultimate aim of this article is make you realize that whatever acne you may be suffering from has a name thus a solution to it. If you are suffering from severe acne, it is best to see a doctor or dermatologist where you will be treated properly for your acne.

Acne Specialist believes there is a correlation between Vitamin B5 deficiency and acne (the most common skin disease), due to modern food processing.

Vitamin B5, aka pantothenic acid, serves the body in many ways. It is a member of the nutritionally elite group of eight vitamins lovingly called the Vitamin B complex. This powerful group of vitamins has a role in nearly every major body system and process. The Vitamin B complex keeps both body and mind functioning and in good health.

Vitamin B5, like all of the vitamins in the B complex, is essential to the body for a number of reasons (also see other sections of acne-specialist.com for more information):

-Pantothenic acid as coenzyme A is closely involved in adrenal cortex function and has come to be known as the “antistress” vitamin. It supports the adrenal glands to increase production of cortisone and other adrenal hormones to help counteract stress. Coenzyme A is vital in the synthesis of fatty acids, cholesterol, steroids, sphingosines, and phospholipids. It also helps synthesize porphyrin, which is connected to hemoglobin.

-Through the above mechanism, Vitamin B5 is also thought to help prevent aging and wrinkles and is important for hair and healthy skin. As you can imagine, it is used in a variety of cosmetic products.

-It has the ability to utilize the food it takes in as fuel for its myriad of processes, great and small. As the coenzyme, Vitamin B5 is important in cellular metabolism of carbohydrates and fats to release energy.

-It works in the regular maintenance and repair of all bodily tissues, from the cellular level on up. This makes it a critical part of the body’s efforts to fight the physical damage to which excessive stress contributes.

-Vitamin B5 serves many important functions in the nervous system — for example, Vitamin B5 contributes to the production of neurotransmitters, which are important to the ability of the nerves to communicate.

-Through its adrenal support, Vitamin B5 may reduce potentially toxic effects of antibiotics and radiation.

-Vitamin B5, acting as a cofactor or partner to other members of the Vitamin B complex as well as other nutrients, has a great role in the functioning of the adrenal glands and also promotes normal growth of the body. This is due to its role in hormone production throughout the body.

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B5 is stable to moist heat and oxidation or reduction (adding or subtracting an electron), though it is easily destroyed by acids (such as vinegar) or alkalis (such as baking soda) and by dry heat. Over half of the pantothenic acid in wheat is lost during milling, and about one-third is degraded in meat during cooking. In many whole foods, Vitamin B5 is readily available.

Only recently the general public is becoming more aware of the importance of whole foods. Yet, diets of the majority of the population are still made up of mostly heavily processed foods (available Vitamin B5 activity is lost during refinement of foods) due to our fast pace, time poor lifestyle of the modern world.

“NO WONDER THE SERIOUS GLOBAL ACNE PROBLEM, PARTICULARLY AMONGST DEVELOPED NATIONS!!!”

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Vitamin B5 / pantothenic acid is found in yeasts, molds, bacteria, and plant and animal cells, as well as in human blood plasma and lymph fluid.

Good sources of pantothenic acid include the organ meats, brewer’s yeast, egg yolks, fish, chicken, whole grain cereals, cheese, peanuts, dried beans, and a variety of vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, green peas, cauliflower, and avocados. Vitamin B5 is also made by the bacterial flora of human intestines, another source for this important metabolic assistant or coenzyme.

Fatigue is probably the earliest and most common symptom of pantothenic acid deficiency. A diet high in refined and processed foods or a reduction or destruction of intestinal flora, most commonly by antibiotic use, can lead to a vitamin B5 deficiency.

Teenagers are more likely to experience a deficiency, because their diets often include high amounts of “fast foods” sugars, and refined flours (all low in B vitamins). And the problem may be compounded because the acne often associated with this type of diet is commonly treated with tetracycline antibiotics, which reduce the intestinal bacteria and thereby the production of pantothenic acid in the colon.

Studies of pantothenic acid deficiency in rats showed increased graying of the fur, decreased growth, and, in the extreme, hemorrhage and destruction of the adrenal glands. In humans, the decreased adrenal function caused by B5 deficiency can lead to a variety of metabolic problems. Fatigue is most likely; there may also be physical and mental depression, a decrease in hydrochloric acid production and other digestive symptoms, some loss of nerve function, and problems in blood sugar metabolism, with symptoms of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) being the most common. Pantothenic acid affects the function of cells in all systems, and a deficiency may reduce immunity, both cellular and antibody responses. Other symptoms of B5 deficiency include vomiting, abdominal cramps, skin problems, tachycardia, insomnia, tingling of the hands and feet, muscle cramps, recurrent upper respiratory infections, and worsening of allergy symptoms.

Therapeutic ranges are more like 250-500 mg daily and even higher, taken, of course, along with the other B complex vitamins. Individual needs vary according to food intake, degree of stress, and whether one is pregnant or lactating. Those people who eat a diet of processed foods, have a stressful lifestyle, or have allergies require higher amounts of pantothenic acid.

As with other B vitamins, there are no specific toxic effects from high doses of pantothenic acid. Over 1,000 mg daily has been taken for over six months with no side effects; when 1,500 mg or more is taken daily for several weeks, some people experience a superficial sensitivity in their teeth. However, it is possible that if B5 is taken without other B vitamins, it may create metabolic imbalance.