Below is an article about the types of acne people suffer from and what causes them. It will help you get a better indication of what you are dealing with.
Adult acne affects over 80% of young adults as well as middle-aged adults. Long gone are the times when acne was considered a teenage issue.
Not all acne is the same though. There are many different types and some of us suffer with a little of all of them, while others suffer from one type. This article goes over some of the types.
Blackheads
Blackheads can only occur if the sebum made it through the sebum canal. When it comes to zits, sebum canals are pinched off, so we can safely say blackheads do not cause acne.
A blackhead occurs because the movement of sebum through the canal is slow. It isn’t blocked and as new sebum is produced it bushes the “blackhead” out of the skin.
The best thing you can do with blackheads is to steam your face and then gently help the “blackhead” out of the canal. Be careful to use something soft like a cotton pad to help ease it out. If it is difficult then leave it well alone, as you will just cause inflammation.
Small zits without whiteheads
These occur when the skin retains too much water but you don’t produce much sebum. The skin is swamped by water but doesn’t cause real acne because not enough sebum is produced. This means inflammation doesn’t occur.
Small zits with whiteheads
These occur when you have an accumulation of sebum plus excessive water retention. The water retention is caused by diet and this usually includes high protein foods, spicy/salty foods and processed junk foods. If this water retention decreases enough, the pus and sebum will rise to the surface of your skin and this is the whitehead you will see.
The best thing you can do to help your acne and zits is to get plenty of rest and sleep. The more sleep you have the better your skin will recover.
It is also important to have a serious look at your diet, as the foods you eat can cause you to retain water, which is part of the cause of acne. Many people claim that diet has nothing to do with acne, but in my own experience and many others, it is the number one cause. If you are serious about completely overcoming your acne then you have to look at diet.
A good skin care routine can also help but less is best. You want to make sure that you use a mild cleanser or just water. Some choose to only use filtered water too to eliminate as many impurities as possible. For moisturizing the skin you should use oil, e.g. walnut or coconut oil are good choices.
Knowing the right things to do for your acne is crucial in succeeding. Harsh chemical lotions may work for some but they don’t treat the underlying cause and can do more damage than good. For me, they caused my skin to have an allergic reaction which convinced me to stop looking for quick fix solutions and start tackling the real causes.
You don’t have to suffer with your acne, there are real solutions.