Acne

Acne Rosacea

admin — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 03:22:00 +0000

What is acne rosacea?

Acne rosacea is a skin problem that affects the nose and face. It causes redness and lumps. Blood vessels become more visible. Sometimes the nose gets larger and looks misshapen.

Rosacea can happen at any age, but it is most often seen in adults who are fair-skinned between the ages of 30 and 50.

How does Acne Rosacea occur?

The cause of acne rosacea is not well understood. It seems to run in families and so may be inherited. It may be caused by overactive blood vessels in the skin. Contrary to popular belief, rosacea is not caused by alcoholism.

Rosacea is not related to the pimples and cysts of acne. But people who have rosacea may also have acne. Acne and rosacea are often treated with the same medicines.

What are Acne Rosacea symptoms?

The most common symptoms are a red nose and visible blood vessel patterns on the nose. In women, redness and blood vessels may appear only on the cheeks and chin.

Over time the nose may develop small lumps and look swollen. The nose can become quite enlarged, and its surface may become thickened with scar tissue.

Sometimes rosacea also affects the eyelids, which become red and swollen. Rarely, the surface of the eyes may be affected, causing a sense of burning and grittiness.

How is Acne Rosacea diagnosed?

Your health care provider will examine your skin. In rare cases a skin biopsy (removal of a small sample of skin) may be done to confirm the diagnosis.

How is Acne Rosacea treated?

If you have increased flushing and blushing that does not go away and gets worse, you should see your health care provider. Treatment of rosacea is very important because it can permanently damage facial tissues.

Rosacea is often first treated with antibiotics. Some of these medicines are taken by mouth. Others are put on the skin.

If rosacea is affecting your eyes, your provider may prescribe antibiotic medicine for your eyes. You may be referred to an eye doctor.

For more severe cases of rosacea, an oral medicine called isotretinoin (Accutane), may be prescribed. Women must use isotretinoin very carefully. It causes birth defects if a woman is pregnant while she is taking the drug or if she has taken it 1 or 2 months before becoming pregnant.

A new medicine that may be prescribed for rosacea is called Finacea (azelaic acid). It is a gel medicine for acne that can be put on your skin.

Steroid creams put on the face can sometimes help. These creams should be used only under the supervision of a health care provider even if they are nonprescription. Sometimes prolonged use of steroids can cause skin damage.

If the usual medicines do not help the problem, and especially if your nose is significantly enlarged or deformed, you may be referred to a dermatologist. Dermatologists are skin specialists and can suggest other possible treatments, including various types of surgery. A few medical centers are beginning to experiment with laser surgery for rosacea.

How long will the effects last?

It is rare for rosacea to go away on its own and the condition usually worsens over time. Rosacea can be successfully treated if it is diagnosed in its early stages.

How can I take care of myself?

Follow the treatment prescribed by your health care provider. Use the medicines as prescribed.
Avoid rubbing or massaging your face if it seems to irritate the inflamed skin.
Overexposure to sunlight can worsen the effects of rosacea. Limit your exposure to sunlight. When you are out in the sun, use sunscreen.
Both men and women with rosacea often use makeup to cover the skin changes. Make sure you avoid using irritating cosmetics.
Avoid getting hairspray on your face.
For more information, contact:

Treatments For Acne Ace-inc

admin — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 02:55:43 +0000

Acne is a skin problem. It happens when the skin gets clogged with oil, which causes pimples.

What is the cause?

Most teenagers get acne. During these years, hormones cause more body hair to grow and the skin gets oilier. The skin pores sometimes get clogged with oil and bacteria.

What are the symptoms?

You may have:

blackheads (plugged oil glands with black tips)
whiteheads (pimples)
red bumps that may hurt or be filled with pus.

In very bad cases, you may get a cyst. A cyst is a bump that forms under the skin. It is larger than a pimple.

How is it diagnosed?

Your health care provider will check your skin for pimples, blackheads, or cysts. Your provider may ask you how long you have had the problem and ask about how you care for your skin.

How is it treated?

Your health care provider may give you:

soaps or lotions
gel to dry up the acne
lotion or gel with an antibiotic in it to put over the acne
skin creams with Retin A
antibiotic pills.

For very bad cases, your provider may give you a medicine called Accutane. Women must be careful when taking this medicine. If you are pregnant or may become pregnant, do not take Accutane. It can hurt the baby by causing severe birth defects.

Your provider may also inject large cysts with medicine. This will help keep you from getting scars.

When will my acne get better?

With treatment you will probably stop getting whiteheads after 4 to 6 weeks. You may have to take your medicine for several months. For very bad cases, you may have to take your medicine for several years.

If you take antibiotics, after a while your health care provider may ask you to stop taking them. He or she may want to check to see if you still need them.

If you are a woman, acne may get worse around your period.

How can I take care of myself?

Follow your health care provider’s advice. It’s also a good idea to:

Wash your face 2 times a day with a gentle soap like Dove or Lever 2000. Change your washcloth every day. Bacteria can grow on damp cloth.
Wash your hands often. Keep your hands away from your face as much as possible.
Don’t squeeze, pick, scratch, or rub your pimples. You may get scars.
Shampoo your hair at least twice a week. Keep your hair away from your face during the day and at night while you sleep.
Wash as soon as you can after you exercise.
If certain foods seem to make your acne worse, do not eat those foods.
Try not to work in hot kitchens where greasy foods are cooked.
Try not to get sunburned.
Try not to become stressed. Take some quiet time, get exercise, or talk to a counselor if needed.
Talk to your health care provider. Keep a record of the medicines you have tried. Write down how they have worked. Let your provider know if your medicine isn’t working. Don’t give up. Keep working with your provider until you find a way to keep your skin clear.

Acne Laser Surgery Acne-inc

admin — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 02:28:22 +0000

Recent technology using laser has been able to treat acner using laser surgery. Acner spots have been cures using laser beams that has proved effective to over 90%. Acne laser surgery id a good way to treat acne.

Laser Acne-inc

admin — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 02:24:03 +0000

Acne is a condition caused by skin cells that do not shed properly and plug pores, causing oil and bacteria to be trapped inside. As the oil and bacteria accumulates, the skin becomes inflamed and swells outwards forming the familiar whiteheads, blackheads and pimples. The most common type of acne shows up on the face, neck, shoulders, back, and chest.

Acne laser surgery is a new treatment for acne that removes acne using laser beams.

Best Skin Cures Acne-inc

admin — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 02:11:27 +0000

Treatment

There is no cure for rosacea, but alternative and complementary treatments can be helpful in reducing the skin irritation and number of outbreaks associated with the disease. Green-tinted makeup can mask the redness associated with rosacea. Because rosacea may cause psychological distress, psychotherapy or support groups can be an important component of treatment.

Patients should avoid using skin care products that contain alcohol, witch hazel, peppermint, menthol, eucalyptus oil, or clove oil. Skin care products should be fragrance-free and have a smooth, non-grainy consistency. Men can shave with an electric razor to lessen skin irritation on the face.

Persons who are treated for rosacea with antibiotics over a long period are more prone to yeast infections. Long-term antibiotic use can decrease normal bacteria populations and increase the number of yeast. Eating a yeast-free diet (eliminating breads and other yeast products and sugars) can help to restore normal bacteria to the body.

Identifying food triggers

Certain foods are known to trigger an outbreak of rosacea. Although individual triggers vary, the following foods may aggravate rosacea: hot spices (pepper, paprika, and cayenne), marinated meat, soy sauce, vanilla, vinegar, red plums, peas, lima and navy beans, sharp cheeses, cider, Asian food dishes, canned fish products, processed beef and pork, chocolate, tomatoes, citrus fruit, alcohol, and hot beverages. Nitrates, sulfites, and certain drugs can also trigger outbreaks. Food allergies can also cause rosacea. The three foods that most often cause food allergies are wheat products, sugar, and dairy products.

Rosacea patients should keep a food diary to identify the specific foods that trigger rosacea outbreaks. Outbreaks can occur hours–or as long as a day–after the offending food has been eaten. The patient should stop eating a suspect food for a few months to observe the severity of the rosacea symptoms. If the rosacea improves, the patient can then eat a small amount of the offending food to confirm whether it triggers an outbreak. Once a rosacea trigger food is identified, it can be eliminated from the patient’s diet.

Other treatments

Applying liquid-filled cold packs, a washcloth soaked in ice-cold water, or a compress of cold milk and ice-cold water to the neck and face can relieve flushing. Sucking on ice chips can also help relieve flushing. A cold compress of chamomile tea can soothe irritated skin. Applying ice to the face may feel good but it can cause frostbite, which would worsen the reddening.

Some practitioners advocate gentle circular massage for several minutes daily to the nose, cheeks, and forehead. However, controlled studies on the effectiveness of this technique are lacking.

A deficiency of hydrochloric acid (HCl) in the stomach may be a cause of rosacea, and supplementation with HCl capsules (taken after meals) may bring relief in some cases.

Hypnosis may reduce stress, promote healthful behavior, and control bad habits. Hypnotherapy is especially useful in treating skin disease that can be triggered by emotions, including rosacea. As a complementary therapy, hypnosis has been shown to improve rosacea, especially the flushing component.

Nutritionists recommend eating more dark green vegetables such as kale, broccoli, asparagus, and spinach. These foods, and others that contain high levels of vitamins A and C, bioflavonoids, and beta-carotene, can improve rosacea by increasing capillary strength and boosting the immune system. Apple juice and dark grape juice drunk at room temperature between meals can help persons with rosacea.

A deficiency of B-complex vitamins can lead to rosacea. Vitamin E’s antioxidant properties can help prevent skin damage. Zinc can speed wound healing. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid deficiencies can lead to dry, irritated skin, which can worsen rosacea. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in flaxseed oil, cod liver oil, salmon, mackerel, and herring. Omega-6 fatty acid is found in evening primrose oil.

Allopathic treatment

The mainstay of treatment for rosacea is oral antibiotics. These appear to work by reducing inflammation in the small blood vessels and structure of the skin, not by destroying bacteria that are present. One of the more widely used oral antibiotics is tetracycline. In many patients, antibiotics are effective against the papules and pustules that can appear on the face. But antibiotics appear to be less effective against the background redness, and they have no effect on telangiectasia. Patients frequently take a relatively high dose of antibiotics until their symptoms are controlled, and then they slowly reduce their daily dose to a level that just keeps their symptoms in check. Other oral antibiotics used include erythromycin and minocycline.

Some patients are concerned about long-term use of oral antibiotics. For them, a topical agent applied directly to the face may be tried in addition to an oral antibiotic or in its place. Topical antibiotics are also useful for controlling the papules and pustules of rosacea, but do not control the redness, flushing, and telangiectasias. The newest of these topical agents is metronidazole gel, which can be applied twice daily.

Vitamin A derivatives called retinoids also appear useful in the treatment of rosacea. An oral retinoid called isotretinoin, which is used in severe cases of acne, reduces the pustules and papules in severe cases of rosacea that do not respond to antibiotics. Isotretinoin must be taken with care, particularly in women of childbearing age, because the drug is known to cause birth defects.

Topical vitamin A compounds may have a role in the treatment of rosacea. Accumulating evidence suggests that topical isotretinoin and topical azelaic acid can reduce the redness and pimples.

For later stages of the disorder, a surgical procedure may be needed to improve the appearance of the skin. To remove the telangiectasias, a dermatologist may use an electrocautery device to apply an electrical current to the blood vessel. This procedure cuts off the blood to the blood vessel, effectively destroying it and eliminating its appearance as a red line. Special lasers, called tunable dye lasers, can selectively destroy these tiny blood vessels. A variety of surgical techniques can be used to improve the shape and appearance of a bulbous nose. Surgeons may use a scalpel or laser to remove excess tissue from the nose and restore a more natural appearance.

Picture of Acne

admin — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 01:56:13 +0000

This ia a picture of acne

Acne Cures Acne-inc

admin — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 01:46:41 +0000

Dietary measures

Eat healthy foods from the 5 food groups that are fruits, vegetables, breads, dairy products, meat, and fish. Eating healthy foods may help you feel better and have more energy. It may also help your acne heal faster. There is no proof that eating certain foods will make your acne worse. But some foods, such as chocolate, may cause an acne flareup. With time, you can learn what foods may cause acne flareups. You can then avoid eating those foods.

Herbs and Supplements

Before taking any herbs or supplements, ask your caregiver if it is OK. Talk to your caregiver about how much you should take. If you are using this medicine without instructions from your caregiver, follow the directions on the label. Do not take more medicine or take it more often than the directions tell you to. The herbs and supplements listed may or may not help treat your condition.

Herbs

Tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) oil (5%) applied twice daily is helpful for acne. This should be done cautiously since some people may develop dermatitis (a rash) from topical tea tree oil.

Supplements

Lecithin applied topically may decrease acne.
Phosphatidylcholine applied topically may decrease acne.
Vitamin A is commonly used at high doses for acne, but using high doses of vitamin A can be dangerous, especially in pregnant women. Talk with your caregiver before taking vitamin A.
Zinc taken by mouth may be helpful for acne.

Complementary Therapies

Acupuncture has been shown to help with acne. For more information, read the ACUPUNCTURE document.

Other ways of treating your symptoms: Other ways to treat your symptoms are available to you.

Talk to your caregiver if:

You would like medicine to treat acne.
Your symptoms have not gone away or improved by these self-help measures.
You do not feel good about yourself and are depressed.
You have questions about what you have read in this document.

Treating Acne Acne-inc

admin — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 01:42:33 +0000

Causes of acne

The exact cause of acne is mostly unknown. Sometimes when acne in women is due to excess male hormone production, it is diagnosed by the fact to an onset of the condition in adulthood; excessive growth of hair, especially in places not usual on a female, called hirsuitism; irregular menstrual cycles; and premenstrual flare-ups of acne. A 2001 study demonstrated that menstrual cycle does affect acne. Surprisingly, the study revealed that 53% of women over age 33 experienced a higher premenstrual acne rate than women under age 20.

Many alternative practitioners assert that acne is often related to a condition of toxicity in the intestines or liver. This may be due to the presence of bacteria such as Clostridia spp. and Yersinia enterocolitica, a low-fiber diet; a lack of friendly gut flora such as Lactobacillus spp.; an intestinal overgrowth of Candida albicans; and food allergies.

The interaction between the body’s hormones, skin protein, skin secretions, and bacteria determines the course of acne. Several other factors have also been shown to affect the condition:

Age. Teenagers are more likely than anyone to develop acne.
Gender. Boys have more severe acne and develop it more often than girls.
Disease. Hormonal disorders can complicate acne in girls.
Heredity. Individuals with a family history of acne have greater susceptibility to the condition.
Hormonal changes. Acne can flare up before menstruation, during pregnancy, and menopause.
Diet. Although they are not the primary cause of acne, certain foods may bring on flare-ups or make the condition worse.
Drugs. Acne can be a side effect of antibiotics, oral contraceptives, and anabolic steroids.
Personal hygiene. Use of abrasive soaps, hard scrubbing of the face, or handling pimples will often make them worse.
Cosmetics. Oil-based makeup and hair sprays worsen acne.
Environment. Exposure to oils and greases, polluted air, and sweating in hot weather can all aggravate acne.
Stress. Emotional stress may contribute to acne.
Friction. Continual pressure or rubbing on the skin by such things as bicycle helmets, backpacks, or tight clothing, as well as hard scrubbing of the skin, can worsen acne.

Health Benefits of Guggul

admin — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 01:19:38 +0000

Guggul is an herbal medicine used for lowering high cholesterol and triglycerides (blood levels of fats), helping in weight loss, and treating acne.

Other names for Guggul include: Commiphora mukul, Gugglu, Gum Guggulu, and Guggal.

Ask your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist if you need more information about this medicine or if any information in this leaflet concerns you.

Before Using: Tell your doctor if you …

are taking medicine or are allergic to any medicine (prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) or dietary supplement)
are pregnant or plan to become pregnant while using this medicine
are breast feeding
have any other health problems, such as high blood pressure or heart or blood vessel disease

Dosage: Talk with your caregiver about how much Guggul you should take. The amount depends on the strength of the medicine and the reason you are taking Guggul. If you are using this medicine without instructions from your caregiver, follow the directions on the medicine bottle. Do not take more medicine or take it more often than the directions tell you to.

To store this medicine: Keep all medicine locked up and away from children. Store medicine away from heat and direct light. Do not store your medicine in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink, or in other damp places. Heat or moisture may cause the medicine to break down and not work the way it should work. Throw away medicine that is out of date or that you do not need. Never share your medicine with others.

Drug and Food Interactions: Do not take Guggul without talking to your doctor first if you are taking:

Blood thinning medicine (examples: aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix(R)), ticlopidine (Ticlid(R)), warfarin (Coumadin(R)), enoxaparin (Lovenox(R)))
Medicine for high blood pressure or migraine headaches (propranolol (Inderal(R)), diltiazem (Cardizem(R), Tiazac(R), Dilacor(R)))

Warnings:

Before taking Guggul, tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breast feeding

Side Effects: Stop taking your medicine right away and talk to your doctor if you have any of the following side effects. Your medicine may be causing these symptoms which may mean you are allergic to it.

Breathing problems or tightness in your throat or chest
Chest pain
Skin hives, rash, or itchy or swollen skin

Other Possible Side Effects: You may have the following side effects, but this medicine may also cause other side effects. Tell your doctor if you have side effects that you think are caused by this medicine.

You may experience mild diarrhea (loose BMs), nausea (upset stomach), headache, restlessness, hiccups, or mild stomach pain

Brewer’s Yeast for Acne

admin — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 01:18:27 +0000

What is it? Brewer’s Yeast is a nutritional supplement that is used as a source of B vitamins and chromium. It is also used for loss of appetite, acne, atherosclerosis (fat deposits in arteries), and diabetes.

Other names for Brewer’s Yeast include: Faex Medicinalis.

Ask your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist if you need more information about this medicine or if any information in this leaflet concerns you.

Before Using: Tell your doctor if you …

are taking medicine or are allergic to any medicine (prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) or dietary supplement)
are pregnant or plan to become pregnant while using this medicine
are breastfeeding
have any other health problems, such as high blood pressure or heart or blood vessel disease

Dosage: Talk with your caregiver about how much Brewer’s Yeast you should take. The amount depends on the strength of the medicine and the reason you are taking Brewer’s Yeast. If you are using this medicine without instructions from your caregiver, follow the directions on the medicine bottle. Do not take more medicine or take it more often than the directions tell you to.

Warnings:

Before taking Brewer’s Yeast, tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding

Breathing problems or tightness in your throat or chest
Chest pain
Skin hives, rash, or itchy or swollen skin

Migraine-like headaches can occur in sensitive people
Excess gas and bloating have also been reported