Acne is a frequent and chronic skin condition with a complicated imaging that may lead to intense physical and psychological problems.
It is characterized by an occlusion of the hair and sebaceous follicle and an inflammation within and around. It is the result of 4 main factors.
Occlusion of the hair and sebaceous follicle (due to a faster, more intense but also incomplete hornification of the pouch).
Milk crust that is the result of the action of androgens.
Androgens.
Germs, because the chemical composition of the smegma is altered due to the lipolysis action of the bacterial flora in the pouch.
Other factors that contribute to the creation of acne are:
Genetic.
Medicine.
Psychological (in cases of a lot of stress, there may be an increase in the secretion of smegma and free fatty acids).
Environmental (that can improve or deteriorate acne, e.g. high temperatures and humidity accelerate the function of follicular glands).
Unknown (some factors remain unknown).
The usual or teen acne appears when androgens begin functioning during adolescence or a few years before and fades during the 25th year of age. However, it may occur during the third, fourth and fifth decade of life and principally to women. It is mainly located on the face and sometimes on the back, chest and shoulders. With regard to men, it mainly occurs during adolescence.
Apart from the usual acne depending on causes and resulting problems, there are also other acne imagings.
Generally, acne may be:
Phlegmonous and
Non-phlegmonous.
Oily skin is a skin type that shows increased secretion of smegma without the occurrence of acne. However, it is susceptible to acne.
This is the result of:
The action of androgens.
Heredity.
Attention must be given to the cosmetics that are going to be used by a person who has oily or acne-prone skin and these must:
Not contain ingredients fostering the development of black heads or acne (some of them are the non-modified lanolin, Vaseline, cocoa butter and its by-products) and
Contain acid pH, because oily or acne-prone skin has alkaline pH (alkaline pH fosters the development of bacteria), while the healthy skin pH is 5.5.
Sunscreens must not contain oily ingredients, responsible for the increase in oiliness and the development of acne elements.
Acne can be treated following various methods and a combination of ways (such as the case of oily skin, but with faster results). Usually, the methods used by beauticians are the following:
Deep cleansing.
Use of keratolytic agents (salicylic acid – BHA, enzyme peeling, fruit acids –ΑΗΑ).
Cosmetics against acne (seaweeds, absorbent substances for excess smegma e.g. kaolin, clay etc., regenerating ingredients e.g. aloe, azulene, alantoine, mud from the Dead Sea).
Use of anti-oxidant agents (Many vitamins have anti-oxidant properties e.g. Α (retinol), C (ascorbic), Ε (tocopherol) and b-carotene, amino acids e.g. methionine, L-cysteine, L-carnitine, enzymes and co-enzymes e.g. alpha-linolenic acid and Q10. In addition, some vitamins of the B complex lack from oily and especially from acne-prone skins and they are vital for fighting acne, such as B5 (panthenol) and B3 (niacin).
Alternative treatments (Aromatherapy, Reflexology, Shiatsu Massage, Acupuncture, Bio-energy Massage etc.).
The treatment of acne aims at:
Decreasing the production of smegma.
Decreasing the occlusion of the hair and sebaceous follicle.
Differentiating germs and the skin’s lipid composition.
The improvement of oily skin aims at:
Decreasing the production of smegma.
Restoring the skin’s hydro-lipid layer (an oily skin needs hydration too in order to be healthy).
OILY SKIN CARE
