Acne Magazine : Skin Care, Tips, Treatment Reviews

So I was doing an internet search recently and came across this company that is named Acne that apparently makes jeans.  Interesting, I’m sitting here wondering if they intentionally named it that, or if it is a foreign-domiciled company that perhaps pronounces the word differently.

It just looks funny if you’re an American and you see jeans that are named after one of the most dreaded and pervasive skin conditions in the world.  I could imagine it may be pronounced say “Ac-Nay” or something like that. Does anyone know anything about this clothing company?

I’m having a strange obsession with this for some reason!  I looked at the jeans and they look to be higher end and more on the edgy level too – lots of skinny jeans and stuff you’d see real hipsters wearing. 

Interesting!

Hello everyone and Merry Christmas!  No matter what you celebrate, we’re here to wish you a warm and happy holiday season. Have fun with the family and friends and remember, we’ll be here in just a few days after the festive holiday to bring you more news on skin care and helpful advice and treatments from nature.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

We’ve talked many times here at AcneMag about how a lot of women use the pill either solely to help clear their skin of acne, or in conjunction as a birth control method, with the “nice to have” side effect of helping to keep their skin clear.

Even though one fairly recent addition to the birth control market, Yaz which is a Bayer drug, was marketed as helping to clear acne as well as prevent pregnancy, there are actually several other types of pills on the market that will help your skin stay clear because they help control the estrogens and testosterone hormones in the body which can aggravate acne.

However, Yaz or Yasmine promoted this side effect of their pill, as well as their ability to help control other side effects that are unwanted on the pill such as bloating and mood swings. They were able to become the most successfully selling birth control pill for a few years because they became so popular.

Every birth control pill comes with somewhat of an inherent risk though, and Yaz is no different. Most birth control pills come with warnings that they may make you more susceptible to blood clots. The risk is fairly minimal, but it can be very serious because blood clots can travel to the lungs or brain and become potentially life threatening.

Yaz is under review by the FDA because the risk of these blood clots has been found to be slightly higher on their pill and others like it.  Although the risk is not much higher than that of other pills, the FDA still wants to review it and possibly have even more warning labels affixed letting women know about the slightly increased risk.

While there are risks on any hormone based drug for increased blood clot likelihood, there are factors that can add to this risk and greatly increase your profile for being one of the few affected. Factors such as smoking and obesity for example, can greatly increase your risk.

It is recommended that you never smoke when on the pill, although a lot of women still do this. It is also recommended that you watch your weight and if you are obese to start with, then you probably should not be on the pill.  These are good rules of thumb to keep yourself safe if you are going to go on the pill.

A regular teen, who happens to have beautiful facial features – and oh by the way also has multiple acne scars – has become famous very quickly – at least internet famous.  The inventive teen filmed herself while expertly applying makeup that makes her look as if she has perfect skin.

It is quite a transformation when you see the before and after picture of the teen, named Cassandra Bankson, who is just nineteen years old.  I must applaud this brave young woman for having the nerve to put this video up and helping so many other people see how skillful makeup application can really help to blend away the skin problem of acne.

Bankson’s video on Youtube has already gotten over two million views in a relatively short period of time. This really speaks to what a huge problem acne is for men and women of all ages, and how much it weighs on the ego and self worth when you have acne pretty badly.

She mentions in the video that this is one of the most insecure times for her, appearing with no makeup for the whole world to see her imperfections. Little does she know, this makes her more beautiful, just the fact that she has the guts to do it and to help others out.

When she is done applying her makeup, it really does look amazing. It almost look like she’s an airbrushed version of herself. This goes to show what great makeup application can do to cover up acne.

Some of the tricks I learned are as follows to help cover up acne scars and fresh acne redness with makeup:

1.)  I choose thicker stick-type cover ups.  These tend to work a lot better for me on the redness. They are also easier to cover heavy redness or darkness because they just sit on the skin, and you can blend them with the slightest touch of your finger so that you get maximum coverage and staying power.

2.) Instead of blending vigorously, just dab the cover stick over the blemish you want to camoflauge.  This way, you get more coverage and don’t accidentally blend all of the cover up off of the blemish.

3.) Use a good foundation that provides lots of coverage. I like to use Revlon Color Stay because it really helps conceal any imperfections and “airbrush” the skin.

4.) Don’t over dry the blemish. A cracked, red and bleeding acne spot looks a lot worse than one that is not dried out. Drying out the acne with a harsh spot treatment often has this effect.

Happy Thanksgiving to all AcneMag readers!  We want you to have a happy, safe and indulgent Thanksgiving today. Forget about the stresses of work (and maybe even family) today and just let it ride.  Don’t go into a food coma if you can help it

HAVE A HAPPY SAFE THANKSGIVING DAY!!!

It is important to understand the different forms of acne on the surface of the skin. The various types of acne include noninflammatory whiteheads and blackheads, and inflammatory papule, pastules and nodulars. Nodular acne or cystic acne is generally painful swollen pus-filled lesions that grow deep within the skin.

Nodular acne develops once the contents of the comedo has spilled into the adjoining pores and skin which the immune system then creates pus when taking action. Be sure to not pop nodular acne as you would to a whitehead or blackhead, this will only prolong the treating stage.

Nodular acne lasts quite a long time which can continue for weeks an even months, ultimately turning into a cyst which will leave deep scars. It is important to prevent and treat your skin from nodule acne the best way you can. Sometimes that involves seeing a dermatologist, and sometimes you can find more natural alternatives to treat your acne.  It all depends on the person, their budget, and what their skin type responds to.

Simple steps can be taken in preventing nodular acne which includes the habit of washing your face twice a day with mild soap and even target specific areas that are affected. There is also the option of a good diet which requires a good amount of discipline.

This may be difficult to do for young adults and children who do not understand the importance of good skin. Therefore, there is also the option of using spot on treatments that require less effort.

Over the counter acne cleansers and the use of drugstore astringent pads after sweating or prolonged dirt exposure has also shown to be a good preventative of acne to become nodular acne. When using a face scrub or mild exfoliants to remove dead skin cells, be sure to use just enough force that you are not damaging your face.

Prescription medication prescribed by a dermatologist will help to treat nodular acne, but there are many over the counter medications that work as well, just at a slower speed. Proactive, NSAIDs, Ziana Cream, Zenmen, Atralin gel, Niacinamide gel, and Pantothenic Acid gel are some of the which that are shown to help treat.

It is important to understand your skin and classify the different types of acne you undergo before purchasing a variety of beauty products to prevent and treat your skin. Using the wrong product will only damage your skin and make the situation worse.

Well, I must say, people will think of anything to make a buck off of ideas, and pretty stupid ones at that, sometimes. Apparently there have been some savvy computer people who are good at building apps who have been selling “acne curing” apps to smartphone customers that really have no scientific basis.

I’m all for alternative methods of curing or treating acne, but this one does sound downright ludicrous if I may say, because there is no way that this can work.

The apps are anywhere from ninety nine cents to a dollar and ninety nine cents a pop, which is pretty typical for a lot of apps that cost money. What they propose to is help your skin to rid itself of acne by emitting a series of brightly colored lights from the phone onto your skin.

Basically, they are probably going off the principal of far infrared or pulsed light acne therapy, which requires certain special lighting and instruments to be able to pull off and emit the light at the right frequency and color to get the results, such as with blue or red light skin therapy.

The FTC has taken notice as well, ordering them to pay up or stop marketing their products because they are making totally baseless claims and basically taking money for something that has no real value to anyone.

The FTC is the Federal Trade Commission, and they are the arm of the US government that helps to police things like fraud and deceptive advertising that is very blatant here in the US. They are essentially a consumer protection device of the federal government.

The marketers of said phone apps have sold several thousand of these apps to hapless customers who likely did not get any benefit whatsoever from it and may have started filing complaints. Red and blue light therapy certainly can help with acne prone skin.

However, you really have to have a special device for it to work. There are certain calibrations and frequencies that a smart phone simply doesn’t have the technology to mimic.

I just had to write this, because I was having a day exactly like this earlier. I’m better now. But a few hours ago, I literally wanted to crawl out of my own skin because of the angst and pressure I was feeling over the multitude of things that are going on in my life right now.

They are both good and bad, but they all are causing some severe anxiety in me now. It occurred to me that during these times, I can feel my body chemistry change. Sometimes, I can even “feel” where a zit is going to start. Isnt’ that crazy!

Maybe it’s just my slightly anal personality and perfectionism. Heck, maybe a lot of us acne sufferers have the same type of guilty-always busy minded type of personality and that exhibits itself in our skin.

Anyways, I wanted to share with you how I kicked this awful feeling.  I instantly got my tennis shoes on and went down in the basement, because I literally felt like kicking some butt. So I put in a high impact cardio and kickboxing routine that I sometimes do when I’m up for a challenge.

I pictured that I was really letting my agression out on people and situations that were causing me such extreme, instant anxiety, and it really seemed to be cathartic for me. I could literally catch my breath again and feel my pulse begin to normalize after the heavy workout because I felt that I had really blown off steam.

This is what working out does for you, and it’s why I recommend exercise as one of my top necessities for great skin. Not only does it have a great effect on blood flow and other things that make your skin look terrific, but the mere fact that it has such a profound impact on stress is huge.

Stress not only makes us break out because of the hormonal fluctuations it causes and encourages, but because it sort of backs up and bottles up within us, and accelerates the rate at which we age.  This can really profoundly impact the way your skin looks.

Exercise is absolutely vital to glowing skin!

We all know the importance of drinking at least eight glasses of water a day. However, is there any truth behind the belief that drinking water helps to get rid of acne? By increasing your daily intake of water are you going to be able to clear spots and get healthy, radiant skin? Keep reading to discover the truth about water consumption and acne.

The theory behind drinking water to cure and prevent acne is fairly simple. Firstly, our bodies are largely composed of water, so it is absolutely critical that we drink enough of it to maintain healthy levels of hydration. Without enough water your general wellbeing is going to suffer badly, and as a result your skin isn’t going to look it’s best. This is extremely important in hot or humid environments.

Secondly, water is crucial for flushing toxins out of the body. If toxins are not excreted through the digestive or urinary tract, they can be pushed out through the skin. When this happens you are going to get more acne. Therefore, drinking plenty of water is going to help ensure that toxins are not removed from the body via the skin, and as a consequence you should get less pimples.

Thirdly, water is essential for keeping the skin hydrated and moisturized. If your skin dries out due to lack of water, more oil is going to be produced to counterbalance this dryness. More oil on your skin (in combination with an increased amount of skin flakes due to dryness) is going to lead to more blocked pores, and therefore more acne.

It is clear, therefore, that the logic behind drinking water to get rid of acne is sound. However, beyond drinking enough water to keep your body adequately hydrated, it is unlikely that you are going to see any dramatic improvement in your skin.

Flooding your system with gallons of water a day is not going to suddenly result in crystal clear skin. In fact, drinking too much water is actually dangerous for your health, as you could wind up flushing out essential electrolytes and salts from your body.

The biggest exception to this is if your fluid intake comes primarily from coffees, fruit juices, soda, or other sugary drinks. Although these all help to keep you hydrated, the high levels of sugar you are consuming can lead to pimples and spots, due to causing insulin and hormone spikes.

If you drink lots of sugary drinks then try switching to water- not only should your skin improve, but your wallet will also feel a lot healthier.

If possible aim to drink filtered water. Most tap water has chemicals, which could possibly be harmful when consumed over a long period of time, and there is always a risk of pollutants as well. Investing in a home water filtration system might cost a large amount of money up front, but it will save you a fortune on buying bottled water in the long run.

Just how much water should you be drinking per day for optimal skin health? The fact of the matter is that eight glasses a day is probably too little for most people, especially if you are physically active. However, at the same time you don’t need to drink gallon up gallon of the stuff.

You should aim for around two liters of water a day, spread out throughout the day. Basically, if you find yourself feeling thirsty then you are already dehydrated, and therefore haven’t been drinking enough water.

On the flip-side, avoid drinking so much water that you are dashing to the bathroom every thirty minutes. Not only is this going to get very irritating very quickly, but it could also be harmful to your health.

In conclusion, drinking the right amount of water will help to treat acne. It is not going to be some miracle ‘cure-all’, where you wake up one morning with flawless skin. Instead, by keeping your body properly hydrated you can help provide yourself a good base from which to explore more effective acne treatments. Staying hydrated is a fundamental cornerstone of clear skin, but it is not the be all and end all of acne treatment.

Visit Sam Frost’s blog, ‘Ways To Get Rid Of Spots’ for more natural and holistic acne treatment advice.

I didn’t know this, and I’m shocked that I just learned it to be quite frank. It must not have been very well publicized in the general media, probably because there are still so many generic versions available, which are basically the same thing.

Roche, the Swiss drug company that developed and initially sold Accutane, the blockbuster acne drug that came with a ton of controversey because of its severe side effects and safety issues, has stopped selling the drug.

They actually stopped selling the drug, most likely due to the high cost of lawsuits associated with the drug, which they usually lost, in 2009.  There are still a few generic versions of the dangerous acne drug on the market today though, so this questionable drug is still available and still often prescribed for severe acne to people who are desperate to clear their skin and don’t know that there are much better, safer options to curing their acne.

We’ve often talked about Accutane, since it is still one of the most discussed and argued over acne medications (well not one of, it is the most controversial one).  The first side effect that came to light was that users of Accutane were exposing unborn fetuses if they were pregnant, to almost certain serious birth defects.

This eventually led to a national registry, where women who were on the drug had to actually be on the birth control pill as well, no ifs and or buts about it. That’s how serious the repercussions were, the FDA absolutely insisted that women be registered, because the birth defects were almost certain.

Then, other side effects that came to light after the drug had been out for a while were also very serious.  Depression, psychosis, suddenly psychotic behavior, withdrawal, suicidal thoughts and other side effects that all centered around an apparent lack of activity in the frontal lobe of the brain which controls these types of mental health issues and social interaction in Accutane patients.  Scary stuff, I know.

There was one lawsuit that a patient won against Accutane where they developed inflammatory bowel disease after they had taken the drug. They were able to prove that the inflammatory bowel disease was related to the taking of Accutane, so the court awarded them.

There have been other potential side effects listed, even stroke and heart attack, although the connection to these is lesser known.  If you’re thinking about taking this very serious drug, PLEASE look into other options, such as herbal acne supplements, dietary and lifestyle changes, and stress management.