Acne a nightmare

Are you Acne Prone? It is important to understand the common causes of Acne and how to prepare for Acne? Relation between Acne and Periods, and Home Remedies for Acne. Read till the end to understand how to keep Pimples and Acne at bay?

Absolutely, isn’t it? Who wouldn’t remember those beautiful days of college and looking at the mirror a little more often than ever, those peer pressures, those social activities, parties, the nervousness of looking good and there it is…. That trauma of pop-outs. 

Acne is characterised by blockage of a hair follicle, hair shaft and a sebaceous gland. Acne is a follicular disease that mainly affects adolescents but also might affect adults. 

Acne affects 9.4% of the global population. About 85% of people that are affected by acne are in the age group of 16-18years. It affects all races and all ethnicities.  

Most acne occurs on the face but may also arise on the chest, back and other body parts. The most common complication is scarring. It can occur as blackheads, whiteheads, pus-filled acne, cystic acne, nodular acne and can be pigmented too.   

5 Common causes of Acne:

1. Genetics: How often do we hear this word? Our genes play such a crucial role. There is a very good chance of one of your parent being prone to acne in their youth if you have severe acne. 
2. Diet: The underdog always. Food and lifestyle are so important, no matter how much we address it; it will always fall short. Consumption of high GI foods (sugar, white bread, potatoes, white rice, etc.) and Dairy is directly correlated to acne.
3. Hormones: The main culprit. It’s not just one hormone; there are quite a few causing sebum production and inflammation. Then there is PMS (premenstrual syndrome), the hero of all stories amongst females.
4. Oily skin: Which causes clog in hair follicles, resulting in acne by inflammation?
5. Apart from these some other common causes are the usage of non-suitable cosmetics and allergic reactions from medicated creams and highly humid environment.

Acne and Period

How many of you agree that cramps are not the worst thing out of periods, pimples are? Period before acne is like a rule book for women.

It happens because oestrogen levels rise and progesterone levels drop before periods. These hormones trigger your sebaceous glands to secrete more sebum than usual. Too much sebum is too much oil clogged pores resulting in acne. Acne causing bacteria are prone during these times as well, making it worse for a few amongst us. These mainly appear on the lower face which is chin, cheeks, jawline and neck.  

Home remedies for Acne

1. Drink a lot of water. It gets the toxins off the body and prevents bacterial growth.
2. Honey.
3. Turmeric.
4. Tea tree oil.
5. Warm compress.
6. Cold compress.

How to prepare for the next cycle to keep Acne at bay?

1. Use a gentle cleanser twice a day. The choice of cleanser would depend on your skin type. 
2. Use non-oily products.
3. Do not use a moisturizer if not required.
4. Eat more green leafy vegetables. Cut on your sugar, alcohol, dairy, fatty food.

The premenstrual acne will be there for 7-10 days. However, if they longer, show it to your dermatologist. Also, I strongly recommend a dermatologist to decide on what skincare cleansers, creams, serums etc should be used by a particular person, a personalized routine according to your skin type is the key to acne-free skin.