Conversations on Care

Stretch marks are particularly a problem for pregnant or obese women. Stretch marks occur when your body undergoes a sudden change in its composition of fat, get too thin or fat too fast and your skin doesn’t quite catch up to these changes hence the appearance of stretched skin can been seen on select places on your body.

So how do you prevent stretch marks? That depends. It can be a genetic factor and sometimes it can be due to sudden changes in your body that directly affect the presence of stretch marks. Pregnant women and people who are undergoing a heavy workout routine tend to develop stretch marks both because of physiological changes that their bodies are going through, so in a manner of speaking sometimes it cannot be entirely avoided.

The effectivity of treatment is not an issue in terms of well, being effective, rather it’s the time it takes for you to finally treat yourself.

Can It Be Prevented?

Stretch marks can be treated so long as you take and make use of the time given to you. It can be prevented from worsening by using topical creams and peels; hence the for even non-invasive surgery shouldn’t be needed.

If you develop stretch marks after gaining or losing weight; there are two solutions to that problem. Either you lose or gain weight at a much slower pace by adjusting your diet or properly look over your body and treat  stretch marks as soon as you see them appearing. In this case, it’s all about considering which one of these choices you want more: to be more fat or skinny, or to have stretch mark-free skin.

Pregnant women on the other hand have a more likely chance of getting stretch marks due to hormonal changes in their bodies and how it ultimately returns back to normal when the pregnancy is done. Stretch mark treatment after a pregnancy is treatable but it might have some health issues, especially if you’re thinking of breastfeeding your child.

Also, stretch marks along with other conditions such as cellulite have a genetic factor involved. Sometimes women even after pregnancy don’t develop stretch marks or receive far less after their pregnancies.

Creams and Non-Invasive Surgery

Creams and laser-based surgery are the only workable means that guarantee varying levels of success when it comes to stretch marks. The use of topical moisturizers coupled with proper cardiovascular fitness can give you better results.

Wrinkle creams are accessible as they are plenty; they’re relatively cheap and you can get them off most pharmacies. One thing to take note though is if you have previous allergies that could respond negatively to retinol in certain concentrations.

There are some promises with laser treatment in the recent years but it can be quite expensive so unless you want to invest in expensive treatments, immediate medication must be made.

Again, avoiding surgery at all costs is why people consider on treating stretch marks as early as possible.

Rosacea is a condition which affects the skin on the face. It comes in the form of inflamed reddish bumps and flushes on the face, especially on the chin, cheeks, nose, and forehead. Such skin condition is caused by the dilation of some clusters of facial capillaries located just beneath the surface of the skin. Because it affects one’s looks, many people want to get rid of Rosacea. Thankfully, there are easy home remedies and ways of effectively treating Rosacea skin condition. Here are some of the tips you can try:

1.       Practice proper facial hygiene. You can do this by regularly cleaning the skin on the face. You should use mild cleansers in cleaning your face. And do it as gently as possible to avoid irritation. You should also avoid grainy cleaners, as such type of cleansers can irritate the skin.

2.       Always put on sunscreens whenever you expose yourself into the sun. This is important because the UV rays of the sun can worsen your Rosacea. However, you must use mild sunscreen, like those formulated for babies.

3.       Avoid hot places. Stay in a cool place as much as possible, as heat can make the condition worse. So you should really stay in air-conditioned places especially on hot days. And don’t forget to spray your face with cool water. Drinking cool drinks also helps tone down the temperature.

4.       You should also avoid eating hot foods and drinking hot beverages. Allow the food and the drink to cool down first before you eat or drink them. Doing such can help lessen the effect of Rosacea on the skin.

5.       In line with step four, you should avoid eating spicy foods. Do not include chilies, curry, salsa, and other spicy foods in your diet. Too much spice can exacerbate the inflammation. However, you don’t really have to do away with spices. Just lower the spice level.

6.       You must also avoid hot tubs, steam baths, and saunas. Facial steams must also be avoided.

7.       Bath in warm shower. Take note the word “warm,” not “hot.” You can also shower in cool water, just as long as you can tolerate the coolness.

8.       You should watch out your diet. There are certain foods that can aggravate your condition. So in order to determine which food reacts with your condition, you should keep some sort of a food diary. Take note of the foods that you should eat, and those that you shouldn’t.

9.       You can sooth and heal your condition using aloe vera gel. However, there are some people who are quite allergic to it. So watch out for any signs of irritation.

10.    You can also use of primrose oil at least three times a day. The great thing about such oil is that it can help treat several skin conditions, including Rosacea.

Just keep your face as clean and as hygienic as possible. To know more about Rosacea treatment, read some other procedures that have proven to treat such skin condition.

Curiosity precedes its reputation. The best way to treat the most common facial problem – acne, is to know. Most often than not, consumers seek first the very basis of acne before treatment. Acne is a treatable and curable skin disease. However, not everyone is aware of this fact; more so, aware of the treatments themselves. Here are some FAQs on acne.

What is Acne?

Acne is a collective term used to describe the skin disease affecting hair follicles. It can appear as boils, cysts, pimples, whiteheads and blackheads depending on the characteristics it displays. Pimples, for example, appear as red and tender bumps on the face, chest and back. Whiteheads and blackheads are clogged pores.

What causes acne?

There are several factors associated with acne growth and development. The primary problem in acne is the abnormal development and clogging of cells inside the hair follicles. This plug inhibits the normal processes and leads to enlargement and rupture of the follicle which further leads to inflammation when the contents of the ruptured follicle spill into the unaffected tissues.

Other factors contributing to acne includes:

• Bacteria. Propionibacterium acne is a specific type of acne which is caused by a specific type of bacteria which produces substances that induce inflammatory responses.
• Hormones. Androgens, hormone present in both men and women, cause acne according to many related studies. These hormones exacerbate oil production and plug formation. The increase in circulating androgens during the puberty years (which is the period where secondary characteristics of being a male and female develops) is the reason why acne is so common with teenagers.
• Genetics. At some point, it is believed that acne runs in families. It has something to do with the genetic make-up associated with families and relatives.

When to seek medical consult?

Acne is treatable at home and at some point leaves the face. However, if over-the-counter and home treatments don’t work much on the affected areas, a medical consult need to be sought. If your acne is accompanied with fever, chills and body malaise, seek a physician as soon as possible as it might be a serious skin disease.

What can I do to treat acne at home?

• Wash your face once or twice daily with gentle soap or cleanser and water. Never sleep with make-up on. Cosmetics such as blush-on and eyeshades can cause accumulation of oil and dirt on the skin.
• You can use over-the-counter medications for acne after you thoroughly washed your face.
• Buy cosmetics and skin-care merchandise which are non comedogenic. These labeled products do not worsen acne at any point.
• Avoid manipulation of the acne such as squeezing and pinching. These maneuvers do not help at all. Rather, they can worsen the acne and cause scarring.

It is important that you consult a physician if you feel uncertain of the choices you are offered with.

Stretch mark treatment has varying degrees of success depending on how long you’ve gotten it. People who gain weight or loss it at a shorter period, pregnant women or even people who have undergone liposuction surgery experience varying degrees of stretch marks. 

As mentioned, stretch marks are curable depending on the how long it has stayed on your skin. To do a quick diagnosis, look at your stretch mark. If it has a purple or brown texture, then that means that the stretch mark is recent or you’ve had it in less than a year making it treatable. However, if your stretch marks have relatively showing yet subtle transparence or have a whitish texture, then it could mean that it has been a little over a year which could be a tad difficult to remove. According to credible researchers as well as dermatologists, it takes roughly 5-10 years for stretch marks to completely be erased from your body. 

Treatment 

The duration of its stay on your body can determine the treatment should be used; which of course means that the sooner the better. There are cosmetic laser treatments which, despite being quite expensive, can cause the least amount of damage on your skin in order to fully eliminate your stretch marks. 

Of course if you’re working under a budget and you’re a tad uneasy about surgery, peels and topical creams can help treat early signs of stretch marks. These types of topical cream use mainly moisturizers and stimulants of collagen growth, thus is it attempts to even out the stretched surface with cell repair and speeding up of natural bodily processes in order to achieve healing in the affected areas. 

Time is of the essence when giving stretch mark treatments because while topical treatment is indeed an effective one; it has little or no effect on stretch marks which have overstayed their welcome on your skin. 

Current Studies

According to recent discoveries in stretch marks, doctors recommend both healthy exercise and hydration. This allows good circulation as well as stimulate the grow of collagen in your skin, thus giving your skin a healthier shade thus lessening the obviousness of stretch marks. 

It has been shown that Elastin as well a Hyaluronic acid can revitalize and heal your skin over time. Retinol, a common ingredient in wrinkle creams helps stimulate elastin, hyaluronic acid and collagen. Again, this is only applicable to early treatment. if you allow your stretch marks to go untreated for over a year and you’ll have to use laser-based treatment in order to get rid of it. 

Stretch marks take a lot of time to heal so unless you’re planning on retaining them in your body longer, immediate treatment is needed. Treating them with retinol-based wrinkle creams and other topical moisturizers while they’re still relatively fresh in your skin is a whole lot better than having to go under the knife and have a chance of not getting what you wanted afterwards.

Acne Rosacea is more commonly known as rosacea. It is a skin disorder that affects the face and occurs mostly in adults. It has acne-like symptoms, but much worse. There are several factors that are said to trigger rosacea. However, the exact cause of the condition remains unknown. The good news is that rosacea is curable. And there are quite a number of treatment options to choose from.

What is Rosacea

Rosacea is different from acne, though they have something in common. It usually appears as a flushed red skin with inflammation, small bumps, and pimples. It mostly occurs on light-skinned people, especially adults aging 30 to 50. It does not usually affect dark-skinned people and children. It is more common in people with European descent, both men and women.

Causes of Rosacea

There are no concrete causes of rosacea. However, there have been theories regarding its cause. Some people say that it is caused by elevated levels of peptides, or neurological abnormality, or reaction to medication and skin irritants. But experts believe that such skin condition can be triggered by certain foods and environmental factors. The following are commonly pinpointed as the factors that trigger the development of rosacea: coffee, tea, caffeinated beverages, spicy foods, weather, alcohol, stress, and others.

Symptoms of Rosacea

As said earlier, Rosacea can be distinguished from acne. Rosacea includes flushed patches, redness, reddish acne-like bumps, pimples, inflammation, and even small cysts on the face. It usually affects the forehead, chin, nose, and cheeks. The symptoms are due to the enlargement or dilation of several facial blood vessels. If left untreated, the condition can make the nose become swollen and red. It can also affect the eyes, making it appear pinkish or reddish, sensitive to light, painful, and dry.

Diagnosis of Rosacea

It is difficult to diagnose rosacea. This is because the severity of the condition and symptoms can decrease or increase over time. However, the best way to found out if you have rosacea or not is to try some acne treatments. Yes, use treatments used for curing acne breakouts. If the symptoms do not get better over a period of time or after several trials, there is a great possibility that the condition is not acne, but rosacea. But to make sure, visit the doctor. This is important so that you get to seek immediate remedy in case you have rosacea.

Treatment of Rosacea

Generally, rosacea can be managed and lessened, though in severe cases they tend to be incurable. There are variety of treatments for rosacea. Doctors usually prescribe oral antibiotics like doxycycline and amoxicillin. Using gentle facial cleansers are also recommended. If you’re looking for a more effective yet expensive treatment, you can try a series of light treatments which involves the use of laser light. This is commonly known as photodynamic therapy in which photosensitive light is applied on the affected areas of the face.

In order to prevent the condition from worsening and in order to somehow manage it, better avoid the following: caffeine, alcohol, extreme weather conditions, hot drinks, and spicy foods.

Acne is a major facial problem. Anyone wanting to look good starts with issues on the face and having these disturbing and painful lumps don’t really pose a good-natured hygiene, per se. More than the aesthetic value of looking good, acne must not be overlooked. A medical consult needs to be sought if acne doesn’t seem to disappear with traditional remedies.

Everyone is talking about acne and how to get rid of them. However, how much of acne itself do you know? Before delving into any treatment related to acne, it is best that you keep yourself informed and updated.

The Common Problem

Acne is a disease involving the hair follicles which are pretty much common during the puberty periods. It affects both males and females equally across different age groups.

Although frequently interchanged with pimples and zits, acne is an umbrella term for the many skin problems related to congestion or disruption of the integrity of hair follicles. Acne appears in the form of:

• Blackheads and whiteheads which are congested pores on the face.
• Pimples or zits which are painful and reddish bumps on the face, neck, chest and back.
• Pustules and cysts which are pus-filled lumps; boils.

A pustule is a result of an inflammation nearing the skin’s surface and a pimple is a deeper inflammation. If oil breaks on the surface it becomes a whitehead and a blackhead if it accumulates melanin or become oxidized.

The Causes of Acne

There is no particular cause for acne. The whole process of acne formation involves a series of hormonal changes and inflammation. When the oil glands which are attached to the hair follicles are stimulated by an elevation of hormones, the glands increase oil production. The change in oil production consequently affects the maturity of the cells risking them to clump together and clog the pores which are naturally open. When the follicle enlarges and bursts, the contents of the follicles are released to the unaffected layers of the skin leading to inflammation.

Factors which can contribute to development of acne are:

• Hereditary
• Stress and Pressure
• Exposure to Drugs and Medications
• Nature of Work

The Myths

The common misconceptions related to acne include the following:

• Acne results from poor hygiene. Acne do not result from too much dirt on the skin, studies do not prove that acne is a result of dirt accumulation.
• Acne is caused by eating oily foods, fast foods and chocolates. According to a study conducted in the US, the amount of oil produced by the skin is not related to the amount or frequency of chocolates taken in by the subjects. Therefore, eating high-fat foods do not result to acne.

The Treatment

There is a wide variety of treatment options available, be it prescribed or over-the-counter. However, if you are dubious of your selection, better consult a dermatologist. Acne is a treatable disease.