You’re getting ready for a great night out. You’ve spent the past 3 hours getting dressed and grooming your tresses. You take a glance in the mirror on your way out the door and there it is. A pimple. You start to panic and try to figure out the best way to tackle this pimple but you only have 2 minutes to spare. It wasn’t there just a few hours ago, where did it come from?

Believe it or not, that pimple started forming weeks ago beneath the skin in the sebaceous gland beneath the hair follicle. While functioning normally, the sebaceous gland produces sebum to protect the skin but it becomes a problem when sebum is produced excessively. Once there is excess sebum, it starts to clog the pores along with dead skin cells.

This leads to a brewing ground for bacteria that has now become trapped in the clogged hair follicle. The body starts to attack this bacteria leading to inflammation, pus, and pain. It’s usually at this stage of seeing inflammation and redness that you start to realize you have a pimple and now you’re faced to find the best acne treatment to solve your problem.

Ignoring a pimple can work for and against you. It can work for you by allowing the pimple time to heal without aggravating it and causing more inflammation. It can work against you because the pimple has the potential to start spreading to surrounding areas, sending bacteria into unaffected areas and eventually becoming a cyst.

acne scars treatment treat blemishesTaking Care of Acne over the Counter
Attempting to pop and squeeze a pimple is not recommended because it can send the bacteria deep into the skin. The popping and squeezing can damage the skin alone. If you absolutely feel as though you need to pop a pimple, do so with the use of a pimple extractor. A popular pimple extractor brand is Tweezerman. This tool squeezes out blackheads and pimples with a stainless steel extractor. There are over the counter salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide acne treatments that will help to clear the clog and remove the bacteria from the pimple. Using these acne treatment products will eventually cause the pimple to dry up and go away, hopefully without leaving a scar. However, many of these over the counter acne remedies are too harsh on the skin and cause more irritation to the pimple resulting in a never ending cycle of pimple vs. product.

Seeking Alternative Acne Treatments
Due to the harshness of many over the counter remedies, individuals dealing with acne often seek out effective homemade treatments for acne that will attack the problem but not irritate the skin. Many herbs and essential oils are recommended as home acne treatments due to their gentleness when used correctly. By using essential oils as a natural acne treatment, you are getting natural antifungal, antibacterial and healing properties straight from the source. Most popular essential oils for acne include tea tree oil, bergamot oil, clover oil, Lavender, and rosewood oil. Visit 4 Effective Essential Oils for Acne to dig deeper into the specific properties these oils bring for dealing with acne.

Read more about acne, it’s causes and solutions with the downloadable book, Acne for Dummies. Get your copy now!

Acne For Dummies® Acne For Dummies®Acne is the most common skin disease in the United States, affecting more than 60 million adults and teenagers each year. Acne For Dummies addresses the causes of acne, and, most importantly, what can safely be done to cover it up, treat it, and minimize scarring. The book covers everything from daily skin care, over-the-counter acne preparations, and when to see a dermatologist to the hazards and benefits of prescription acne medications and the range of dermatological procedures available to erase aftereffects. Also covered are specific issues common to acne as seen in various ethnic groups and other skin problems, such as rosacea, a condition that people often mistake for acne. Herbert P. Goodheart, MD (New York City, NY), is a practicing dermatologist, published author, and educator with more than 25 years’ experience. He is the author of the highly regarded Goodheart’s Photoguide of Common Skin Disorders: Diagnosis and Management (0-7817-3741-9).


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