Acne

The bane of many teenagers existence, there are some that suffer with acne throughout their adult life. Much of the time for teenagers, acne can be put down to hormones going crazy, and skin will calm as this does. For women, birth control can be the problem or the solution for this. If you think your acne has worsened since you switched birth control, and it doesn't calm down after six months, it may be worth switching again.

Spots are caused by glands which become blocked by excess sebum and dead skin. There are three types of spots; white heads, black heads, and cystic spots.

If the blockage occurs at the opening of the gland, a black heads (open comedones) will appear. One of the most common places to find black heads is around the nose. Steaming before cleansing can help open the pore. You can also buy pore strips, which stick to the blockages, pulling them out when you remove the strips.

Black heads

White heads (closed comedones) occur when bacteria gets into a blocked pore. These are the spots that start off as small red pimples, and form a little white bump at the end. You can use a warm compress to help bring it to a head. The one key rule when it comes to acne is don't pick at it! The temptation can be hard to resist, especially if you have a white head which is ready to burst. If you really cannot resist the urge to pop a white head, make sure that your hands are clean, and that you gently squeeze everything else. Being to rough can result in bleeding and scaring. Not removing the whole spot means that it probably won't go away. You really are best off allowing your body to deal with it naturally. Tea tree oil can help calm a spot, or keep it clean after it has been popped, as it is a good natural antibacterial treatment.

White heads

Cystic acne is the most severe form of acne. There are two types of spots which we usually associate with cystic acne. The first is the more common nodule. These occur when when a follicle wall collapses deep beneath the skin. These feel like large, solid lumps below the skin. They can be painful. The second is a cyst. These are again very large lumps beneath the surface of the skin, however cysts tend to be softer. As the cyst nears the surface of the skin, it can damage the tissue around it. These can be very painful. Cystic acne can appear on any part of the body. Many of us will experience nodules at some point in our lives. The most important piece of advice I can give you, is don't pick or try to pop these. They're very deep below the skin, and you not only risk making it more inflamed and painful, but the chance of scaring will greatly increase. If you find it becomes very painful, you can take ibuprofen to help. These can take a while to disappear, but the most painful part should only last a couple of days. Cysts can develop in large numbers. If you have persistent cystic acne, visit your GP, as they will be able to help tackle the cause of the problem.

Cystic spots