Acne Acme
Acne is one of the most annoying problems anyone could ever have. For those who choose to use AS, the problem can go from annoying, to a downright disaster. What did you expect, you knew this stuff came with side effects... However, there are a lot of things people do not know about Acne, or do not fully understand, that can help them fight Acne better. You can go anywhere online and find out what Acne is, this will be just some information to help you decide what might work best for you and some tips and tricks to fighting it.
First, there are several methods to fighting Acne. Antibiotics (topical/oral), antiseptics, skin exfoliation drugs, skin cell control drugs, inflammation reducers, Anti-oxidants, skin drying drugs/oils, Pore Shrinking Compounds, and hormone control drugs. With a list this long it can be hard to know what to use, and then there is the question of whether or not you are even using it right.
Okay so, here is a list (NOT exhaustive, just the most common)
Antibiotics:
-Triclosan (Can be found face scrubs w/o a script and in low doses is mostly bacterioSTATIC, which means it doesn't kill much, but does prevent additional growth)
-Clindamycin (Requires a script and comes in both oral and topical forms)
-Mino-, Doxy-, Tetracyclin (Requires a script, usually taken orally)
Antiseptics:
-Benzoyl Peroxide (Found in face scrubs and creams at w/o a script)
-Chlorhexidine gluconate (Can be found w/o script at local drug store)
-Povidone iodine (Can be found w/o script at local drug store)
-Alcohol (Can be found w/o script at local drug store)
Skin Exfoliation Drugs:
-Alpha hydroxy acids such as Glycolic Acid and Lactic Acid (Can be found w/o script at local drug store, and removes superficial dead skin which can unclog pores)
Skin Cell Control:
-Salicylic Acid (Can be found w/o script at local drug store in creams and face scrubs, and slows cell turn-over inside the sebaceous glands to help keep pores clear)
-Isotretinion AKA Accutane (Need a script, has several side-effects, can be found in topical and oral forms, its method of action seems to be related to causing cell death inside the sebaceous glands causing them to shrink and become less active, however, there is also evidence to suggest that it causes methylation of DNA in the skin which silences certain genes related to the production of cells and oil)
-Retinoids such as Adapalene, Retin-A (These compound require a script and are related to Vitamin A. The work by exfoliation through increased cell turn-over, karatine reduction, and inflammation reduction)
Inflammation Reducers:
-Retinoids (See Above)
-Salisylic Acid (See Above)
-Witch Hazel (Can be purchased w/o script at local drug store)
-Aspirin (Can be crushed up and placed directly on acne to reduce swelling and redness)
-Phenylephrine (Found in some versions of Preparation H can reduce size and redness by shrinking blood vessels in the affected skin)
-Hydrocortisone (Found in other versions of Preparation H can reduce size and redness by shrinking blood vessels in the affected skin)
Antioxidants:
-Idebenone (Shows some antimicrobial properties, and helps skin heal)
-Herbal Extracts (Too many to name, most just help heal skin, most do not prevent Acne, although there are many claims made that the can help)
Skin Drying Compounds
-Sulfur Creams (Removes dead cells, removes excess oil)
-Essential Oils such as Tea Tree etc (Removes excess oils)
-D-Calcium Pantothenate AKA Vitamin B5 (Taken orally it reduces oil production)
-Isotretinion AKA Accutane (See Above)
Pore-Size Reducers
-Astringents, like Calamine lotion and Witch Hazel (These substances shrink pore size temporarily)
Hormone Control
LOL (If you do not understand hormone control/hormone control drugs, and you are taking AS, then you shouldn't even be considering AS. Keep researching!)
The above list is in no way a complete list and some of the compounds do more than one thing. As you can see, however, there are several different ways you can attack the Acne problem. Everyone is different, and not everyone may have the same underlying cause. This means that not everyone is going to respond the same way to each different type of treatment. So the long and short of it is... you will have to try and find what works for you.
But here is some general information and tips/tricks that might help you pin down what might work for you.
First, there is a common idea that drying out your skin, scrubbing the heck out of your skin, and taking 10,000 showers a day is going to be effective. The idea is logical, but there are some things to consider before going to all that trouble. If you over-dry your skin, guess what? Your skin is going to increase its oil production beyond normal levels to try and undo what you just did. Can you see where this is going? Thats right... Clogged pores! Which can equal more Acne. Next, notice how a lot of the drugs above focus on controlling skin cell growth? Well scrubbing the heck out of your skin can cause damage to skin cells which will force the body to repair itself by increasing skin cell production. See where this is going? Right again... clogged or covered pores. Taking 10,000 showers a day can do both of those things, over-dry and over-damage skin. But there are people out there who should take more than one (1) shower a day. Whether or not you are taking 1 shower a day or several, here are some tips to keep you from being the cause to some of your problems. First, dont use salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, triclosan, iodine, and clorohexadine gluconate everytime you take a shower! Use once a day! Second, mildly scrub your skin, most of the dead skin doesn't require a pumice stone to remove. Third, use a non-greasy lotion that wont clog pores after you get out of the shower. This will limit the amount of oil your skin will need to produce.
Another Tip/Trick that might help you. Remember that your skin has a natural bacterial layer. That layer helps keep other bad bacteria from growing on your skin. If you use really harsh chemicals and antiseptics you may kill the good bacteria and leave yourself open to more infection from Acne-causing bacteria. I love Triclosan for this. It does a good job of keeping bacterial colonies small, without eradicating all of the good bacteria on the skin. But washing everyday in iodine, clorohexadine gluconate, and putting Benzoyl peroxide on everyday can really diminish good bacteria. Save your antiseptics for affected sites (where Acne already is).
Another thing to remember. AS cause higher than normal oil production and higher than normal skin cell growth amongst other things. It can also effect pore size etc. Those are going to be good ways to start thinking about treating your new problem.
I would recommend:
-Wash once a day with mild Triclosan and a mild skin drying product. After out of the shower, use Witch Hazel on the problem regions (arms, back, chest, etc), then use a lotion like Calamine lotion, or other non-greasy lotion. Then for the Acne Pimples themselves, use your favorite antiseptic like Benzoyl Peroxide or similar, plus your antibiotic (if you have one), and you can even put an inflammation reducer or two on the affected pimples.
-Take Vitamin B5 everyday in higher than normal doses... 2mg and up. You cannot get Vitamin B5 toxicity, what you don't use will get peed out. It will help keep your body from making tons of oil.
-Wash EOD or EOOD with Salicylic Acid in addition to the mild Triclosan. Over using S.A. can cause irritation and over-drying.
-Tanning EOD or EOOD
-Using a Sulfur mask or even a mild Glycolic acid mask once a week, showering like normal, and using a lotion right after.
-All Rx products should be used as directed and may change the way you use some of the OTC drugs. Adapaline containing creams are very effective for AS users, Clendomycin containing creams are very effective for AS users, and oral Isotretinion is also very effective for AS users. But sometimes an oral AB may help also if your acne is wide-spread.
-For a bad pimple, clean the site with an antiseptic, then place a strong Salicylic Acid/Glycolic Acid compound on the top of the pimple for about 45 seconds and remove quickly as it can cause major skin burns. Take care not to further irritate the site. Then take a shower. After washing, place that same strong Acid compound on the top of the pimple again (while still in the shower). Leave it on for another 45 seconds to 1 min and remove quickly. This can help open the pore that is clogged. Then use your normal Acne routine. A strong Salicylic acid compound can be found in wart-removal section of the drug store.
-Remember that major hormone changes can cause Acne. So stopping AS can also cause increased Acne if your body has adjusted to new hormone levels. Cycling properly and using PCT properly can help with this. But the most effective hormone control for acne is the type that keeps your hormone levels the same (or as close to the same as possible) all of the time.
By no means is this the end-all, be-all. There are tons of things to consider and it can take time to see what works for you. But remember, its great to remove the oil from your skin but over-drying isnt good! Lotion is important. Also remember that causing damage to your skin is not going to help the problem either.
In the end, your taking AS! Its going to happen to most people! Get used to it!
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