Tag: acne

Ten Myths About Skincare

Just when you thought you knew about skincare, you stumble on information that turns the world upside down. You realize that something you’ve been doing isn’t right or that that “organic product” isn’t really helping.

So settle back with a nice latte and read this list of 10 common myths about skincare.

1. A base tan helps. Nope. Dermatologists agree that pre-tanning really doesn’t work, and it can actually increase your risk of skin cancer, particularly if you pre-tan in a tanning bed. The current thinking is that there’s actually no such thing as a “safe” or “healthy” tan. So trade in that oil for a decent sunscreen. Read more.

2. You can scrub away acne. There’s a common myth that if you scrub really hard, your acne will go away. Not true. Acne is not caused by a dirty face. Cleansers are great, but they don’t work better if you scrub harder. Scrubbing too much can actually inflame blackheads, causing your acne to worsen! Wash smart, not hard.

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Massage and Skin Conditions

The skin is actually the largest organ in the body. It protects your bones, muscles and organs, helps resist disease, and allows you to sense and ract to stimuli like hot, cold and pain. Your skin sheds close to 50,000 cells every minute.

Virtually everyone will suffer some sort of skin condition at some time in their lives. Whether it’s something like acne or skin tags, or something more chronic like basal cell carcinoma, treatments and proactive and preventative measures can shorten the duration of the condition.

When it comes to getting a massage, you should always disclose to your therapist any skin conditions you are aware of before the session. A qualified therapist is well trained to made decisions about how (or if) they will massage the affected areas. In some cases they’ll send you back to your physician for clearance before a massage session.

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Acne Got Your Back?

Almost everyone knows that the feeling when you’re staring at the giant pimple on your face and you’re already late for your date. And, as if that’s not enough, people with facial acne are far more likely to develop body acne. For some, body acne comes in the teens and twenties, others find sudden acne flareups well into adulthood.  Luckily there’s something you can do about it.

Body acne is extremely common with blemishes appearing and disappearing on your back, arms, chest and bottom. Most people just don’t want to talk about it. As with acne on your face, body acne forms when pores become clogged with excess oil or dead skin. Body acne is a little trickier to control, too, because the skin on the rest of your body has larger pores than those on your face, meaning it’s easier to stop them up. And clothes that tend to trap oil on your skin and prevent evaporation.

So what do you do about body acne?

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Fourteen Ways to Combat Back Acne aka Bacne

“Bacne” is a portmanteu of “back” and “acne” and refers to the ever so common acne breakouts on your back and shoulders. Like acne on your face, back acne is generally caused and worsened by excess oil production in your skin, a buildup of dead skin cells, clogged pores, certain medications and supplements, and stress. Contrary to popular belief, acne is not caused by dirty skin, worsened by cosmetics (use noncomedogenic makeup to prevent clogged pores) or greasy foods. A propensity for acne, in general, is also genetic.

The biggest problem with bacne is that it’s hard to reach, hard to manage, and without intervention, hard to get rid of. Here are fourteen tips that will help you win your war on back acne.  Try one or more for a week or two and see the difference!

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Combating Teenage Acne

Acne outbreaks can be a very difficult and devastating occurrence for any teenager or their parents. Acne is especially impactful for teens, since so much of their self esteem is tied up in their appearance. Teenage acne can have an impact far beyond simple appearance too.

 

Anyone who has seen an acne-affected teen fail to make eye-contact or a newly affected teen begin to do poorly in school, understands the effect acne can have on self-esteem. Adolescents with acne are reported to have higher rates of stress, mental health problems, affective isolation, social impairment, depression and even thoughts of suicide. In cases where the impact on the psychological health of the client is particularly burdensome, effective treatment of acne may result in dramatic improvement in self-esteem, reducing shame and embarrassment, and improving body image and self-confidence.

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The Link Between Acne and Stress

Stress does crazy things to us.  Stress can make us irritable and short tempered, put us in a bad mood and send us off for a fast food frenzy.   Stress can also have some pretty wide-ranging physiological effects too.  High stress has been linked to hair loss, memory problems, poor judgement, negativity, constipation, dizziness, loss of sex drive, moodiness, agitation, feelings of loneliness and isolation, eating too much or too little, procrastination, nail biting and and yes, acne outbreaks. Wow.

The good news is that if you focus on treating symptoms of the stress, and if that focus leads to taking steps to reduce the cause of the stress, you’ve taking the first steps to dialing down the stress in your life.

Are you stressed?

Stress is anything that adversely effects our emotional or physical wellbeing.  Emotional stress is very common, and very often triggered by life events like:

  • relationship problems
  • overwhelming workload or issues with your boss/manager/coworkers
  • loved ones who have declining health
  • a big event, like a final exam, wedding or presentation
  • being bullied
  • academic pressures

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The Truth About Adult Acne

Adult acne affects 1 in 4 men and about half of all women some time in their adult lives.  About 1/3 of those with facial acne also experience acne on their back and body. Adult acne can cause depression and social anxiety in adults the same way it can a teen.

Most men experience adult acne because they had adolescent acne and it comes back now and then.  Women can experience acne that’s stuck around from their adolescence too, but, unlike men, they can experience adult onset acne–new flare-ups–in their adult life.

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Why You Should Consider a Once-a-Month Facial

girlfacialMany people pay more attention to cleaning their car than cleaning their face.  They wait until the encounter itchy skin, dark spots or breakouts before they seek help.  Then they usually make it worse by not consulting a professional and heading the to drug store for the solution.

A good professional facial is both a treatment and a pre-emptive strike against future skin issues. Getting a facial treatment once a month, or perhaps more if you have an acne breakout, will make a significant, visible difference in what you see in the mirror – and what other people see when they look at you.  Like any other thing you focus on in life, you will get results and you can keep those results by focusing on skincare on a regular schedule.

Here’s a quick list of other benefits:

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Your Pore Skin

For every hair on your body, there’s a skin pore. You’ve got more than 5 million of them.

Maintaining clean, healthy skin is important for maintaining healthy looking skin.  Dirt and oil on your face, shoulders and chest collect around your pores like leaves around a storm drain. When pores get clogged, it creates a pile-up of oil and dead skin cells.  Bacteria make their way to the blockage and inflammation occurs.  Not pretty.

Squeezing, poking and rubbing the blocked pore just stretches them and makes things worse. A skilled esthetician, like the ones we have here at SVMTG, can offer your a soothing, effective deep cleaning or more aggressive acne treatments, to keep your pores (and you) happier.

 

Why Should You Choose a Skin Care Specialist to Help With Acne?

June is Acne Awareness Month and there’s nothing but good news about an effective form of professional acne treatment–see an esthetician!

A full 85% of Americans will experience acne at some time in their lives.  Acne is by far the most common skin disorder affecting almost 50 million Americans.  You could just live with it, or you could fill your counter, drawers and medicine chest with less-than-effective over-the-counter remedies, or go see a professional esthetician.

Here’s a quick FAQ about skin care specialists and the acne treatment procedures:

What is an esthetician?
Estheticians, also called skin care therapists, work at salons, day spas, and medical spas and are trained in the cosmetic treatment of the skin. They perform various cosmetic procedures including facials, body treatments, and waxing. Estheticians focus on deep cleansing skin and treating skin issues like acne.

Does a skincare specialist have to be licensed?
Yes. All estheticians must be licensed in the state that they are working in. In California, estheticians must complete at least 600 hours of training and pass a qualifying examination and a practical, or hands-on, exam.
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Is Acne Your Fault?

Acne generally isn’t caused by something you did or didn’t do.  It’s not caused by dirt or even diet (according to current research). Some people are just prone to it, while others aren’t.  Most of the time, tendency toward acne comes from your genes. That’s right, thank your parents.

Of course there are things you can do to lessen this genetic gift.  You can keep your skin clean and exfoliate carefully. You can develop a skin care regimen that works and stick to it. You can understand that acne isn’t something you “grow out of”, it’s treatable.  If you have severe acne, go see a dermatologist.

For most people, it’s a lack of consistency and care that prolongs acne.  Worse, doing things to care for your acne incorrectly can cause more acne, or worse, scarring. Continue reading “Is Acne Your Fault?”