ACNE: CAUSES AND SELF CARE TIPS

ACNE: CAUSES AND SELF CARE TIPS

What is Acne

Acne is one of the most common skin problems, affecting about 90% of people at some point during their lives. Acne typically occurs in adolescence and young adulthood.

Many people do not seek the advice of a physician because acne is common and "will probably go away on its own." If acne is controlled from the beginning, then much harm to the skin can be prevented.

How acne develops:

The sebaceous glands of the skin, attached to the hair follicles secrete an oily semi-fluid substance called sebum that softens and lubricates our hair and skin.

Pimples (or pustules) occur when the material is backed up, causing irritation to the surrounding tissue and causing swelling, redness, and perhaps discomfort.

In severe cases of acne, cysts (fluid-filled sacks) develop. Without proper treatment, the chances of developing ulcers are increased.

Causes:

Hormonal changes: At the age of puberty, the body starts producing more androgen-type hormones, causing the sebaceous glands to expand and produce more sebum. Because males produce more androgens than females, they are more susceptible to acne.

Heredity affects the size and activity of the sebaceous glands. The larger and more active the glands are, the greater the chance of developing acne.

Bacteria: Normal skin bacteria can act on the sebum to produce irritating substances, resulting in substances that are released into the surrounding skin.

Self-care:

1. Gently wash the face with mild soap 2-3 times a day may be enough. However, excessive cleansing can make acne worse.

2. Non-prescription products containing benzoyl peroxide have an antibacterial and drying effect and help remove pores to prevent the formation of wounds.

3. Do not remove or squeeze blackheads, whiteheads or pimples, as this can increase infection, inflammation, and cause scars.

4. Emotional stress can worsen acne - Avoid it

5. Excess moisture can make acne worse- stay away from moisture creating an environment.

Chickenpox: Causes, symptoms, and Treatment

Chickenpox, an infectious disease caused by the Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in which red blisters appear all over the body. In the blisters, itching occurs. It’s very rare to have the chickenpox infection more than once. This virus is contagious and can spread through coughing, sneezing and in contact with an infected person.

The most common symptom of chickenpox is the appearance of itchy rashes on the body that will appear after seven to 21 days after the infection occurs. The other symptoms that appear are fever, headache, and loss of appetite. The rashes undergo three stages until the recovery. Firstly, red or pink bumps occur all over your body, then bumps become blisters filled with fluid that leaks and at last the bumps become crusty, scab over, and fall off. Blisters take seven to fourteen days to heal.

The risk of infection reduces if a person is immunized and had a previous active infection. Exposure of infection increases when the immune system is weak due to illness or medications, children under the age of 12 year, contact with an infected person.

Chickenpox infected person is advised to stay at home and have rest. Keep children out of school and daycare to prevent spread of the virus. Antihistamine medications or topical ointments are prescribed to help relieve itching. These medicines can be buy over the counter also. Antiviral drugs are also prescribed to reduce virus activity.

Some safety tips while handling OTC medicines

OTC drugs or non-prescription medicines are those medicines that you can buy without a prescription. These include medications for fever, colds, headaches, cough, and etc. It is very easy to buy OTC medicine for these problems but there are some precautions that one should take care while using non-prescribed or Over the counter medicines.

Some safety tips while using OTC drugs:

1. Always read the direction label and don’t take an excess of any medicine or beyond the as directed.

2.Give OTC medicines to kids according to their age and weight. Do not attempt to guess the dose of a child from the amount that an adult can take, such as cutting a tablet in half.

3. Always check the expiry date on OTC medicines before taking them. Dispose off the unused medicines in a proper way.

4. Always store the medicines in a cool, dry place. They must be kept away from direct sunlight and heat.

5. Keep the OTC medicines out of the reach from children and Pets.

6. Try to take your all prescribed or non-prescribed medicines from one pharmacy. As it will make easy for a pharmacist to look and see which OTC medications are safe for you to use.

Thus, these are some of the steps one should take while handling OTC medicines.