Have Chroic Acne? Two ingredients you do NOT want to useand ONE you DO!

It may sound a little strange but SKIN  s the largest and a very important organ we have.

Skin provides protections for most of our other internal organs, helps to regulate body temperature and our water content, keeps away harmful agents and even bacteria

Skin is also an important part of who we are, our personal ID card, so sometime it is a source of pride and happiness and sometime-a trouble maker

For those with acne prone skin – especially with Chronic Acne that is acne that last two or more years or re-occur over the years it is also an -going concern . How should we treat long term acne without harming our skin even further.

Chronic acne results from a chronic (long  term) imbalance in production of sebum (skin oil). This long term overproduction of sebum that leads to clogged pores and as a result outbreaks of acne can be caused by such factors as hormonal imbalance and even genetics and amplified by a lifestyle and even environmental factors.

Treatment of Chronic acne is possible even it may require some patience  and perseverance.

While treating chronic acne- what we put on a skin as as important what we should NOT put on it.

There are two chemical substances that unfortunately can be found in many topical  acne products that may be especially harmful for our skin  when used to try to control chronic acne. The reason is THE LONG TERM USE of those ingredients  There are Salicylic Acid and Alcohol.

None of them actually treat acne.  No topical product can do it as acne is a manifestation of internal imbalance  so the only way to treat it is also internally through rebalancing  the sebaceous glands and stopping the acne cascade, and preventing inflammation and  pimple formation.

Salicylic Acid: Salicylic acid is a keratolytic. It belongs to the same class of drugs as aspirin (salicylates) and it graduated to the position of the leading ingredient in in many topical acne products. Almost every “acne treatment” or “solution”, cleanser or contain salicylic acid.  Salicylic acid works by dissolving the substance that causes the skin cells to stick together so it is exfoliates the skin, and can help to clean the pores of dead cells. Salicylic acid will NOT however get rid of acne CAUSES, as acne is a result of an over-production of sebum (skin oil) by your sebaceous glands. Opposite- as salicylic acid will dry the skin-long term use will actually produce more dead, dry skin cells.  Those cells together with extra sebum ( salicylic  acid does not decrease – and it may actually in time increase sebum production.  This mixture of sebum, dead cells, dirt, and, of course, bacteria will provide a basis for inflammation that manifests itself as pimples or cysts.  In addition, frequent and long term use of salicylic acid may actually cause number of side effects such as skin redness and irritation, dryness and premature aging, and even more serious problems such as dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Recently there are also some concerns voiced about pregnant women using the products with salicylic acid. Medical professionals are split as to how much the use of salicylic acid can affect an unborn baby but many health care professionals recommend staying away of any cosmetic products containing this chemical as while use on face and body it will get absorbed in your bloodstream . It's estimated that a body peel containing salicylic acid is the equivalent of taking one aspirin.

Alcohol: alcohol appears in cosmetic products under verity of names (it is very confusing), and can actually penetrate the skin. The “bad” alcohols are those with low molecular weight. These include ethanol, ethyl alcohol, benzyl alcohol, denatured alcohol, isopropyl alcohol and SD (specially denatrured) alcohol. They can not only be extremely drying, irritating for the skin and cause sun sensitivity but may be cytotoxic and have been suspected to cause contact dermatitis and possibly cancer.  There is a number of SD alcohols approved for uses in cosmetics: SD Alcohol23-A, SD Alcohol-40 and CD Alcohol40-B. On the other hand cetyl (derived from coconut oil), stearyl (also derivative of coconut oil and firming agent) and cetearyl (emulsified wax)  known as fatty alcohols that my be  mostly considered  “good” alcohols.

Nevertheless over-use or prolongue use of the two above chemicals may have some serious health effect and ca certainly prematurely age and dry the skin

So treat your skin well- after all you are wearing it all your life! Use safe and all natural AcnEase that CAN BE USED LONG TERM WITHOUT ANY ADVERSE EFFECTS; beware of overnight cures, miracle skin helpers and “secret formulas” as well as big advertising budgets. Be an educated consumer; read the labels (the FDA requires that label ingredients are listed in the order of highest concentrations - meaning that the highest level of ingredients are listed first) and choose the products with right, safe, efficacious and natural ingredients.