Beauty is a part of everyone’s life, and we all get influenced by the appearance of others. Acne, or pimples are a huge reason to feel miserable with how we look. Most teenagers with acne feel embarrassed among their peers.
What’s the big deal?
Yeah… It definitely is a deal. A Big Deal! When you you look yourself in the mirror, and a pimple gives a gaze back at you, you get that urge. You really want to squeeze the puss out of it and get rid of it, especially because pimples show up at the wrong time.
Battling Acne…
Vijita (Name Changed) was one of those pretty looking girls of her college until she suddenly started getting pimples which only increased. She was an Arts student and was into theatre as well. Her dream was to become an actress of the B- Town, which she saw falling when all the regular remedies did not work. She eventually started feeling low and neglected as her friends started commenting on her pimples. Vijita started avoiding people and missing out on her classes which had a great impact on her studies as she was a bright student. She did not know what to do, to get rid of her pimples.
The psychological and social impact of having acne is a huge concern for most teenagers these days… This happens because adolescents are building their personalities during their early teens and presentable appearance plays a crucial role…
Vijita’s friend from school met her after a long time at a common gathering where she noticed her, trying to hide herself and avoid a conversation. She made it a point to figure out Vijita’s problem and wanted to fix it. Vijita finally gained some confidence to make some more efforts to help herself and visited Ambrosia Clinic…
When Vijita first came for her consultation, She was under the misconception that she would never get rid of the marks on her face. She had no hopes on being able to get back her pretty face again.
Here’s what we explained to her…
Acne is a common and natural phenomena that happens due to hormonal changes in the body, or other factors like infections and pollution etc.
What is acne/ pimples and how does it occur?
Skin has pores that produce natural moisturising oils in our skin. Acne form when these pores get blocked. Our skin contains sebaceous glands that produce sebum, an oily substance that keeps our skin and hair well lubricated and moisturised. Sebum travels from the pores up to the skin and protects the skin from drying out. The hair follicles on our skin routinely shed away dead skin cells, which is carried out of the body along with sebum. Sometimes when the body produces extra sebum and dead cells, they can stick to each other and clog the pores. This causes skin blemishes and inflammations which become pimples.
Types of Pimples
- Whiteheads: Whiteheads form when the dead skin cells, skin oil (sebum), and bacteria get trapped together at the neck of your skin pores.
- Blackheads: Blackheads are a result of hair follicles in our skin getting clogged. Blackheads appear to be bumpy and dark in colour.
- Papules: Papules are elevations of the skin that do not contain any fluid like other pimples like a pustule.
- Pustules: Pustules are small bumps on the skin with pus filled in it. This happens due to bacteria and dead skin clogging the pores together.
- Nodules & Cysts: Nodules are hard acne that are rooted deep within the skin. They’re similar to cysts, Nodules acne usually occur in large areas of your skin (like the chest and back).
Treating Acne
Acne can become severe if not treated the right way. It’s important to get yourself checked by your doctor instead of self treatment or beauty parlour treatments to avoid major problems.
Stage 1 (mild pimples): Special face wash , creams are prescribed to take away oil
Stage 2 (severe acne): Oral antibiotics or Isotretinoin tablets to dry up the pimples
Stage 3 (spots and pigmentation): ZO peels, chemical peels, microdermabrasion
Stage 4 (pits): Microneedling, PRP, laser (fractional), subcision
These are a few common mistakes most of us normally make. The myth is that practicing these, will eventually get the pimples to vanish over time. But as a matter of fact, these can be reasons for the acne to become severe cysts and then leave marks on the face…
- Rubbing face with scrubs – homemade or market — scrubs stimulate more oil production and irritate skin
- Self treatment /TV ads – many types of creams and makeup increase acne.
- If u are trying something and it’s not working-see the doc.
- Steaming – no use, may irritate skin
- Needling of pimples at home
- Using nails to pop pimples can leave scars
- Excessive usage of blackhead removal strips don’t work. Excess removal in parlour also irritates. Treatment should be gentle and should reduce the oil.
- Excess rubbing with towel-reusing/sharing towel
- Applying oil in hair
- Touching the face whole day with dirty hands
- Getting depressed about acne – they can be cured
Here are some tips to control acne/ pimples. Following these tips can help you detoxify yourself and avoid acne causing a havoc in your life:
- Control dandruff, keep hair oil free-wash daily.
- Avoid parlour treatments/bleach, massage etc. Your skin might be sensitive to the the creams they use.
- Men must use an electric shaver to avoid infections.
- Check on what you eat… what food causes breakout…Dairy products, chocolates, junk food
- Eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. Drink lots of water, as water helps in flushing out toxins from the body.
- Use a good sunscreen
- Use creams as prescribed by the doctor. Don’t lose heart if results are not immediate.
- Treat pimples early to avoid more problems and acne scars etc.
Pimples are just another part of our lives. Some are blessed that they do not face pimply issues, but for many others who do, we have a solution to it just like Vijita found one!
Vijita has been under treatment for the last few months and is witnessing wonderful results. Her lost confidence has started to come back and she has started to relive her dream again!
About clinic and doctor
Dr. Priti Shukla is the best female cosmetic surgeons in Hyderabad. She has 18 years of experience in cosmetic plastic surgery and thousands of satisfied patients. Ambrosia Clinic is leading skin plastic surgery clinic of Hyderabad since 2009. Our team of dermatologist and Plastic surgeons at Ambrosia clinic offer services like hair transplantation, laser, skin care and plastic surgery.