Wonder-Working Natural Treatment
For Acne and Rosacea
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Testimonials
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Analyzing Causes and Preventions of AcneIntroductionClick on the links to go directly to a particular section.
Separating Causes from PreventionsAs a rule for analyzing in this article, we define preventative measures as anything an average person normally would not do, but goes specifically out of their way in order to prevent the problem from occurring.An example is good hygiene, which we list as a preventative measure for acne. Poor hygiene on the other hand, would not really be considered a cause of acne. If there were large numbers of people who never took showers and rarely cleaned themselves, and as a result of their poor hygiene they had acne, then this would be considered a cause. Causes of Acne
The root cause of acne lies within our genetic programming. While our bodies are capable of producing enough coenzyme A for the break down of fatty acids, they do not. Excessively oily skin is the result. From here it's a chain reaction through the other factors that contribute to acne. Bacteria
Counter Argument Why does acne form as a result of the immune system attacking the bacteria? Does the immune system actually make things worse by attacking the bacteria? Consider the reaction to bacteria similar to how the body reacts to a mosquito bite. After a mosquito bites a person, the germs and bacteria from the mosquito are left in the skin where the bite took place. The immune system reacts to this by sealing off the area and trying to prevent the spread of germs while at the same time trying to destroy them (that's why a bump forms in place of the bite.) With acne however, the immune system has a tendency to make things worse because by sealing off the area, it also seals off the pore. Because the pore is now blocked, there is no place for the oil to go and the lesion becomes even bigger. While normal mosquito bites go away in as little as 24 hours, acne can take over six months to repair itself. Permanent damage and scars are all too often the result. Although the immune system often makes things worse, it is also very necessary. Imagine if the immune system never responded to these irritations. The relatively small bacteria irritations could potentially spread beyond the skin and become much worse. As annoying as it may seem, the immune system response is something that's necessary. Other factors to consider about bacteria. 1. Bacteria can directly contribute to the clogging of pores. 2. Bacteria leaves a waste product behind. That's right. Just as plaque leaves acid on one's teeth from eating sugar, the bacteria on the skin also leaves a byproduct. Have you ever used a cotton ball or cleansing pad to clean your skin and noticed it was left black afterwards? That's not the result of rolling around in the mud. It's part of the byproduct bacteria leaves on your skin. If you were to take the cotton ball to another place on your skin, you wouldn't get the same result. ~While these byproducts don't eat away the skin in the same fashion they do to your teeth, they contribute to the skin irritation, clogging, and the summoning of the immune system. The micro-texture of the skin. Your skin has a certain texture to it, and different people have different textures to their pores. Thus, it's another big factor that's controlled by genetics. However, not only does skin texture vary from person to person, but it also varies throughout the different places on the body. What happens when pores are large and shaped in certain ways? They become more susceptible to bacteria invasion and irritation. ~Not only does the face produce the most oil for bacteria to feed on, but it also has the largest pores. Stress Stress can be a factor in outbreaks but is not very substantial (there are exceptions to this.) Stress weakens the immune system and with it the ability for the body to withstand the bacterial irritation on the skin. When the immune system is weaker it becomes increasingly sloppy and takes longer to neutralize irritations. The longer it takes the bigger the pimple becomes. Healthier immune systems act with more precision. The Immune System If your immune system is lead by someone like Joseph Stalin (the paranoid dictator), then it may just prefer to raise hell against even the smallest of threats. Any bacterial irritation can send this immune system raising arms. Or it may just be sloppy and its attacks poorly executed. Our advice to you is to fire whoever's in charge of your immune system. Mmmmm, not possible huh? Well, you could always try exercising a lot, eating properly, and getting plenty of rest. That will help get your immune system in shape. But then again, that's easier said than done. In reality, increasing the performance of your immune system will only yield minor results. There is a bell curve to this however, so you may have better luck than others. Putting your immune system on antibiotics will show the fullest benefit from having a strong immune system. ~There are characteristics to everyone's immune system that are controlled by genetics and cannot be changed by exercise or antibiotics. For example, you can have an awful immune system and always be getting sick yet have no acne. Or you could have the "best" immune system and never get sick, but still have acne. It's basically a matter of how your immune system deals with bacterial irritation. This is quite possibly the main factor in the immune system that causes acne. Poor Diet Do you sit around eating nachos and Twinkies all day? Is your idea of a balanced meal getting fries with your Big Mac? Do you eat nothing but junk food? Lets face it. You are what you eat, right? But that doesn't necessarily mean your skin releases more oil because of it. There are plenty of beautifully skinned people who eat nothing but junk food, and there are plenty of vegetarians who have horrible skin. There is a correlation however, between people eating healthier and having less acne. It's not very substantial but you can improve your skin this way. If you are one of the few at the end of the bell curve, it could even be quite substantial. The main benefit from eating healthy is improving the immune system. It generally does little for reducing oil production but in some cases it does help (however, there are good counter arguments to this). The majority of dermatologists also agree that diet does not play a substantial role in acne. It has also been our experience, that the vast majority of people are incapable of changing their eating habits for acne alone (for an extended amount of time anyways). Preventative Measures for Acne.Applied Skin Products: Cleansers, Toners, and Topical Treatments.-The idea behind traditional applied skin treatments is to clean the skin of the excess oil and kill the bacteria. These have their drawbacks though. While they're very effective at killing bacteria, the problem is it's impossible to kill them all. They regenerate very quickly. Fast enough indeed that it's only feasible to slow them down. The problem is there's a limit to how often you can wash your skin. If you could wash your skin every hour it would be enough to prevent bacterial re-growth to the point acne wouldn't be possible. Unfortunately, these products would burn away your skin at the same the time. The other target focus of applied products is skin oil. This is the main reason applied products work to the extent they do. By eliminating what the bacteria feed upon it reduces their re-growth. The problem is, again, it's impossible to successfully regulate skin oils this way.
Skin oil has a purpose, which is to keep your skin moisturized. Without it the skin becomes dry and crackly. Too much oil on the other hand, becomes a feasting ground for bacteria. The key to having a clear free face is to maintain the correct amount of oil at all times. Applied products tend to over dry the skin by taking away too much oil. In response the skin actually releases more oil to make up for the difference. For instance, after using cleaners many people find their skin oily in less than an hour after cleansing. As soon as the oil's released again the bacteria go right back to work. Unless you can stop the excess oil from being released in the first place, you're not going to stop the bacteria, and you're not going to stop acne. In addition, drying out the skin will irritate things more when they're already being irritated enough. The constant jumping between being too oily and over dried is something that only puts more strain on your skin. Counter Argument: Then why are there so many people with acne who have dry skin? Although oil is itself moisture (it's partially composed of water), the purpose of oil is to be a protective layer. It retains the moisture underneath the skin and makes it waterproof. You can have oily and dry skin at the same time. When you wash your face it will strip the layer of oil off and dry the skin underneath. When the cells don't have their waterproof layer, guess what happens….they loose their water! Soap loves to eat up the water in skin cells along with the oil and grim. Although oil is itself moisture, it is not the moisture that's comprised inside the actual skin cells. The water inside the cells is much harder to replace. When cells loose too much water they become enflamed, itchy, irritated, and red. Eventually they die and peel off in flakes, which happens to virtually everyone who uses applied products at some point or another. How does the body respond to a bunch of irritated dried out skin cells? It produces more oil. This leads to the skin remaining oily on the surface, but the cells underneath staying dry and thirsty. That moisture takes time to replace. The ideal applied skin product would be one that dissolves oil but does not remove the water from the cells themselves. Afterwards, to prevent the water in the cell from evaporating one could put lip balm or another water proofing substance all over one's face. Bacteria have more trouble eating lip balm. Still, this wouldn't work because it wouldn't stop the skin from releasing oil underneath. Another thing to consider about different applied products is whether they actually effectively get rid of oil. Oil is like butter, and it doesn't come off easily. Soap and cleansers are the best products to do this, not toners and topical treatments. Are your skin oils where they should be? If you can randomly check for oil during different parts of the day and come up oil positive, then it's no wonder you have acne! You can tell if your skin is oily by looking in the mirror and changing angles until you can see shine. Feel your skin carefully and see if it feels oily. If the shine is from water, dry your skin thoroughly and then see if the shine is still there. If you have shoulder or back acne finding this angle is hard, so just see if the skin feels oily. Now rinse your skin thoroughly with water and then dry it thoroughly with a towel. Is the shine and oil still there? Most likely it is, because oil doesn't come off easily. Now use a skin toner or topical treatment (if you're already using one) and apply it to your skin. Dry your skin thoroughly with a towel and see if the shine is still there? It probably is (toners and topical treatments are more for killing bacteria and changing the micro-texture of the skin). If you use soap or a cleanser however, the shine should be gone if you look in the mirror afterwards. Be careful though, because it probably won't stay that way for long. What can you do about the oil that appears within hours after washing? Nothing, because you just cleansed and cleansing again would over dry your skin! There are many applied skin products available on the market. You'll often see infomercials and other ads where a company is trying to convince you that their applied skin product is somehow special and better than the rest. Don't buy into their advertising hype. If you look at the active ingredients most cleansers and toners use the same thing: salicylic acid. They're all basically the same. ConclusionEven though applied skin products have their flaws, they are still a whole lot more effective than doing nothing at all. For most people it was the only reasonable option for managing acne.Vilantae B5 changes that. Antibiotics. This is a step up from the traditional applied treatments. Antibiotics are a prescription only medication. It beefs up your immune system so it can better deal with the bacterial irritation. Although there are many types of antibiotics given for acne, they are still very similar to the antibiotics given after a person has had surgery, an infection, wisdom teeth removed, or any other condition that benefits from having a temporarily stronger immune system. Acne is not something that blows over in six weeks. This is short-term relief at best, and it's not particularly effective. A strong immune system can only assist in preventing acne, it's not going to stop it. Accutane (isotretinion) is generally only used as a last resort when all else fails. It's very powerful and very effective at eliminating acne. See B5 vs Accutane. For Vitamin B5 see B5 vs Accutane. Please Note (Disclaimer) This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read at B5Supplements.com © 2003 Vilantae. All rights reserved. Homepage |
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