With the use of key ingredients like aloe vera, camphor, chamomile, kaolin, licorice, rosemary, sage and yarrow in its Purifying Care Series, Annemarie Börlind puts natural skin care abreast of what "unnatural" can do to improve the health and appearance of your skin. The following article gives some idea of the steps involved in keeping your skin free of acne.

Interesting fact!
85% of American teenagers have blemished skin (20% of American adults do, too).

How do blemishes develop?

1. Normally, oil (sebum) is transported up the follicle and out, carrying shed skin cells.
2. Sometimes the dead cells are not carried up to the skin's surface by the flow of sebum. They begin to clog the pores. This can trigger a reaction called retention hyperkeratosis. As more and more dead cells accumulate, the clog grows.




3. The condition is aggravated by a bacterium known as "Corynebacterium acnes", which feeds off the secretions of the sebaceous gland. The enzyme used in the process produces certain fatty acids as a by-product. These fatty acids irritate the pores and aggravate the acne.




4. If the pore does not become inflamed, it is a blackhead (or comedone). If it becomes inflamed, swelling occurs and the follicle wall ruptures, releasing infection into the surrounding tissue and producing either a pimple or cyst.

How does an effective blemish care program prevent and heal eruptions?

1. Pores must be thoroughly cleansed twice a day with a cleansing lotion designed for acned skin to prevent buildup of sebum and dead skin cells.
2. Exfoliants such as alpha hydroxy acids and salicylic acid prevent accumulation of dead skin cells in the follicle.
3. Antibacterial agents help prevent infection from corynebacterium acnes.
4. Moisturizing products help to normalize oil production to help prevent excess production of sebum.
5. Use of an herbal steam bath helps to melt solidified sebum to allow it to flow out of the follicle.

Why does skin often look worse before it gets better?

1. The plug loosens.
2. The redness and infected tissue beneath are revealed, making it appear that things have become worse.
3. As the blemish heals, increased blood supply is rushed to the area to speed the healing process, causing even more redness.
4. As the blemish heals the skin starts to look better. It can take anywhere from three days to two weeks for the redness to disappear.

Secrets like these eliminate the cause of acne.

1. Use an oil and water emulsion cleanser. The oil in the emulsion can soften hardened sebum on the skin, while water keeps the skin from being dehydrated (dehydrated skin produces more oil, so acne medications which dry your skin are not effective).
2. Use a toner with plant alcohols in it, instead of "isopropyl alcohol", which comes from petrochemicals. Beware of alcohol-based cleansers and toners which you apply "until you see no more traces of dirt" on a pad or cottonball. The brown may be from the skin's good oils reacting with chemicals in the alcohol, not from dirt that is being removed.
3. Use a night cream with ingredients that mix well with oil to prevent the oil on your skin from hardening overnight. Also, make sure the night cream has nourishing ingredients to sustain healthy cell growth.
4. Use a day cream which protects you from environmental pollutants wtih infection-fighting agents and moisture-binding substances like farnesol to discourage excess oil production.

What if you need a quick blemish fix before a dance or a date?
There is no such thing as blemishes disappearing overnight but you can prevent embarrassing eruptions within a few days and heal those already formed by use of an herbal steam bath. Steam the third and seventh days before the important event. A good steam bath with a blend of herbs can unclog the pores and help heal the redness underneath.

Acne Rosacea
If regular treatments for acne don't work, and if the area is inflamed as well as having blemishes, you may have acne rosacea. If you suspect this is the case, see a dermatologist or contact the National Rosacea Society.