Skincare for Blemishes

Simply put, a blemish is any type of mark, spot, discoloration, or flaw that appears on the skin and something you probably wanted gone yesterday!

The most common skin blemish that always seems to rear its ugly head when you’re trying to look your best is the dreaded acne. Acne appears as pimples, blackheads or white heads and affects most people at some point in their life. Acne is caused by excessive sebum (oil), bacteria or dirt clogging hair follicles. If left untreated it can lead to scarring so it is essential to implement a skincare routine for healthy skin early so you’re not stuck in later years trying to deal with scars. Hormonal changes are widely considered to play a role in the formation of acne. So entering your teen years acne can be a very normal skin struggle that most people will have at some time in their lives

Stress may also make acne worse by increasing sebum production, although it’s not considered to be a root cause of this condition. Both short-term stress and chronic, ongoing stress make blemishes more severe. Chronic stress is by far the worst as it hinders your skin's ability to regenerate and recover from blemishes which means your blemishes will last longer and are more likely to leave post-blemish marks.

After acne, the other common forms of blemishes include:

* Blackheads: a type of clogged pore that forms when dead skin cells combine with debris and excess oil,turning black on the surface of the pore.

* White Bumps: another type of clogged pore often referred to as closed comedones as they’re covered by a thin layer of skin which stops them from turning black.

* Papules: These small to medium-size blemishes look pink to slightly red, have a soft surface, and are filled with fluid and excess oil

* Pustules: occur when papules—the mild type of blemishes—worsen. The initial blemish becomes larger, engorged with more oil and fluid as the skin attempts to deal with the problem on its own. Most teens with blemishes have a mix of papules and pustules.

* Nodules: A collection of tissue that are hard to touch, usually 1 to 2 centimeters in diameter e.g skin tags and warts are examples of nodules.

* Ingrown hair: These are hairs that grow back into the skin and become trapped. This can cause a red bump to form. Ingrown hairs can also turn into large, fluid-filled ingrown hair cysts. These can be red, yellow, or white in appearance.

* Rosacea: A condition that causes redness and often small, red, pus-filled bumps on the face.Rosacea most commonly affects middle-aged women with fair skin. It can be mistaken for acne or other skin conditions.

* Skin Cancer: Skin cancers can range in appearance and in color from dark moles with irregular borders to yellow scabs or raised red bumps. If you have any concerns ask your doctor and especially if you spend lots of time in the sun it's a good habit to get your skin/freckles/spots checked regularly.