Introduction/What is acne?
Acne - colloquially known as "zits", "pimples" or "flaws" are a common problem amongst teenagers and young adults in the world today. It can occur on the face, neck, back/shoulder area and chest area. Nearly anywhere you go you will see people suffering from Acne of all ages, however, you are more likely to get acne as a teenager due to a various list of reasons that I will go into in this guide. As I have said, teenagers (13-19) are the highest age group in which people will suffer from acne. It has been reported that 80% of teenagers will experience acne in some form from mild to severe acne or blackheads to whiteheads. This can cause alot of problems for people like self-confidence issues, emotional stress and social problems. Nobody likes acne as it is not exactly a pretty thing and most if not all sufferers will be seeking advice, tips and help on this common problem. I'm going to try and give everyone reading this some advice and help on this topic.



Types of acne
Acne comes in many shapes, sizes, forms and colours.
The are 2 different types of acne known as inflammatory and non-inflammatory. With non-inflammatory there are 2 types of acne:
"whitehead";


"blackhead";


Both of these non-inflammatory types are known as mild acne as they are generally small and are singular or come in very small groups unlike inflammed acne.

Aswell as non-inflammatory acne there is inflammatory acne:
(In order of severity)
Papule;

~Least severe because usually is the smallest and least pus-filled type of inflammatory acne.

Pustule;

~Pustule is probably the most common type of inflammatory acne amongst sufferers and can often come in groups.


Cystic;

~Cystic acne is the most severe form of acne and is a severe inflammatory reaction in the skin which can result in very big pus filled regions on the skin. Cystic can also be very painful and come in groups.





Causes of acne
Although the causes are different with everyone, most causes of acne are known and can be combatted.
The most common causes of acne are:

Stress - Stressing out to much has an effect on your balance of hormones which means an imbalance of hormones. Imbalanced hormones are a known source to trigger acne.

Lack of sleep - This can be completely true with some people as lack of sleep does not allow enough time for the skin to rejuvanate.

Not drinking enough water - If you are lacking fluid in your body then your skin is lacking in much needed moisture to flush out oils and pus in your skin.

Unwashed face - Not washing your face will mean that you are not cleansing out your pores which builds up oil and pus in your skin leading to breakouts of pimples!

Kitchen work - If you are working in a kitchen cooking food this can also block your pores by build up of oil which can also breakout.

Dirty Pillows - Dirty unwashed pillows have all your facial oil on it from nights sleeping on it - once again putting your face back on it will clog up your pores.

Sweat - Again, it will clog up your pores.

Foods - Foods high in oil tend to give people acne and foods with large amounts of sugar. Foods containting Citrus are also a known factor of acne.

Hereditary - Your acne problem has been inherited through a parent of yours, there is nothing much you can do about this .

Weather - Types of weather have also been known to cause acne for some people, people effected this way may be allergies to do with temperature/sun light etc.


These are not all causes of acne but are the most common amongst suffers. Causes will be different with every individual. Read on to see how to prevent.




Preventing and getting rid of acne
There are many prevention techniques on acne. The easiest way to prevent is by living a healthy, hygenic life!
Easy prevention tips
-Try to get a minimum of 8 hours sleep per day
-Drink 8 glasses of water per day
-Be happy!
-Wash your face with lukewarm water every morning + night
-If you have just been working with food in a kitchen, rinse your face
-Avoid foods high in oil and sugar
-Eat 5+ a day of vegetables or fruit
-Wash pillow cases every 2 weeks
-After playing sport, rinse your face
-Do not pick your pimples! This can lead to serious scarring that may be there for life!

If you are experiencing acne, remember, you are not alone. There are literally hundreds of known ways to treat & beat acne.

If you are experiencing mild-moderate acne(see above) some common treatments are:
-Benzoyl Peroxide 2.5% to 10% dosages
-Tea tree oil
-Clearasil
-Proactiv
-Time...

For Severe acne (see above) some common treatments are:
-Accutane
-Laser surgery
-Time...

I am not a professional so do not buy/use these products unless consulting a health professional, this is merely advice.




Conclusion
So, now you've read the guide and hopefully you have learnt something. As i've said before acne is a huge problem all around the world. Most people will experience it, and it's usually not a very good experience! Remember if you buy any treatment/medication to follow the directions closely to how they are said. Before judging people based on their skin, think about the personal challenges they may be battling, whether it be emotional stress, embarassment etc. If you are suffering, remember that you are not alone and there is alot of help and advice for you.
Some good websites with alot of information/tips/help/advice on acne are:
www.acne.org
www.stoppickingonme.com
I hope this guide helped!


~Please leave me comments & feedback on this guide so maybe I can improve it or if I have made an error I can correct it. Thankyou.

This Guide helped me out Thanks I didnt know why i got spots :O

This is such a bk guide aha Thumbs up for this.

This is such a good guide, yet small errors has made it fail to achieve it's full potential. Pictures were perfect, but layout, you should have centered it, it makes it easier to read. You also did not use any color which again makes it easier to read. Colorless guides appear dull, majority of the time. The information was good, not many guides are as informative as this. Sadly, I feel you crowded too many pictures at the beginning, and then deprived the latter part of it. All in all, a decent guide, but based on what I see it could've been much better with some adjustments.

Hope this helped.

Sweet guide. Was very informative, thanks!

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