ACNE RESOURCES
Acne Skin Resources
There are many different forms of acne ranging from mild to severe, it is important to understand what form of acne you have in order to treat it properly. Acne is initiated when excess oil and dead skin cells combine to plug the pore of a hair follicle; behind the plugged pore, bacteria grow and multiply, triggering inflammation and swelling. Acne can range in severity in conjunction with external factors and hormones. Acne Vulgaris is the most common form of acne. Mild to moderate Acne Vulgaris consists of blackheads, whiteheads, papules and pustules. While severe Acne Vulgaris is characterized by mild to moderate Acne Vulgaris along with nodules and cysts.
Acne Skin
Acne Vulgaris (mild to moderate) includes blackheads, whiteheads, papules and pustules.
Severe Acne Vulgaris
Natural acne skin care is the care of the skin (the largest organ of the body) using naturally-derived ingredients (such as herbs, roots, essential oils and flowers) combined with naturally occurring carrier agents, preservatives, surfactants, humectants and emulsifiers (everything from natural soap to oils to pure water). The classic definition of natural skin care is based on using botanically sourced ingredients currently existing in or formed by nature, without the use of synthetic chemicals, and manufactured in such a way to preserve the integrity of the ingredients.
Some examples of natural skin care ingredients include jojoba, safflower oil, rose hip seed oil, shea butter, beeswax, witch hazel, aloe vera, tea tree oil, and chamomile. Many of these natural ingredient combinations can be tailored specifically to the individual’s skin type or skin condition.
Natural skin care goes beyond the application of products on one’s skin. It also pertains to a holistic philosophy surrounding the holistic care of one’s body. This includes the belief that what is ingested will affects all aspects of health, including the health of skin. People who use natural skin care products are less concerned with artificial beauty enhancements, as they feel that natural beauty is healthy beauty.
There is, however, no actual definition of natural according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). All ingredients are chemicals by definition. “Derived” ingredients are unnatural both according to the original substance and the method of derivation. Despite pressure from advocacy groups such as The Environmental Working Group (EWG) the FDA has not defined what natural is or how to achieve it. Contrary to popular belief the FDA does not regulate the sale of skin care and cosmetic products before they are sold.
The FDA recommends understanding the ingredient label and says “There is no list of ingredients that can be guaranteed not to cause allergic reactions, so consumers who are prone to allergies should pay careful attention to what they use on their skin.” Food preservatives are commonly used to preserve the safety and efficacy in these standard products.
For further information or research see the links below:
ACNE LINKS
Acne Resource Center http://www.acne-resource.org/
Acne Medline Plus www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/acne.html
Acne Resources for Skin Treatment http://www.skinacnetreatments.com/
American Academy of Dermatology – Acne www.aad.org/public/publications/…/common_acne.html
Rosacea: http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/common_rosacea.html
Acne Net, Skincare Physicians http://www.skincarephysicians.com/acnenet/
Medline Plus – Acne http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/acne.html
American Family Physician – Acne http://www.aafp.org/afp/2004/0501/p2123.html
National Guideline Clearinghouse – Acne http://www.guideline.gov/summary/summary.aspx?doc_id=10797
General Health:
Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database by Environmental Working Group
WebMD Healthcare information site
www.health.gov is a portal to the Web sites of a number of multi-agency health initiatives and activities of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other Federal departments and agencies
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Healthfinder.gov – daily health news, quick guide to healthy living, sponsored by the National Health Information Center
Medline Plus – Health Information – A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health
National Women’s Health Information Center
PubMed comprises more than 19 million citations for biomedical articles from MEDLINE and life science journals.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
PLoS Medicine is an open-access, peer-reviewed medical journal publishing important original research and analysis www.plosmedicine.org
The Lancet is the world’s leading general medical journal and specialty journals www.thelancet.com
The New England Journal of Medicine: Research & Review Articles
The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) is a weekly general medical journal that publishes new medical research findings, review articles, and editorial content
JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association
JAMA is a highly cited weekly medical journal that publishes articles on Health Care
