Using Natural Skin Care Products on Acne

Acne causes unsightly pimples and lesions on your skin, but what causes acne and how can it be prevented? Although the causes of acne are sometimes misunderstood or unknown, there are many natural skin care products designed to help acne. There are many myths and natural skin care techniques which target the treatment of acne.

First, one myth is acne is caused by eating fatty foods or chocolate. In fact one of the principal treatments for acne is best taken with fatty foods. Acne is not directly related to the foods you eat but more to the chemical reaction the food causes in your body. It is not a disease but a skin condition, though bacterial activity is a significant factor. This means it can be treated topically with a natural skin care product.

Natural skin care treatments are most effective when you understand more of the skin condition. Acne can be broken into three specific areas. Acne is basically caused by a sticky plug of oily sebum and dead skin cells blocking up your follicles and skin pores, and becoming infected by bacteria.

The bacteria triggers your immune response to kill the bacteria and also sets off the inflammatory response that causes the inflammation, swelling and redness. All of these reactions are intended to kill off the bacteria, but they also cause you pain and distress as a result. Using a natural skin care product can help to reduce the bacteria and inflammation associated with a break out.

To understand acne you must first understand each of these three components (sebum, dead skin cells and bacteria).

Sebum
Sebum is a natural skin oil, which is generated by the sebaceous glands, and it both protects and waterproofs your skin and hair. The sebum can mix with dead skin cells inside a hair follicle and forms a plug in the follicle (pore). At puberty the increase in sebum accelerates the formation of plugs in the pores, and also speeds up the multiplication of the bacteria on your skin. Natural skin care will help to balance the oil on the skin and reduce the natural bacteria growth. Specifically natural skin care products like grape seed extract will act as an anti-inflammatory antimicrobial treatment.

Skin Cells
Skin cells have a short life, and your skin surface renews itself every two or three weeks. The dead skin cells generally get washed off, but they can also form in the pores of your skin and mix with the sebum to form a gooey mass. You can help to avoid this through regular use of a natural skin care exfoliating body scrub, using a mild natural facial version for your face. You can also use natural skin care products with Vitamin A to flake your dead skin off, again helping to prevent it from mixing with the sebum.

Bacteria
Bacteria grows naturally on your skin, and normally do no harm as long as they are not of a dangerous kind. The bacterium responsible for acne is known as Propionibacterium acnes, and produce substances that initiate your immune system. A good natural body wash or antibacterial soap will help to prevent this from happening.

Although the actual reasons for the onset of acne are unknown, the reason why acne causes the symptoms that you experience are well known. Natural skin care products have been developed as an effective natural treatment for acne. With proper natural skin care and understanding the causes, there is a good chance that your acne condition can be managed successfully.