Skin disorders
Acne
A chronic inflammatory condition which commonly affects face, back and neck. Acne begins with the blockage of a pore which usually begins life as a blackhead. As debris builds up and leaks into the skin layers, it causes an irritating effect and an inflammatory reaction in the shape of a red papule or spot. This can sometimes lead onto the presence of pus which forms the pimple. Bacteria can also develop at this stage and cause many of these spots to occur. This is what separates the Acne condition from just problem skin with the odd few pimples. This usually needs medical treatments in the form of topical lotions or tablets prescribed by the doctor. For more mild cases of spot out breaks, please see our article on basic skincare and advanced skincare for products and advice.
Rosacea
The vessels on the nose and cheeks are the most affected by this condition and give a flushed red appearance, like acne, it is caused by blockage and build up of sebum (natural oils our skin produces). This can be particularly worse after the intake of food or due to a change in the temperature. This disease can be disfiguring as the skin surface becomes lumpy and thickened with spots and pimples although this doesn’t often occur in people before the age of 30. Again this usually requires medical supervision but a good skincare routine can help (see skin care articles).
Eczema (Dermatitis)
This is an irritating skin disorder characterised by flaky dry patches of white or red skin. It can be very painful and itchy and can be caused by external factors such as weather or product reactions or by internal factors such as medication of being unwell. There are lots of creams and lotions available to help soothe and treat this condition and when choosing products to use in a skin care routine, sufferers would be advised to use very mild, un-perfumed products designed especially for sensitive skin.
Psoriasis
A chronic inflammatory disease characterised by reddish patches of skin covered by silvery scales of dead skin. Tiny bleeding points can also be seen in these silvery patches. It is thought that emotional distress can cause a flare up and whilst the disease can affect any part of the body, it is most commonly found on knees and elbows and can sometimes attack the nail causing a pitted effect. As with Eczema, there are medicated products that help to treat this condition.
Cold Sores
Its proper name is Herpes Simplex and is quite a common condition. It is an acute, viral, inflammatory infection of the skin. It usually appears as a swollen shiny or slightly scab like vesicle with an inflamed base. They are most commonly found around the mouth or nostril and usually appear when the person is suffering from a cold or fever. They are contagious but there are many great over the counter medicines that can treat the problem. You may just have very dry or chapped lips and this can be treated by using a good lip balm or alternatively you may like to use a lip product to prevent your lips from drying and chapping and keep them kiss-ably smooth! (Anthony sport - lip balm)
If you think you may be suffering from any of the above it is important you see your doctor and consult them before making any changes to your skincare routine.
These next complaints are more common in the skin especially on the face and can be treated and prevented using specialist products and a good skin care routine. Please see our related articles on basic and advanced skin care
Spots
A build up of dirt, oil and grease can collect in the pores of the skin which become inflamed causing a spot filled with pus. Try and not to squeeze the spot as this can cause infection and even permanent scarring but if you do find you have to then try steaming your face over a hot bowl of water to soften the skin and then using clean, dry toilet paper wrapped around your fingers, gently squeeze the spot until you get the core of the pimple out. You will usually know when this happen as you will have the ‘popping’ feeling in your skin and a small solid hard lump will have been discharged and this sometimes follows with a small amount of bleeding. Do not touch the open pore and leave it to form its only natural protection barrier.
Blackheads
These form the same way as spots although do not get infected and so the dirt and grease built up in the pore and this can be seen by the black dot which is all the debris build up. The only way to remove these is to squeeze them out, but again follow the spot squeezing procedure. These won’t have any core but you can tell when all the debris is out at the matter will curl out in a small worm like manner and once this stops you know it has all been removed. Rather than leaving the skin after this it is a good idea to them do and wash your face with a bacterial fighting facial wash and then splash with cold water as this will help to shrink the pores and make the smaller to prevent them getting a debris build up again.
Dry Skin
Facial skin may feel very tight and sore and display signs of flaking and dry or itchy patches. This may also be caused by sensitivity you have to certain products you are using on your face, weather conditions, central heating or if you are stressed or unwell.
Try to use mild, un-perfumed products which are especially designed for sensitive skin and use lots of moisturising cream to alleviate the symptoms. Always rub the cream in well and especially to the dry areas.
Oily Skin
This is usually caused by an over-production of oil from the skin. Try and not to wash using water too often as this can dry out the skin causing the oil producing glands to go into overtime making your skin even worse. Instead use some special products designed to control oil production and also avoid moisturisers that are oil based as again these will just make the situation worse and can make your skin look shinier and increase the numbers of spots or blackheads you have.
To see what type of skin you may in order for you to select the right products
to buy, please refer to our article on skin
types