KATHMANDU, May 17: Some people are born with beautiful skin, but most of us aren’t. Our skin, being the first defense organ of the body, has to take on the onslaught of dust pollution and scorching sun which results in a plethora of skin problems. The most common of them is acne, and the young are the hardest hit – a fact that experts blame on hormones.
How does acne occur? Acne grows when follicles (the canals through which dead skin cells is excreted) get blocked due to excessive sweating and dirt, both common during summer.
In this edition of the beauty segment, we share with you the basics of acne fighting.
Despite what you’ve probably heard, chocolate and greasy foods have nothing to do with acne. But eating well-balanced meals and drinking water may help your skin look better. And it sure can’t hurt to try!
The things you should completely avoid if you want to stay away from acne are pick, pop, squeeze, or otherwise mess with your skin. Squeezing blemishes or whiteheads can lead to infection or scarring. It almost always makes the acne you have worse. You should never tangle with a whitehead. It’ll go away on its own in a few days anyway. Another important thing is if you’re prone to acne, it is wise to avoid using heavy makeup – in fact, it is preferable to avoid makeup altogether.
Do wash your pillowcase every night and always use clean face towels if you have acne-prone skin. Dirty towels and pillowcases can harbor bacteria and germs that can make acne worse, and always use an antibacterial soap on areas where you have acne.
An easy natural home remedy for acne is the watery gel from Aloe Vera plant. This enzyme-rich gel has soothing anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. It can also be taken internally and helps clean up and detoxify the digestive tract. This, in turn, can help clear up the skin.
PLEASE DESIST FROM ATTACKING THE WRITER PERSONALLY AND BE RESPECTFUL TO OTHER READERS.
Please give your full name while posting your comments. This is not to stifle the free flow of comments but your full name will enable us to print the comments in our newspaper.
![[del.icio.us]](http://images.del.icio.us/static/img/delicious.small.gif){kind=small}
Copyright © Nepal Republic Media Pvt. Ltd. 2008-10.