Pimples

Do wash your face with a mild soap thrice a day.
Do wash your face often (plain water splashes).
Do steam your face at least twice a week.
Do use a separate face towel and soap.
Do eat a healhty balanced diet rich with fruits and vegetables. It is generally believed that oily food aggravate acne. This is not true.
Do inform your doctor if you are taking any other oral medications like oral contraceptive pills, hormones etc.
Do ask your doctor for any clarification regarding your medications.
Do visit your dermatologist regularly.
DON’Ts
Don’t pinch / pluck at your pimples or even touch them. They can scar.
Don’t stop your medications abruptly without consulting your doctor. Oral medications may have to be taken for at least 5-6 months.
Don’t use any strong medicated soaps.
Don’t use oily cosmetics.
Cosmetic corrective procedures for Acne scars
Chemical Peel : Various chemical agents like Retinoic acid, Trichloracetic acid, Alpha hydroxy acid or Phenol are used to induce exfoliation of superficial layers of skin.
Dermabrasion: Abrading superficial layers of skin using emory or sand paper or motorized dermabrader.
Collagen Injection: Used to fill up and level up skin unevenness and smoothen it.
Excision & Punch Graft: Deep pitted scars can be excised and punch grafted.
Acne, commonly known as ‘Pimples’ is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the pilosebaceous unit (hair follicle and oil producing glands). It is one of the commonest conditions affecting the teenage population. Usually they subside spontaneously within a few years, but a small percentage of them continue to have them even in their early thirties.
Acne is due to various reasons. There is increased stickiness of the cells that line the opening of the hair follicle due to which the sebum which is normally secreted out through thisroute, gets blocked, resulting in the ‘blackhead’. There is also an increased amount of the bacteria ‘Propionibacteria acnes’ which normally resides there in small numbers. There is also increased sebum production due to the hormonal variation that takes place at the time of puberty.
Acne can either be non-inflammatory (just blackheads) or they can progress to larger lesions filled with pus, which ultimately scar. Topical medications in the form of lotions, gels etc. is sufficient for small non inflammatory ones, but once pus filled lesions are present, oral antibiotics are necessary, in addition to the topical medications.
It is very common that almost every woman in a specific time of their lives will develop stretch marks. Others simply have a generic predisposition to stretch marks and get them everywhere and others, never develop stretch marks at all.
They look like reddish lines across the body, and with time they will turn white. In pregnancy it is common to have them since the skin is stretching very rapidly to accommodate the baby and the milk stored in the breasts.
Once the stretch marks develop they will stay with you forever; but with time they will be less noticeable. The only way to avoid stretch marks is preventing them.
We recommend:
It is very important to exercise in order to get rid of stretch marks; toning your muscles helps your skin to remain firm thus preventing stretch marks.
Make sure your diet contains plenty of protein and foods rich in Vitamin C and Vitamin E, they promote good tissue growth.
Massaging your body with olive oil or Vitamin E may help.
You can also try this homemade recipe: Mix one ounce of carrier oil (try avocado, sweet almond, jojoba, they are the best) with seven drops of lavender and five drops of chamomile.
Apply cocoa butter and/ or elastin cream throughout the body as directed on label. These are very good for stretch marks.
Here is another good recipe:
1/2 cup virgin olive oil.
1/4 cup aloe vera gel.
liquid from 6 capsules of Vitamin E.
liquid from 4 capsules of Vitamin A.
Mix all the ingredients together in a blender. After that pour the mixture into a jar and store it in the fridge. Apply the oil externally all over the places where the stretch marks commonly appear (abdomen, hips, thighs and breasts). If you do this consistently every day, you may prevent stretch marks.
FOR BLACKHEADS
Though blackheads are a problem with all skin types, oily and combination skins are most susceptible to these. Blackheads are caused when sebum (the skin’s natural oil) collects and hardens in the pores. The exposed tip becomes oxidized and black, hence the name - blackheads.
Here are some tips to prevent and remove these unsightly ghouls:
l Cleansing is of utmost importance. Use a cleansing lotion or milk, which is meant for oily skin. Or use a medicated soap. Avoid washing the face with soap more than twice a day.
l A mild astringent should be used to reduce oiliness. Mix some rose water in the astringent if you find it too harsh or strong.
l Use a facial scrub to keep skin pores oil free. You can mix oatmeal or rice flour with curd and use it to rub the skin gently. But, remember to wash your face well with water. For oily skin, use scrub three to four times a week.