Chest Acne
A Cure For Chest Acne?
Chest acne is a skin disorder that affects roughly half of the population. It affects slightly more women than men, and contrary to what is commonly believed, affects adults as well as teens. This disorder can at times affect a person only slightly, while another person may have a very severe case. Some have outbreaks which may last for some time and then disappear forever, while others suffer outbreaks or flare-ups fairly frequently, and for years.
Is there a cure for chest acne? The answer is no. The reason is, the cause of this disorder remains unknown. It's difficult to cure anything when the cause is not known, and the disorder can happen to anyone at any time. It's a little like the ongoing attempt to find a cure for the common cold. We know a great deal about the viruses responsible for causing a cold, but not enough about how the viruses managed to get a foothold, to be able to devise a cure. Fortunately chest acne is for the most part treatable. Symptoms can be reduced significantly, and in some cases completely eliminated, but there's no guarantee they won't return.
Clogged Pores An Issue - Our skin contains numerous pores, there being more pores in some areas than in others. Underneath the outer layer of skin are sebaceous glands which produce and excrete an oily liquid called sebum, which has a moisturizing effect on the skin. In some instances, these glands produce an excessive amount of sebum, which then combines with dead skin cells to eventually block a pore. This leads to an eruption which can become inflamed and if disturbed, can become infected. The reason a cure has not been found is that it is not known what lies behind the overproduction of sebum. If that could be determined and the excess could be eliminated, a cure for chest acne could probably be found. While disturbing the inflamed area can result in an infection, there is a bacteria, propionibacterium acnes, which is almost always in the neighborhood, and thrives in a collection of sebum and dead cells in the clogged pore, and becomes the prime reason behind an infection.
When treating chest acne, we are trying to do two things. One is to reduce the inflammation, which is accomplished by killing the bacteria present, and the other is an attempt to unclog the pores and keep them that way. The difficulty of course lies in the fact that the overproduction of sebum will probably cause pores to clog up again. Even though treatment can't completely stop this process, if it could it would be a cure, it can at least slow the process down.
Many Treatments Available - Fortunately, there are all kinds of treatments available, ranging from prescription medication, to over the counter medications, to home remedies. One thing to bear in mind is to be a little skeptical about any product claiming to provide a cure, since there is no such thing. That doesn't mean however that some products can't be highly effective as a treatment. There are antibacterial soaps, are often quite effective and generally to be recommended, and many topical cremes and lotions containing benzoyl peroxide, a potent oxidizing and antibacterial agent, and one which tends to keep inflammation down.
A “Banquet” Of Treatments - Home remedies abound. A collection of these is a little like reading a page or two out of “Joy of Cooking". Among the things one can put on the skin to treat chest acne are cucumbers (noted as a skin conditioner), avocado paste, cooked oatmeal, egg whites, a honey and cucumber mixture, and even toothpaste. Most of these are to be applied to the chest and left on for half an hour to an hour before rinsing off (don't go to bed forgetting to wash it off!). A carrot and cucumber juice mixture is a remedy to be taken orally, or one could just eat some of each vegetable. There are herbal remedies as well, including crushed bay leaves boiled in water, lavender, good for dealing with areas of irritation, and basil, brewed as a tea and rubbed on the chest.
Home remedies would naturally be the least expensive, though the thought of wearing an oatmeal coating on the chest for an hour or more might tempt one to head for the pharmacy instead and see what's available on the shelves. One may need to try more than one remedy before settling on one that works the best, but the choices are there.