What is the best treatment option for pimples?
Pimple otherwise known as acne is an inflammatory skin condition that involves the sebaceous glands of the skin. It is usually characterized by papules or comedones.
To break the main terms down; a Papule is a small inflamed elevation of the skin that is nonsuppurative. Papules in the case of acne get ripen and discharge pus when squeezed. A Comedone popularly known as a blackhead on the other hand is a black-tipped plug clogging a pore of the skin. These definitions will be much useful in understanding the causes and treatment options for pimples.
There are many schools of thoughts on the cause of acne. Nobody is particularly sure about the main cause; however it is believed that pimples are caused by bacteria that penetrate the pores of the skin. This action leads to the generation of pus within the pores that eventually cause the swelling of the skin surface. Therefore, anything that will attract bacteria to the surface of the skin is a potential cause of pimple.
Another possible cause of pimple is the hormonal response of the body. The rise of the hormone Androgen whose level increases during adolescent years has also been identified as a possible reason why pimple is common in adolescents. This hormone increases the size of the oil glands in the skin and makes the oil glands produce more oil. Excess sebum content can cause the cellular walls to break down and make bacteria grow under your skin.
Acne is also common in females during the monthly menstrual cycles basically due to hormonal changes in the body system. It should however be noted that some people still develop this skin condition even during their adult years. Acne susceptibility in some people can be genetic while hormonal changes during pregnancy can also lead to acne breakout in women for the first time or a reoccurrence of this skin condition.
To get rid of pimples in your skin, there are many treatment options you can explore. This may vary with individuals and you may need to try more than one option to get to know what works best for you. However regardless of the option you choose, there are daily healthy actions that cut across all treatment options. This includes:
Learning to wash your skin regularly with water and antiseptic soaps at twice daily to get rid of bacteria from your skin surface.
Do not squeeze the blackheads or whiteheads when they appear. This tends to spread the pus and cause new ones to develop.
Wash your hair regularly and avoid hair follicles from touching your face.
Avoid wearing too much makeup and use more of water based cosmetics.
With the above being general treatment options, there are other home-made remedies, OTC's, Laser Treatment options to mention a few that can be explored.
For home made remedies, it has been suggested that the application of toothpaste over swellings reduce swelling dramatically. Preparing a paste of ginger or nutmeg and applying over the pimples has also been observed to help mild acne conditions.
There are many medications that can be used to get rid of pimples especially in sever conditions. Combinations of oral antibiotics and topical antibiotics have produced visible results in many patients. Common oral antibiotics include Tetracyclines. You should however take antibiotics with a lot of caution and on your doctor's advisement.
References:
Wordweb dictionary
How to get rid of pimples (http://howtogetridofpimples360.com)
Acne treatment by Dr Ananya Mandal, MD (http://www.news-medical.net/health/Acne-Treatments.aspx)
About the Author
I am a keen researcher into skin diseases and related treatment options. Fell free to contact me on issues related to this.