Nearly Everything You Could Ever Want To Know About Acne
It’s long been a rite of passage that when you start your teenage years, you’ll have acne. For generations people have been living with this tell tale sign of growing up. Most people don’t have terrible acne, and find ways to manage it. Some people take great stock in homeopathic remedies while others embrace modern medicine and use powerful prescription drugs and antibiotics.
The word “acne” itself is borrowed from modern latin. It’s etymology can be traced back to 1835 when it took hold in the medical community. At the time, the latin term acme was used. It meant point. Modern latin adopted the word to Acne, meaning pointed. From there it was simply used to refer to as blemishes on the face.
The word itself has been adopted into american slang. Teenagers, those stricken with acne, have begun to incorporate the word into the parts of the body that are effected by it. “Backne” or “Bacne” is a popular term for blemishes on the shoulders and back. Often times, people will have worse acne on their back because they sweat more there. You might also here incantations of the word used like, “Armne” for the arm, “Neckne” for the neck and “Chestne” for the chest. The vernacular goes far beyond wordplay. Modern slang includes words like pimpe, zit, and pissed off pores.
Acne is not limited to teenagers. Acne can happen to anyone at any age. The common myth is that you “outgrow” acne. While most do outgrow facial blemishes, some do not. Since acne is a problem with the pores, it can strike anyone of any age, anywere they have pores. You’ll see proof of this in the super market tabloids every week. If the condition progresses and gets worse, the acne may leave undesireable astethic problems like scarring and cysts. These problems cannot be remedied with any kind of acne treatment.
Recently, several remedies have come on the market that have been endorsed my major celebrities. Names like Jessica Simpson, and Sean “Puffy” Combs can be seen on television touting the benefits of acne treatment. Though non-prescription, when used properly, these treatments can be effective. Most remedies include a combination of an acid found in aspirin, and Benzoyl Peroxide, a chemical similar to that of hair dye. In fact, Benzoyl peroxide and bleach your hair and skin if you do not use it properly.
Some remedies help with acne even though that’s not their main purpose. Women often times will see better skin if they’re on birth control. The hormones in the birth control helps to regulate some common causes of acne. However, prescription pills aren’t the only remedy. In order to reduce the amount of oil on their skin, people will frequently use “egg” masks. This is just as it sounds. You break an egg into a bowl and mix it up. The egg white actually reduces oil, while the yolk moisturizes your skin. People also report a noticeable increase in the firmness of their skin. The only thing to watch for here is that you do not get any of the egg in your mouth, as raw eggs can carry salmonella.