Inflammation and Acne

Acne is known as an inflammatory condition that is usually caused by blocked pores. The appearance of acne is usually red, irritable looking pimples and they can be inflamed at any time for a number of reasons. It is the inflammation which characterizes acne, so what exactly is it and how can it be prevented?

Understanding Inflammation

Inflammation is a response which is provided by the immune system, in an attempt to defend the body against infection. It causes pain, swelling and redness, though in acne it is usually the redness which mainly affects people who are suffering with it.

The main problem which acne sufferers face with inflammation is the fact that it can leave scarring. In many people with severe acne, the inflammation is so severe that it does leave quite a lot of scarring and that can have a really bad impact on the person suffering from acne. So if you do have bad acne inflammation, what exactly can you do about it?

Preventing Inflammation

Now whilst the body causes inflammation in an attempt to protect itself, it does not unfortunately look good. Also, whilst inflammation will not necessarily leave you with acne scarring, there is a chance that it will and so preventing it from occurring in the first place is often a good idea.

One of the main ways in which you can decrease inflammation, is through taking in more anti oxidants into the body. Antioxidants are found in various foods and they help to protect the body against all kinds of health problems. The acne vitamins which you should mainly focus on increasing are Vitamin A, C and E as they help to reduce free radical damage and also reduce the appearance of inflammation.

Another main cause of inflammation around acne pimples is through you touching them. Most people are brought up to believe that squeezing spots will help to get rid of them, but in fact it can make the problem a whole lot worse. By squeezing or touching acne lesions, it often irritates them even more and causes inflammation. So even if the sight of your pimples is really annoying you, avoid touching them at all costs, otherwise you could end up making the problem worse.

Ensure that all excess oil is removed from your skin. If your pores stay clogged then the inflammation will continue to be a problem, so it is better to cleanse your skin and stop any excess oils from building up. You can get clay masks which are really good at soaking up excess oils, or using a mild cleanser twice daily and a good foundation will also really help.

Overall inflammation can be caused by a number of factors but it can be prevented if you take certain precautions. Increasing antioxidants, not picking or touching your spots and removing excess oil from the skin will all help to reduce the amount of inflammation that your acne causes. So, if you were wondering why inflammation occurs when you have acne, hopefully now you will have a better idea of how to recognize it and how to prevent it too.