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Many people are not aware about the impact that Accutane (isotretinoin) has on pregnant women. The drug medication is so powerful it can have a very serious effect on the unborn baby in the womb. The use of the Accutane capsule is the main culprit in this case because it’s easily accessible and can be used in practically any situation. Women should therefore make it their responsibility to know: How does Accutane affect pregnant women? Read on to find out.

Essential alert warnings for women regarding Accutane Usage

Pregnant women are strongly advised not to use isotretinoin when they are with child. In addition they equally cautioned not to become pregnant while they are taking Accutane for treatment.

The reason for these warnings is for preventing very serious incidents from happening. It has been known that pregnancy and Accutane usage don’t go together.

When a woman takes this drug medication, very serious things can happen such as birth defects and miscarriages that can result in fatal consequences. Premature births have also taken place as a result of using the drug during pregnancy.

In order to prevent these serious incidents from happening, couples should abstain entirely from having sexual union or use two types of very reliable forms of birth control.

The two types of birth control should be put into practice by the couple a full 1 month before starting the Accutane treatment and for another month after the cessation of the treatment.

You should also need to attend a monthly counseling session with your doctor and as an added safeguard you shouldn’t use “mini-pills” because they may be ineffective against isotretinoin.

If your menstruation is late, or if you have sex without using reliable birth control methods, you should stop taking the medication and immediately contact your doctor or pharmacist

If you happen to be living in any other country outside the US, you should consult your doctor and pharmacist for your own specific directions.

Using the Accutane capsule

Accutane capsules are used for treating severe cystic acne which has not responded to other treatments as used on the skin such as benzoyl peroxide or clindamycin or tetracycline or minocycline (taken orally).

You should closely read the guide for yourmedication provided by your pharmacist before you begin your Isotretinoin (Accutane) treatment and each time you replenish your supply of capsules.

Make sure you sign the Patient Information/Informed Consent form prior to starting your treatment. Should you have more questions on Accutane (isotretinoin), consult your doctor or pharmacist.

Don’t cut or chew the capsules but swallow them whole and take them twice day for 15 to 20 weeks always following what your doctor directs you to do.

Normally, most generic versions of Accutane (isotretinoin) should be taken with meals but brands such as Absorica, may be taken with or without food.

The presence of food increases the absorption rate of the drug into the bloodstream but if you have doubts, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Make sure you take the capsule with a full glass of water and avoid lying down for about 10 minutes after drinking your drug medication.

Your doctor or pharmacist can prescribe your dosage after information on your weight, condition and response to treatment have been studied.

Don’t be alarmed if your acne appears to worsen for the first two days because it takes about 1 to 2 months before the drug begins to work on your acne.

If by any chance severe acne breakouts appear again, a second round of treatment should be activated after two months have lapsed after the end of the first treatment.

It has been a known practice by the manufacturers of Accutane (isotretinoin) not to recommend the long-term use of isotretinoin. It is strongly recommended that you shouldn’t take more than what has been recommended.

The potency of Accutane (isotretinoin)

You should always remember that the effect of Accutane (isotretinoin) when used without proper guidance can cause lots of problems which you’d want to avoid.

Accutane (isotretinoin) is a highly potent drug medication which can be absorbed through the skinand lungs and can also be passed on to an unborn baby inside the womb.

For this reason, women who are pregnant or who may become pregnant during the course of their drug treatment should not handle or take the medication or even breathe the dust from the capsules.

You should be aware that failure to know these facts and to take appropriate measures to avoid them may result in dire consequences for yourself during birth and for the unborn baby in your womb.

As already stated earlier on, the results of not taking precautionary measures by women can have serious results.

There may be serious birth defects that can be fatal to the child and there’s always the possibility of a miscarriage happening.

Sometimes even premature births have resulted from the use of the Accutane (isotretinoin) during pregnancy. It’s better to be sure than to be sorry later on.

The best way to avoid being pregnant during the course of a drug treatment is to abstain from having sexual union or to use very reliable methods of birth control.

The most appropriate birth control methods that you can use to prevent you from becoming pregnant are the birth control pills which are taken orally according to the directions that go with the prescription.

The second is a barrier method which usually involves the use of a gadget that prevents the male sperm from entering a woman’s womb such as a condom.

The safest way is by using the two methods at the same time during sexual union given that while the pill is usually very safe to use by itself, a certain amount of risk is involved when the condom is used on its own. It’s better to use the safest method which is the simultaneous use of the two methods.

Conclusion

You now have the most important information at a glance to answer the question: How does Accutane (Isotretinoin) affect pregnant women? We all know the value and precious nature of a new life that forms in the womb. It’s essential that it starts its formation without any risks and taking Accutane while you are pregnant or when you become pregnant is to be avoided at all costs because being pregnant while taking the drug is a very serious risk which you must avoid.

Asking the question, does anxiety cause acne opens another article on this highly important subject which pervades the lives of practically every person on planet earth. To be in a state of anxiety, a person comes under pressure of wanting to do something quickly which results in stress because of a sense of urgency that exists.  Let’s find out the proper answer to the question.

How anxiety and acne connect

The typical process that explains the connection between anxiety and the formation of acne has been clearly illustrated in previous articles. However because of its tremendous impact on the lives of many people, there’s no harm in repeating it again in this article.

Whenever anxiety appears in any person for whatever reason, the very first thing to note is that stress is not far off. The second thing to note is that because of the anxiety, stress hormones are released that causes a series of changes in your skin pores.

The hormones may also impact the amount of oil that’s produced in your skin. The combination of anxiety, stress and the release of hormones result in the clogging up your pores which allows bacteria to grow, ultimately allowing acne to form and appear on the surface of your skin.

It’s clear that a definite link exists between anxiety and acne through a series of other events. Nevertheless, even though the link between the two is clear, it’s equally clear that no one enjoys living with acne, the end product of this relationship.

Why? For one thing acne is an unwelcomed guest that appears suddenly unannounced and forces the host to succumb to embarrassment and annoyance.

Moreover, again with anxiety and acne in mind, it’s not clear whether an individual has anxiety because of having acne, or whether a person gets acne because he or she has anxiety.

The intriguing part is whether in curing anxiety you are left with the perfect cure for acne or in curing acne you have the perfect cure for anxiety. It’s a bit confusing right? Let’s delve into it a bit more.

Getting the facts right is important

The right way to see the light at the other side of the tunnel is to hold that anxiety is a different kettle of fish altogether. It’s a completely different condition from acne and it should always be the one to be treated first.

If not then you have a long term problem on your hands because with anxiety always there, the stress hormones are going to continue to be released and we know to where that will ultimately lead to – the creation of more acne!

Both conditions must be regarded as distinctly different. All by themselves neither one can cause the formation of the other meaning that acne by itself, can’t create anxiety and anxiety by itself has no hope of inducing the formation of acne.

What about acne breakouts?

We’ve established that anxiety doesn’t create acne and vice versa. However, anxiety can causeacne breakouts and also increase the frequency of acne development.

On the other hand acne is the product of a mixture of dead skin cells, skin oils and bacteria which, when combined with anxiety results in several changes that may result in acne breakouts:

• Hormonal changes

The stress hormones which are released with the appearance of anxiety cause changes to take place in your pores and perhaps also increase the amount of oils in your skin. A combination of these aspects can result in the clogging up of the pores which allow the growth of bacteria and finally leads to the formation of acne.

• Sweat

Contrary to some beliefs, sweat doesn’t play any part in actually causing acne to appear on the face. It does however has the ability to increase the number of body acne you can experience. The main reason for this is that sweating and rubbing can create other forms of acne and of course sweating may enable dirt and germs to cling and live on your skin.

• Behaviors

There are good reasons to believe that anxiety may induce different types of behavior which can increase the possibility of an acne breakout. Anxiety may lead you to touch your face more often.  Of course, touching your face doesn’t automatically mean that acne will start appearing. The thing about touching your face more often means that you are spreading bacteria which may lead to acne breakouts.

Acne may cause anxiety

The truth of the matter is that when you are infected with a breakout of acne, you inevitably assume an outlook of self-consciousness about your appearance.

To put it bluntly you’d feel embarrassed (among other negative feelings) at having your face teeming with whiteheads wouldn’t you? Normally, sporting a face full of whiteheads rarely results in an anxiety disorder but it is definitely irksome.

However, it can contribute to self-consciousness especially if the breakout keeps recurring over a long period of time. If that’s the case, it would be to your own advantage if you could ask for outside help to ease your situation. So what actually is the connection?

It’s the cause, not the formation

It would be safe to say that the actual connection between anxiety and acne is that acne causes anxiety and that’s clear enough. According to reliable sources acne can affect more than only your appearance.

Acne can affect your emotional wellbeing. You can succumb to anxiety as well as depression loss of self-esteem and the quality of life you live can be compromised.

By the same token, anxiety also causes acne especially your symptoms and flare-ups so that’s clear enough also and the connection become even clearer.

When a young boy is bullied because of his acne, his self-esteem is impacted. He may wish to remain by himself and become a little edgy. Sometimes it gets so bad the boy will avoid venturing out to play sport, go to classes or even do part-time work.

Why? Because they feel embarrassed, ugly and just don’t feel right any more. Yes acne can have very nasty consequences.

Bottom line

So it’s true then that anxiety does cause acne especially the symptoms that gradually appear and the flare-ups that appear suddenly without warning. It doesn’t really matter whether the two are connected or not (which they are indirectly), what is important is that the question has been fully answered and that you now know that anxiety does in fact cause acne breakouts.

Probably many people often ask themselves the question, how do I stop stressing acne which means of course stopping acne that’s been caused by stress called stress acne. The good news is that even if you can’t stop stress from happening because of the numerous stressful situations you have to live with, you can actually stop stress acne. If you aren’t aware of this, read on and find out just how it can be done.

The causes of stress acne

There are so many causes of stress acne and it’s not surprising since so many people suffer from so much stress these days. You only have to get a glimpse of the number of emails in your inbox to get a feeling of stress.

The water in the bathroom isn’t running, the plug to the stove is damaged so the breakfast is a cold one on a cold day and so many more! The walk to the office and work itself are hardly good at de-stressing and to have pimples thrown in would be the last straw!

Why is all this happening all at once? Cheer up, things can only get better and that would be the most reasonable attitude to take otherwise things may just get out of hand and you may find yourself walk straight back home again!

Why does stress acne occur in the first place?

When the first sign of stress becomes evident, your skin automatically goes into a “defense mode” which makes your body release hormones such as cortisol, androgens and neuropeptides.

The sad thing about the sudden release of these hormones is that they also both trigger and inflame the sebaceous glands that produce sebum that can cause a sudden boost of skin conditions including acne.

It’s generally accepted that stress doesn’t actually cause the formation of acne but it can actually worsen it, and if you are prone to acne, then any stress that you experience is bound to aggravate your condition.

There’s consensus in the medical profession that acne is an inflammatory disease that can be worsened by the release of hormones when stress is experienced because it heightens the occurrence of inflammation.

Experts say that stress acne breakouts can be determined by observing the presence of itching and redness and a large presence of blackheads and whiteheads amidst regular pimples.

Some experts can actually determine the presence of stress acne when people go through a stage of very intense anxiety and sometimes even in patients whose stress acne is normally under control.

According to one expert many instances of stress acne breakouts happen in adult sufferers when they are experiencing intense stress at work or at home which can cause their controlled acne to suddenly flare up again due to stress.

On a comparative basis, breakouts can also happen suddenly in students at the onset of their final exams. As a student yourself you may have experienced this yourself but if not at least you’ll now know that stress is something that you can deal with.

Getting rid of stress acne

If you look at the bright side of life, you would come to realize that the most serious problem you have is not the stress but the acne breakout on your face which you need to deal with it fast!

 The very first stop

Everything has a starting point and for stress acne, the first stop for you is your online pharmacist so you can execute your first good deed for the day which is, getting your medication of Topical benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid over the counter or have them applied direct.

If you happen to be afflicted with a painful stress cyst, there’s always a treatment of warm or cold compress over the affected area to help minimize the pain and redness of the area. You may not know it but ordinary ice can do wonders for stress acne if you happen to have it.

Ice may not be available at the drug store but you can later make up a very easy and cheap treatment that you can provide yourself for getting rid of your stress acne. All you need is green tea made into ice cubes and used as a compress to help reduce sebum production in your skin.

Green tea is very potent and has many different remedial features which are similar to the curing features of coffee. The two have been testedto find out the ideal remedy for you.

Another treatment for controlling scarring is alpha hydroxyl acid solution with an alternative of hydrocolloid patch especially for really tough cases.

What if none of these work?

In that case, the best option open for you would be to make an appointment with a dermatologist who will prescribe a more potent treatment regimen for your stress acne should it become an ongoing condition.

The quicker you do this the better as it will minimize or even prevent acne scarring from taking place. The main type of medication your dermatologist will prescribe for you will be one that effectively regulates hormones.

A range of other medications are also available that include:

• Chemical peels
• Microdermabrasion
• Microneedling, which can greatly help with acne scarring.

Be reminded though that the above treatments are only suitable for treating pigmentation and scarring produced by acne but not for actually reducing acne. If what you need is for treating acne directly, then a dermatologist would be expected to prescribe the following treatments:

• Topical antibiotics and retinoids
• Oral antibiotics and retinoids
• Hormonal medication.

Skin care for recurring stress acne

Stress acne can keep recurring so long as anxiety and stress are continually being experienced by people and this is actually the situation these days.

There seems to be no end to stress so in order to reduce the chance of the appearance of acne knowing some routine skin care will help you if you are stress prone. All you need to do is follow the directions offered below:

• Ensure that you use a moisturizer that keeps your pores open such as Cera Ve Ultra Light SPF 30 every morning and Cera Ve PM in the evenings. Also make sure you use a pH-balanced cleanser such as Elta MD Foaming Facial Cleanser,
• After using your cleanser and before you use your moisturizer, apply gently vitamin C Mad Hippie. This procedure will help with your acne as well as other skin issues.
• It’s very important that you remain hydrated, and it would help if you could change to a low glycemic diet

Bottom line

This article has attempted to provide a clear explanation of why and how stress acne appears on the scene. It has also tried to provide information on how to keep stress acne at bay together with the kind of medications that can help treat the condition along with routine skin care methods that should prevent your stress acne from always popping up.

If the question does lack of sleep cause acne, is occupying your thoughts and bothering you right now, be warned that not getting sufficient sleep is reason enough for a big flare up of acne. While the assertion has the support of detailed research studies it’s better still to have a more detailed look at the topic itself and be convinced that lack of sleep does in fact cause acne.

Can insufficient sleep also cause acne?

Whenever you find yourself mulling over the subject of acne formation, it’s not unusual to find that the main factors that form and create acne breakouts have to do with factors such as excess oil production, dirt and bacteria.

What many people seem to overlook is the reality that a good night’s sleep can help thwart the onslaught of an acne breakout just as much as the lack of sleep will make it worse.

The often mentioned cliché about sleep for enhancing beauty or the beauty sleep is not a fantasy saying at all, but a true reality.

It doesn’t matter if anyone brushes, cleans and tones away at the skin to make it more sparkling, radiant and smooth. If they’re not experiencing a solid and restful night’s sleep each night, all is futile and the stark truth will be disclosed by a worsening of their acne breakout.

The importance of sleep

Is getting a good night’s sleep really important? Well, if not, the experts on the subject wouldn’t be making such a big fuss about it. First off is that most of us aren’t getting the eight hour shut eye we’re supposed to get.

And it’s no exaggeration to say that as a result we are surprised to find that our skins are suffering from this lack of sleep that’s being caused by stress and the drudgery of everyday life.

We have constantly been reminded by our knowledge of science that when we slumber, our bodies are awake, working vigorously at repairing the damage done to tissues and cells during the day.

It appears that getting the right amount of sleep is good for the skin and it can help in prevention acne from appearing. But what about the actual lack of sleep, does it cause acne? Let’s have a look.

Acne and the lack of sleep connection

There’s not much data to show much less prove that lack of sleep actually causes acne. 

However, some evidence does show that the bad effects of not getting sufficient sleep every night can affect your skin making it possible for new acne breakouts to take place.

Even though there’s a paucity of data, experts maintain that some scientific books actually show that there’s a clear relationship between sleep and stress. The correlation is that acne is affected by stress by the production of more stress hormones (Cortisol) which increase the production of the oily substance sebum.

Studies show that lack of good quality sleep can induce an increase of the Cortisol stress hormone which then causes inflammation of the skin and the production of sebum through the sebaceous glands which in turn can clog up the pores.

All this means that with more sebum (oil) available the acne bacteria now has more food at its disposable which means that more acne can now form and pop up at the skin’s surface.

Not enough sleep, acne and the Immune System

Experts believe that sleep of less than 6 hours each night will have a worsening effect on your acne.

It has been found that insufficient sleep will definitely cause an imbalance in your immune system and reduces its ability to combat the acne bacteria.

The Skin’s healing process and insufficient sleep

During sleep the skin enters an important process of healing when it maintains and repairs itself and this enables the body to heal your acne and also helps to prevent the aging of the skin.

Not getting enough sleep deprives the body of these two important processes. What takes place during sleep is the increased production of melatonin, a hormone that changes the color of the skin.

The hormone production doesn’t make us sleepy but it increases the skin’s ability to repair itself as we sleep away during the night to make up for the damage caused by ultra violet sunlight and other enemies of your skin.

As you sleep, the levels of cortisol in your body can also be regulated so that your skin becomes less susceptible to inflammation and therefore less prone to the attack of an acne breakout.

Hours of sleep every night

We are now aware that even though not enough sleep can directly result in an acne breakout, other negative effects that result from insufficient sleep ultimately impact the emergence of more acne.

It’s important then that you prioritize on getting enough sleep so that it can become part of the positive side of getting your body and especially your skin fine-tuned, ready for another day’s work.

It may not prevent the formation and appearance of acne but getting enough sleep will help in other ways and you’ll be doing yourself a favor by heeding the advice that’s being offered.

 It’s really all about giving support to your stress, immune system and physical and mental wellbeing and your general ability to function at your peak.

Therefore the goal here is to avoid the negative effects of insufficient sleep each night and it’s recommended that:

• For adults aged 18 – 60 years of age, 7 hours of sleep each night
• For teens aged 13 – 18 years of age, 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night.

More tips on sleep and acne

Prevention is better than cure is the popular saying used when pre-empting the onslaught of an illness. There are many preventive measures for acne, some of which we have discussed earlier in this article but for your own benefit, here are some more:

1. Clean face wash

Thoroughly cleaning your face after a hard day’s work at the office is critical for ridding debris, bacteria and dirt. All kinds of pore clogging material such as makeup and ointments are present and should be cleared away. Make sure you have a suitable facial cleanser for doing the job.

• Pillowcase change

If you have acne prone skin, a clean pillow to sleep on is what you need. A dirty pillow will rapidly spread the oil and dirt present on your face and can cause more acne breakouts. Make sure your regularly wash your pillowcases to prevent breakouts you don’t want to happen.

• Abstain from alcohol before bed

Your REM sleep is a key factor here which takes place several times during sleep. The signs include fluttering of the eyes under the lids, dreaming or a faster heart beat which indicates that the body is restoring itself. This is good but alcohol can interfere with your REM sleep and you wake up groggy in the morning instead of being rejuvenated.

Bottom line

You should now be more confident from knowing that lack of sleep doesn’t directly cause acne but other negative effects that do arise from lack of sleep may certainly cause acne. Nevertheless, it’s worthwhile knowing that getting enough sleep is very important for the rejuvenation of the body especially the skin which is in the first line of attack against exterior enemies such as the UV rays of the sun.

Like many types of skin infections that pester most people acne also thrives in unclean places so if you are wondering why is my acne worse on one side, then the most likely answers would be you mobile phones may be dirty, or perhaps you’ve not changed your pillowcases or you are in the habit of touching your face with unclean hands. Sound familiar? Let’s have a closer look.

Acne’s favorite spot

For some people, the appearance of acne can be sudden and totally unnerving, while for others

its appearance is weirdly regular and sometimes it frequents certain spots such as the right or left side of your face.

When acne outbreaks regularly appear on one side of your face it’s reason enough for you to worry about the reason why it’s happening and try to work out an appropriate remedy for it. There are so many causes. It could be the cold winter, it maybe dirt on anything you are using.

A more specific cause of acne

More specifically, medical experts will tell you that the onslaught of acne usually start when you enter puberty.

And the reason for this belief is that at this stage of your life, your body develops plenty of androgens which are responsible for producing your deeper voice and in women, help develop their breasts but sadly it also contributes to the appearance of acne.

What are androgens?

Simply put, they are male hormones that help in developing the male sexual characteristics pertaining to the male species of Homo sapiens.

The hormone is found in both men and women, especially during their adolescent years and is responsible for producing more oil on the skin making it possible for acne to form and appear throughout the entire area of your skin.

Generally speaking, according to medical experts some people are more prone to getting acne outbreaks more than others, the reason given include their family history, the food they eat and their stress levels.

Acne on the face the most troubling

One of the most unique aspects of acne is its habit of choosing the face as its usually target for making an appearance. It can of course appear on other parts of your body but the face appears to be the main target.

Perhaps it’s because people regularly touch their face more often or because more oil is produced on the face or because by habit you tend to sleep on one side of your body rather than the other.

Wherever your acne appears, it’s normal that you’d rather it appeared somewhere else rather than your face. Nobody likes acne to appear on their faces!

Medical experts however hold that the location of the acne on the body can act as an indicator or a clue as to what may actually be causing acne to appear there. To them, apart from androgen, habit can also play an important role in the appearance of acne.

To prevent acne from appearing, experts believe that sufferers can improve their acne condition by changing their lifestyle.

They also offer different types of therapies for acne breakouts which are hormone triggered or caused by hair products and failure to exchange dirty pillowcases for clean ones.

Acne on different locations on the face

It’s very useful to know where acne usually appears on the face and why so here are the main places where acne normally appears on the face and the appropriate actions you can take against it:

Cheeks 

The right and left side of the cheeks is a spot usually frequented by acne outbreaks and the main cause is from rubbing. Rubbing causes friction and hence the name given to an outbreak here as “frictional acne” so if you keep rubbing your cheeks it’s the reason why acne keeps appearing.

Acne outbreaks on the right or left side of your face can be caused by your habit of always sleeping on your right or left side. Acne will appear on the side of your face on which you always sleep.

The way you answer your phone is another inadvertent invitation for acne to appear. If you always answer your phone with your right or left ear, acne is sure to appear on those areas.

The frequent application of facial cosmetics on the cheeks can also be responsible for causing the appearance of acne so if you are in the habit of using cosmetics on your cheeks it’s no surprise that acne will also keep on appearing there.

Let’s now focus attention on the individual areas where acne appear most and why

Forehead

Our forehead and the area along the hairline is a haven for oil glands and all it takes to activate the formation of acne is to use a heavy hair conditioner on your hair.

Another way is for you to use a moisturizer or oil based hair care product to trigger an acne outbreak on the forehead. What the products do is they clog up the pores and allow “fragrant acne” to break out on the forehead.

Around the mouth

The culprits here for giving rise to an appearance of acne are lipstick or lip balm. They’re fine on the lips but once you smudge your surrounding skin with them, your skin won’t be able to breathe properly and while your skin becomes smothered, acne begins to for so it can make its appearance.

It’s also possible that acne breakouts around the area of the mouth may be caused by hormones. The reason here is that sufferers may possess an excessive amount of male hormones (androgens) in their skin. We now know that hormones give rise to more oil production in the body.

Nose, chin and jawline

As with acne on the forehead, acne around the jawline, chin and nose are caused by the production of excessive oil in these areas.

This area of the face also includes the horizontal middle part of forehead down the nose line and is called the “T-zone”

If you don’t want to worsen your acne breakout on this areas, you should avoid touching or picking the skin around this area.

Breaking the cycle

In the case of acne, the cycle to break is not so much the inner components of an acne or pimple but rather to break the habits that tend to induce or worsen an acne breakout.

Here are some very useful and effective ones:

• Avoid scrubbing an area where acne is present because scrubbing can worsen it.
• Drink lots of water
• Be gentle when applying skin products on your skin by using your fingertips.
• Use gentle, non-abrasive skin cleanser.
• Keep away from things that irritate the skin and never pick the skin
• When you apply skin care products don’t use a skin irritant item such as a washcloth.

In the event that no improvement is seen and your condition remains the same, be sure to visit your dermatologist.

Bottom Line

There’s no harm in asking, why is my acne worse on one side, after all it’s another way of wanting to learn more about a condition that most of us, if not all, would like to eliminate for good. However, since it’s clearly not possible for us to rid ourselves of the habits that exacerbate acne breakouts, we should at least pay to heed to how we should change our habits in order to prevent acne breakouts.

The question, does stress cause acne is simple enough but the answer is more complicated just as living with a roadmap of pimples all over your face, shoulders, back and chest is also complicated. But let’s take a calm approach and try to provide a sensible answer to our question knowing that the relationship between stress and acne are well defined.

Definitely Yes

Prior to 2003 the relationship between stress and acne was based purely on hearsay and not on concrete facts. Most claims had no clout because it lacked scientific evidence, that is, until a dermatologist made a breakthrough in a study conducted on university students.

In that study, Dr. Alexa Kimball was able to establish beyond all doubts that there was a clear connection between stress and acne outbreaks, that there was a correlation.

She found that stress could in fact cause an acne breakout and even found evidence to suggest that the greater the stress, the more flared up was the outbreak.

More stress and acne studies

Dr. Kimball’s success triggered a series of further studies which demystified the connection between stress, hormonal changes and acne. It should be noted however that of itself, stress couldn’t form or create acne. Nevertheless, in consort with other factors, it could definitely cause acne flare ups.

There are other causes such as bacteria, hormone levels, age and others. But the important thing here is that stress can actually cause acne breakouts and can also exacerbate the condition of existing acne by making them even more numerous and therefore can make you life miserable.

Corticotrophin-releasing hormone CRH

Studies led by Dr. Adam Friedman, an associate dermatologist professor at Washington University, referred to the existence and actions of one offender called – CRH – a stress related hormone that releases corticotrophin. 

The CRH has the ability of binding itself with receptors in sebaceous glands that secrete sebum, a binding action that boosts oil production in the skin providing fertile grounds for acne to form and pop up.

The point to make about the sebaceous glands is that they are also immune organs meaning that they offer resistance against bacteria and the resistance can produce inflammation of the skin.

It’s often the case that the emergence of an acne blemish is really the result of an untimely inflammation which starts off as an itchy spot on the skin. The itch causes a scratch which can develop into more swelling and infection and the formation of acne.

From biological drivers to being frazzled

Quite apart from the binding actions of CHR that can cause the emergence of acne, the state of being frazzled, which, according to our first dermatologist Kimball, is to be in a state of exhaustion or being completely worn out, also affects the appearance of acne.

She claims that people who are in a state of exhaustion may not sleep well, they may eat the wrong unhealthy foods and ignore the proper care of their skin, which of course could give rise to more acne breakouts.

Chronic stress is far more serious

When discussions focus on acute stress levels, acne breakouts and their duration are less intense than when you are suffering from chronic stress. The latter form of stress may also determine the duration and intensity of your acne breakouts.

Medical evidence suggests that chronic stress can impact the immune system in such a way that it can slow down its healing powers against disease that invade your body tissues including your skin.

Friedman (our second dermatologist) also argues that if you always find yourself in a perpetual state of stress, then you’re quite likely to experience more acne breakouts that last longer that may well result in  scarring.

Women increasingly succumbing to acne

It’s not only the men that should be worried about being infected with acne outbreaks but also the women who are increasingly getting their share of annoyance.

So far, only theories have been put forward that stress may be having an influence in new acne outbreaks in women.

In another study conducted in 2014, Kimball speculated that urban life with all its commotions and noise as well as its social and commercial pressures may be instrumental in the spike of acne in adult females.

Given that men and women are equally prone to the effects of an acne outbreak it’s reasonable to expect that a suitable remedy should be found either to mitigate its effects or to eliminate it altogether, a situation which most of us would very much like to see happen.

The crux of the problem

But seriously, what can one do to effectively combat this bodily annoyance? Well, it appears that the best thing to do is to attack the condition at the very roots, the crux of the problem so to speak, that is, you need to mollify or totally eliminate stress itself!

But how? It’s easier than you think because in itself, stress is not an infection but a mental condition that feeds on what you see, hear and think about and there’s plenty of mental food out there that the mind can absorb and induce a stressful state.

Your role is simply to mitigate or even stop your habits that induce stress or to develop other stress reduction habits which have been known to be effective. Here are some of them:

Tai chi

The deliberate, slow and relaxed movements of tai chi show that the mind is controlling them in a relaxed and coordinated manner. Instead of fast brisk movements (which may betray the presence of anxiety), tai chi movements are slow and mindful. Studies show that the benefits of tai chi are broad.

It combines slow, smooth movements with meditating and hence the term “mindful meditation” which offers remedies to a host of physical shortcomings, including stress.

Organize your space

Stress at the office can be overwhelming but you can counter it by:

• adopting the correct posture of sitting up straight at your desk and in doing so you’ll mitigate stress. 
• organizing space can also reduce stress so avoid cluttering things on your desk and screen.
• Stop worrying about too many things, especially your urge to achieve goals you just can’t reach.
• dealing correctly with interruptions by knowing that they can cause stress. You simply counter by keeping your focus and ignoring the interruptions.
• embracing your stress and avoid giving it a niche of its own at your workplace.

Control your computer!

Studies show that attending to emails, a full inbox can cause stress. You should control your computer no the other way round. Organize your inbox by using folders and manage your apps to clear you inbox and lower your anxiety and therefore stress.

Bottom line

While acne shouldn’t be regarded as being the singular cause for acne outbreaks, there’s every reason to believe that it plays a very significant role in the intensity and duration of acne outbreaks when they do take place. In addition to the personal remedies that you’ve been offered above, you should nevertheless be able to contact a dermatologist if things fail to work out.

The best way to come to grips with the question as to how do you treat cheek acne is firstly to know the causes that bring about the appearance of acne on the your cheeks and from there, you can systematically introduce the ways in which you can treat the acne outbreak and succeed in eliminating the unwanted invasion by the appropriate treatments available. The causes and treatments are listed below.

Causes of acne and treatments

#1:          Unclean pillowcases and sheets

You may not be paying attention to the condition of your bed sheets but there’s good reason to do so as they may be a factor that’s actually giving you the pimples on your cheek.

Your once immaculately clean sheets can become spoiled and quickly become fertile ground for pollen, dirt, bacteria, dust and harmful fungi together with other allergens that comfortably find themselves in the folds of your sheet. A very nasty thought!

But this isn’t isolated only to your bed sheets as a similar occurrence also happens to your pillowcases. Like your sheets, your pillow cases only a day ago were thoroughly clean and sweet smelling.

Very shortly after, they become rank and dirty and become fertile ground for a myriad of debris and bacteria which your body actually transferred from its surface to the folds of your pillowcases.

Every night you go to bed all the debris deposited on your pillowcases come into contact with your hair, neck and face making them susceptible to the development and appearance of pimples and their irritating effects.

In addition to the dirt and other unhealthy stuff lodged in your pillowcases, the oil in your air may well come into contact with your face aggravating your problems for already having oily skin.

Treatment:     Wash sheets and pillowcases

Your wish to rid yourself of your cheek acne involves the washing of your sheets and pillowcases once a week so you can maintain healthy skin.

Try sleeping on a clean hand towel laid on your pillowcase and change the hand towel every day or switch the pillowcase. Tie your long hair on the top of your hair to prevent contact with your face, back and neck.

#2:          Face touching

All types of pollutants and allergens become attached to our hands whenever they come into contact with things such as a smartphone, broom, plate or cup.

The bad effect is that whenever you touch your face, a host of other bacteria, allergens and dirt become attached to it.

Before they are washed away again, they find time to enter the skin and start clogging up your pores and when combined with oil and dead skin cells in the follicles, they provide excellent grounds for the formation of pimples and their appearance as inflamed and red bumps on your cheeks.

Treatment:         Avoid touching your face

Try to avoid touching your face which also means you should also stop using your hands to prop up your chin and cheeks.

In addition you should frequently wash your hands after doing tasks so as not to transfer dirt, bacteria and oils to your face.

#3           Lack of Skincare

The habit of some people in scrubbing the acne on their cheeks vigorously is a very bad thing to do. You need to be gently to your acne outbreak.  The skincare products you’re using may also be a problem.

Skincare or makeup that contains alcohol and chemical fragrances can irritate the skin and/or clog up your pores.

Treatment:         Improve your Skincare program

Wash your face gently with a mild cleanser like vegan gently rubbing cleanser on your face and pat dry. You have removed dirt and excess oil without irritating or over-drying your skin.

Use non comedogenic (non-clogging) cleanser or moisturizer that doesn’t irritate the skin. Natural products such as chamomile, green tea and cucumber can clean, soothe and refresh skin without irritating it.

Adding a layer of makeup to smother the appearance of acne is not wise. It may be a desirable temporary solution it may do more harm rather than the opposite. Wearing makeup poses the same problem.

#4           Shaving method

The way you shave may be the very reason why your irritation is getting worse or causing the problem of ingrown hairs.

Treatment:         Use the right shaving method

You may be using the wrong style of shaving so you should shave your face with the utmost care. The hair on men tends to grow a lot thicker and the pores can succumb easily to inflammation.

To prevent acne and ingrown hairs, follow these simple steps:

• Open pores by applying warm water on your face
• Use a skin friendly shaving cream for protecting your skin. Use a single bladed razor to avoid clogging up pores with dead skin cells.
• Use natural witch hazel on face after shaving for clean and refreshed pores.

#5           Diet

The diet which you are using may be the very reason why you are getting your cheek acne. Diet may be connected with the incidence of acne, but the issue on this connection is currently being debated.

Treatment:         Try adjusting your diet

1. Get rid of indigestion – do this by drinking more water, eating more fiber, yogurt or kombucha

2. Reduce your sugar intake – do so by avoiding sweets, processed carbohydrates and sweetened beverages

3. Add leafy greens – this will supply essential vitamins E or Omega-3 fatty acids for boosting skin health and the elimination of inflammation.

4. Take supplements – do this to correct lack of vitamins and minerals that may lead toskin problems

#6           Hormonal variations

Breakouts of acne anywhere on your face and body can be likened to the occurrence of hormonal variations or changes which is one of the major factors that influence whether or not you get acne.

This is the main reason why so many people suffer their worst acne breakouts during their puberty or pregnancy stages in their lives.

Treatment:         Take oral contraceptive

Whether or not birth control pills helps cure acne or makes it worse has been a subject o ongoing debate. Some women claim that oral contraceptive can regulate hormones and help stop cheek acne. It’s up to you if you wish to take birth control pills to stop acne and if you do, be sure to choose one with the correct amount of estradiol and low progestin levels.

#7           Metabolic problems

It’s very likely that when you experience metabolic problems, it may turn out that acne will appear as one of the symptoms.

This is the case because there has been a disruption of the body’s natural functions which is causing inflammation that includes an acne breakout on your face.

Treatment:         Find treatment for your metabolic issue

Getting treatment for metabolic dysfunction will help reduce acne breakouts as you have on both cheeks and the reason is that you are addressing the underlying metabolic problem.

Stopping or eliminating cheek acne

So how can you prevent or get rid of the cheek acne on your face, you may ask. Well, if you feel that one of the causes mentioned above is the enemy that’s causing your acne breakouts applying the suggested treatments to each of them can help you in getting rid of your cheek acne.

Conclusion

The idea of totally eliminating the presence of acne from your face, especially from your forehead, cheeks and lower cheek is by no means an easy task. However if you really want to find out how you can treat cheek acne, then you need to follow the suggested treatments offered. In doing so you’ll succeed in your effort of wanting to rid yourself of acne breakouts.

This is another interesting question that highlights the absolute disdain for the appearance of acne and the breakouts that normally follow and a quick solution for when it actually does pop up. Does ice help acne indicates that acne convey a feeling of discomfort from a kind of itch, pain or stingy sensation that may be caused by inflammation and agitated raw flesh. Read on and find out the answer to the question.

Ice as treatment for pimples

There are so many suggestions offered for the treatment of pimples that we may be in danger of focusing on them rather than the actual treatment needed to soften the discomforting pain that acne breakouts can bring.

The solution offered here in question form is ice so let’s have a look at it and arrive at an accurate and logical conclusion while appreciating at the very start that ridding pimples can be a challenge.

You always seem to have that temptation to pop them and be done with but that is a big mistake that you should avoid doing at all costs.

But what can you do if you happen to dislike the conventional treatment methods you are given that may prove irritating to your skin?

Fortunately there are many natural skin care solutions which are becoming popular with acne sufferers and surprise, ice treatment happens to be one such natural skin care method.

No side effects

The most pleasing aspect about natural skin remedies is that you are not doomed to suffer side effects like the chemicals which are used to also treat acne. Yes, the common goal is to get rid of the acne but the bonus in favour of natural skin remedies is that there are no side effects.

True, you have salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide readily available on the market but the problem is that overusing them can actually exacerbate your infestation with an acne outbreak.

Actually experts have recommended that acne sufferers stay away for any alcohol-based products altogether which includes astringents, toners, exfoliants and many more.

The beauty of icing pimples is the rapid result of reducing the swelling associated with all inflammatory types of acne. Included among them are:

• Papules
• Pustules
• Nodules
• Cysts

It’s surprising to know that ice has no effect on non-inflammatory types of acne, commonly known as blackheads. But for the inflammatory type acne, the application of ice actually reduces in the inflammation, meaning that the actual size of the pimple is directly reduces.

Another very interesting thing about using ice is that it has been theorized that if the application of ice can actually reduce the size of your pimple, it should logically follows that ice can eventually make the pimple disappear entirely.

When ice is used on inflammatory acne, it will also reduce the redness of the area infested with acne making the pimples less easy to see and notice. Ice can also modify the pain that accompanies cystic and nodular acne.

This is what the short-term numbing effect of the ice induces after being applied. Despite these experienced results, there are still no conclusive research results which can say that ice is in fact an efficacious treatment for acne.

Nevertheless it’s quite likely that the use of ice can become part of a skin care process that consists of:

• Cleansing affected areas at regular intervals
• Use of a moisturizer designed for your type of skin
• Use of non-comedogenic makeup

Using ice on your pimples

While using ice on your pimples looks simple enough to do, there are certain things you should do before you actually apply it to the affected area of your body.

Wrap the ice in a thin cloth or paper towel before you actually apply the ice against your skin. Alternatively you can use a cool compress if you wish to avoid the effects of melted ice after applying it.

The application of the ice should be done at one- minute intervals only perhaps twice a day in the mornings and evenings after you clean your face.

However, if your pimples are chronically inflamed, you may then follow up applications of ice to the affected areas more often but make sure that a break of five minute intervals take place between each minute of applying the ice. This procedure will prevent damage to the skin.

You can also use ice with warm treatments such as steamed towels and compresses. Warm treatment effectively removes dirt trapped in your pores. Once you’ve applied warm treatment for 5 to 10 minutes follow up with 1 minute application of ice to decrease any swelling and inflammation.

You can continue the process every day or as needed until the pimple finally disappears. However, take care not to apply the ice first and then follow it up with the hot compresses as it may damage your skin.

Things to know prior to using ice

These are some of the things you need to know before you use ice on your pimples:

• After using ice on your pimples debris can move to the skin surface.
• Don’t ever pop your pimples
• Never pick your pimples either as it will result in spreading pimples
• Picking and popping pimples may lead to scarring.
•  Using ice on pimples can cause dangerous effects to your skin
• The effects of frostbite can be reduced by applying ice at short intervals.
• Frostbite results not only in staying too long outside in extreme temperatures but it can also happen if cold packs, ice or other frozen items are held against your skin for long periods of time.

It’s also helpful to know that you should stop using ice and contact your doctor the moment you notice:

• The development of redness about the treated area
• The development of blistering
• Long-term numbness of the affected area
• Alterations to the color of your skin

Conclusion

Many of us have probably never asked the question, does ice help acne and still more don’t realize that ice can be used to get rid of acne.  The fact is that ice can do just that provided it’s applied properly for achieving maximum results. It’s clear that the most effective way of using ice is after you’ve cleansed your face with warm water and not the other way round and provided it’s applied for one minute at a time every day.

No matter what other people think or say, a question as to what causes acne on the cheeks would be the top priority question that requires a sure and accurate answer. Who would relish walking about with pimples exploding on their cheeks? None I would imagine so in this article we will honestly try to provide an honest and satisfactory answer.

Keep these in mind

On the one hand it’s unusual for pimples to keep recurring in the same spot but on the other, it’s quite possible for pimples to make a recurring appearance at the same area for various reasons such as:

• Holding your chin in your hands while reading a book or working on your laptop
• While talking on the phone, holding it closely to your face so it touches your face
• Regularly putting on your makeup or other facial anointment on the same spot.
• Picking or squeezing your pimples that’ll cause repeated breakouts in the area
• Failure of pimple to heal properly and spread to surrounding areas.
• The development of a deeper inflammation of the skin rendering the spot always vulnerable to acne breakouts due to the effects of hormones, stress, irritants, diets and so on.

Upper, central and lower cheek

For convenience sake and the ease of discussing acne outbreaks on the face line, it would be useful and realistic to include all the areas of the face in this discussion such as the upper (forehead), central (side cheeks) lower (jawline and chin).

Another reason why this would be a convenient approach is that the treatment of acne breakouts is practically similar so that the use of medications on one area of your face would be just as effective when used on another area of your face.

This is to say that breakouts on your forehead, cheeks, jaw and chin would most likely be caused by hair products, makeup, hormonal disorders or other factors which triggered the outbreaks.

The main cause of these outbreaks is an overreaction by your oil glands in response to hormonal disorders which have been caused by stress, too much sugar or dairy levels and so on.

Jawline and chin

Let’s make a start by discussing acne outbreaks on the jawline and chin areas of your face. The common factor for these types of outbreaks is that they appear in a known pattern called a “hormonal pattern”.

As already indicated earlier the situation has arisen as a result of your oil glands having overreacted to hormonal changes caused by several factors such as stress, consuming too much sugar and so on.

This acne hormonal pattern outbreak is also common in women when they are experiencing their monthly menstruation cycles.

It has been suggested by those who have already suffered from this type of breakout that sufferers should:

• Reduce the amount of sugar or dairy intake in their diet.
• Meditate for a few minutes in the mornings before work and in the evening before sleep.

Acne on your cheeks

The cheeks on your face are perhaps the most vulnerable areas for acne breakouts because your cheeks   are common places where acne breakouts usually take place. This is due to a variety of reasons.

Perhaps you are in the habit of constantly touching your cheeks with your hands maybe from slight irritations such as itching,

You may be thinking hard about your studies or your business or some other issue and you just sit there with your hands under your chin propping up your head against your depressing worries.

Maybe you are glued to your phone listening to some great music or holding a serious conversation with a friend and you forget that your phone is literally glued to your cheek the whole time you are conversing.

Friction from your pillows which are swarming with bacteria from constant use and you’ve not yet changed their cases.  There are so many factors that can start the deposition of dirt that helps clog up your skin follicles.

You may in fact had been sleeping on your hands instead of your pillows which is literally the same thing, although your hands would for a solid wall against your face and press everything in your skin pores clogging up the follicles.

Clean your room well so that dirt doesn’t congregate and find its way to your hands and then your fact to avoid the formation and appearance of acne on your face.

You may have gone to a party last night and came back late and couldn’t be bothered to rinse your makeup from your face before going to bed.

All these factors are excellent recipes for the development and appearance of acne which can take place gradually or suddenly develop into an onslaught of acne breakout.

One other thing you should keep in mind is that there is actually no specific reason why acne appears on your cheeks many times. It just happens period!

You can possibly reduce the risk by taking some precautionary measures such as:

• Try wiping your smartphone every week or more often
• Make sure to change your pillow cases more often than at present.

The forehead

In addition to acne breakouts to your jawline, chin and cheeks, your forehead is another commonly invaded area to which you should also pay attention.

The most common reason for acne breakouts on your forehead is that your pores are being clogged up. The most common reason is that you are probably using shampoos, hair ointments and products and also hair conditioners.

All these tend to have a clogging effect on your pores including ingredients such as sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate and coconut oil.

Another possible cause for an acne outbreak on your forehead is a type of fungus called pityrosporum which finds the skin a very comfortable abode and can be associated with the occurrence of dandruff. This skin shedding of the scalp can also take place on your face.

Conclusion

Overall an acne outbreak can take

It is now easy for you to understand what causes acne on the cheeks and the various safeguards you need to employ in order to minimize or actually prevent outbreaks of acne on your forehead, cheeks, jawline and chin. They are the more urgent to avoid as other areas can easily be covered and remain unseen but covering you face up would result in so many inconveniences it would be wiser no to hide your pimples.

Acne is such a troublesome condition that many people go to great lengths in trying to find simple ways of stopping it progress quickly even by asking: Does drinking water help acne? This shows just how uncomfortable people are even at the thought of being infected with pimples on the face, the arms, shoulders, back or anywhere else. It has to be stopped quickly and in this article we’ll learn how it can be done.

Research studies

The role of diet in the fight against acne outbreaks is simply this, that a healthy balanced diet will promote strong and healthy skin. Because the skin is always clean and healthy, the appearance of pimples or acne outbreaks is prevented from happening.

Even more important is the fact that there are some nutrients, patterns of dieting and food groups that can actually promote the development and appearance of acne. So you need to know what these aspects of everyday life are in order to protect yourself.

However, strange as it may seem, no study has confirmed either way whether or not drinking water does impact skin condition but it’s an interesting topic so let’s have a closer look at the effect of drinking water on acne.

Keeping your skin moist

Some believe that keeping your skin surface hydrated by drinking plenty of water is a sure way of keeping acne at a distance.

Why? Because when the skin is dry, it becomes fertile ground for the production of oil in the skin which in turn can promote the formation of acne.

According to several studies, increasing your intake of water may actually promote soft and smooth skin especially when used in conjunction with a moisturizer and other skin care products.

For example, a study of 49 women over a 30 day period found that increasing water consumption by 2 liters every day greatly improved skin hydration of the skin

A review of 6 studies reached the conclusion that when water intake was increased, the hydration of the outer layer of the skin was enhanced while it reduced the dryness of the skin and smoothed its surface.

Supports the immune system

Previous studies on both humans and animals have also shown that the habit of remaining sufficiently hydrated can positively impact the immune system.

This has a direct bearing on the ability of the body to prevent infections, which may also prevent the formation and appearance of acne.

Even so, more research is required to prove conclusively that drinking more water can help protect a person especially from the bacteria C. acnes. Studies so far have only suggest that ingesting more water could support the body’s ability to fight infections to support healthy skin.

We can safely conclude here that drinking more water may help to improve the function of the immune system which could also protect you from certain types of bacteria that give rise to acne.

Blood sugar levels

Studies also show that when food with a low glycemic index is consumed, it could modify the severity of an acne outbreak and simultaneously regulate your hormone levels.

The glycemic index measures the impact certain food types have in increasing blood sugar levels. Levels can be shown as high or low levels.

If you choose to follow a low glycemic diet it would most likely mean that your insulin levels would also be reduced. Insulin is an important hormone that controls sugar level in your blood.

If your insulin level is high the production of oil in your body may also be high and this could add to the risk of having an outbreak of acne, but if you follow a low-glycemic diet

A small study of nine men with type 2 diabetes who reduced their intake of water for three days led to deterioration in their body’s blood sugar control.

In a major study of 3,615 people with type 2 diabetes it was found that the drinking of more water was directly related to a lesser risk of having high blood sugar levels.

While there’s evidence that blood sugar and insulin levels may be modified by drinking more water, more research is required to ascertain whether drinking more water can directly affect blood or insulin levels and whether it could impact the health of your skin.

Detoxification the natural way

Even though there’s an overwhelming proliferation of detoxification diets everywhere, you need to remember that your own body has a highly efficient inbuilt detoxification system that caters for the need to detoxify your body.

There’s no doubt in the medical world that your own liver, digestive tract, lungs, kidneys and even your skin are all involved in the secretion of waste particles and harmful toxins from your body.

Nevertheless, the presence of water is essential for the proper detoxification of the body to function properly. The process of detoxification is critical for the wellbeing of your body, as it assists in carrying nutrients through your entire body, cleanses out toxins, and keeps your liver and kidneys to function effectively and smoothly.

Another function of your body is the excretion of sweat from inside the skin and out through the pores in your skin. This process can also help get rid of toxins and heavy metals from your body in a natural way.

Despite the fact that the availability of research results on this topic is skimpy, it’s quite likely that the efficient expulsion of harmful materials from the body through the process of sweating has one likely merit.

By the removal of harmful substances from the body such as harmful toxins and obstructive metals, the clogging up of the pores is most likely not going to happen and this in turn should help prevent the formation and breakout of acne on your skin.

Limited evidence available

While research hasn’t been able to state categorically that there’s a direct relationship between the drinking of water and development of acne,  available studies show that water does help support the health of your skin through a few mechanisms.

The most obvious is it keeps your skin moist, it also supports the function of the immune system, it regulates you blood sugar levels and helps your body detoxify its internal organs and all of them can help combat acne

Conclusion

So what is our response? Does drinking water help acne? To a certain extent we can say for sure that it does but more conclusive evidence is needed to conclusively prove that drinking water does have a definite impact on acne. For now we can only conclude that drinking more may help improve the function of certain parts of the body but for a direct link with acne causation, we need more facts!