Common Facial Blemishes

Everyone gets blemishes on their face, even the most beautiful Hollywood movie star has had to deal with some imperfection somewhere, sometime. That's why dermatologists and plastic surgeons do so well in the movie industry - they work very hard on behalf of their clients to fix these problems once they happen or help them to avoid them altogether, keeping the audience in the dark about what those flaws and blemishes are.

Learning more about common facial flaws and blemishes is good for anyone that's trying to clear up acne, as often these flaws and blemishes are related or have the same root cause.   If we can better understand all the problems that our skin can face then we can be in a better position to have healthy and radiant skin overall, and cure not just our acne but all our facial blemishes as well.

Acne

Acne is actually a disease or outbreak that occurs in the hair follicles of the skin; when these follicles become blocked, a small bump appears that we refer to as a pimple.   This blockage and resulting bump means that dirt, oil, dead cells, and other such elements get caught in this area and result in that inflammation or dreaded pimple.

Skin is a living organ and needs oxygen and blood circulation to keep it healthy, but unlike other organs it also needs to "breathe" or to keep itself free from these irritants.   These blockages of the follicle and capturing of oil, dirt, and other elements is not natural and not healthy, and this is why an eruption occurs.

Blackheads and Whiteheads

You may have seen these small eruptions on your face or other areas of the body; small bumps we call blackheads or whiteheads are actually forms of acne.   When that gathering of materials has an open face to it, it is usually dark in nature since we can see the dirt and oil being captured inside.   These we refer to as blackheads.   When the top of it actually closes up or forms underneath a small layer of skin, this is called a whitehead and the most common form of what we refer to as acne.

So when it comes to blackheads and whiteheads, it's easy to think of them as being something different than your regular acne but in reality they are the same; if we understand how to treat and address our acne we can better understand how to address these two problems as well.

Cysts

Sometimes we confuse cysts with acne since they are usually white and bumpy.   The look quite a bit like whiteheads, but unfortunately a cyst is something more involved than typical acne.

A cyst is a small, closed sac or pocket that has a distinct membrane and division on the nearby tissue.    A cyst may contain air, fluids, or other materials.  

It's not unusual for a person to develop cysts not just on the skin but inside the body as well.   It's not unusual for women to develop cysts in their breasts or their reproductive system, and men develop internal cysts in many areas and systems as well.

Typically they are very small and are usually harmless.   Many cysts go away on their own, but in severe cases they may need to be removed by surgery.   It's important to understand that a cyst is not the same as a cancerous cell; many people make this mistake.   Of course only your doctor can tell you if a cyst is dangerous and needs to be removed.   Typically in cases like this it's not the cyst itself that is dangerous but rather its placement.   When cysts are inside the uterus or the opening to the fallopian tubes this can interfere with a woman's ability to get pregnant and to carry the pregnancy to term.   Again, only a doctor can know for sure if a cyst is dangerous.

Usually cysts that appear on the face are very small and often confused with acne.   They are typically harmless and may go away on their own, or sometimes the process one uses to get rid of acne will get rid of the cyst as well. 

Moles

A mole is a typically harmless dark spot on the skin; they can occur anywhere and to anyone regardless of gender, race, and so on.   Most persons develop moles sometime in the first two decades of their life, although a baby can be born with moles as well.

Most moles are what is known as benign neoplasm, a neoplasm being a collection of cells that result in a tumor.   While most people immediately think of the word "cancer" when they hear the word tumor, this just isn't the case for every single type.   A small percentage of moles can be harmful but usually they are just collections of cells with more skin pigment, which accounts for their dark color.

Moles that change color or shape may be dangerous; this change can signal a problem in that they may be developing into cancerous tumors.  However, the vast majority of moles are harmless and will simply remain present throughout one's life.

Acne Rosacea

Other Blemishes

While the skin is supposed to protect us from outside elements this doesn't mean that it's impervious to damage itself.  Especially in recent years with the depletion of our protective ozone layer have cases of skin cancer and other problems with the skin been reported.

Freckles and age spots can often be signs of damage from the sun's harmful rays.  A person can also have excessive pigmentation in certain spots of the skin, resulting in blotchiness, unevenness, and problems such as this.

There have also been cases reported of growths or certain tumors that doctors have no real explanation for, occurring both on the skin and internally.   These growths are not cancerous and often doctors do not know what causes them or how to treat them, other than to have them removed.   Obviously any growths on the skin that are not immediately recognized should be immediately checked out by a doctor or dermatologist, especially if they are painful, change shape or color, or for some other reason cause alarm.   It's always best to have these things checked by a doctor and to be told that they're harmless than to ignore them and realize the danger down the road.

We can also cause quite a bit of damage to the skin ourselves with our own treatment of it.   Excessive pulling of the facial area, harsh chemicals, rough cleansers, and things such as these can damage the skin very easily.   Think of how bad your skin looks when you scrape your knee or bang your elbow - the skin of the face is even more delicate than these areas, and yet often we subject it to the harshest of treatment!   Broken capillaries can result in red areas and harsh chemicals from facials and other treatments can mean dry skin, rough or blotchy patches, and problems such as these.

Many facial blemishes are also caused by the same things that cause acne, such as clogged pores, excessive oil buildup, and so on.   By examining the problems we encounter that create these other blemishes we can be in a better position to treat acne, as well as these other problems at the same time.

Good skin care does not have to be difficult, and there are many common mistakes that a person makes when trying to clear blemishes or when caring for their skin.   By understanding these things and by taking care of one's skin overall, there is no guarantee that you'll never get another breakout but it's much more likely that you'll have clear, radiant skin.