Pustular Acne Treatment
- Acne is caused by an overproduction of an oily substance called sebum in your skin. This oil is produced in the sebaceous glands and travels along the shaft of hair to your skin's surface. Sebum is the skin's natural moisturizer. However, the sebum glands can overproduce oil if the skin is too dry or during times when the hormones are elevated, such as during the teen years, during menopause or pregnancy or during times of stress. This overproduction of oil leads to clogged pores, infections, swelling and eventually a pustule.
- Mild cases of pustular acne can be cleared up with basic skin care. Avoiding stress, spicy and greasy foods, drinking plenty of water and exercise can help control hormone levels. Balance can be restored to the skin's moisture levels by cleansing, toning and moisturizing twice daily with a good cleanser formulated for your skin type. Additionally, an acne sufferer can minimize the amount of oil in the face by not touching the face with the hands, and wearing the hair away from the face. Since hair and the hands both have oils of their own, this will keep them from contaminating the face with additional oil.
- There are times when basic skin care is not enough to clear up pustular acne. In these cases, an over-the-counter medication may be required to help clear up acne. Popular over-the -counter medications come in spot-treatments, soaps, lotions or multi-step cleansing systems. Most contain some form of medication that causes the skin to exfoliate. This helps to remove dead skin cells and unclog pores. Common active ingredients in these medications include benzoyl peroxide, salycilic acid or other alpha or beta hydroxyl acids, sulfur or glycolic acid.
- When basic skin care fails to relieve acne problems, an acne sufferer may wish to consult a dermatologist. Most dermatologists will prescribe antibiotics to fight infections that lead to pustular acne. Common antibiotics that remedy pustules include a tetracycline, such as doxycycline.
