Does Sweat Cause Acne?

One of the biggest banes of puberty is acne. Your clear, baby soft skin is taken over by ugly, painful acne. This is an unavoidable growth pang that one has to survive till it lasts. Acne is not caused by a single factor. There are many factors that can lead to these ugly zits erupt on one's skin. Over production of skin oil, bacterial infection, hormones, toxins in blood, blocked skin pores, etc. are some of the common causes of acne. But, there are many people who believe acne breakouts can also be caused due to sweat.

Is Sweating Good for Skin?

The human body has two types of sweating glands. The eccrine glands are found all over the body and they help regulate body temperature. As sweating is controlled by the hypothalamus in the brain, any increase in the core temperature, triggers the eccrine glands to produce sweat. The other types of sweat glands include apocrine glands. These glands are present only in the armpits and navel area. These glands function only when stimulated or under stress. So, how is sweat good for the skin? Well, sweat contains water, sodium chloride and to some extent potassium. But, when you sweat you open up your skin pores. This helps you perspire. When you sweat, the water also brings along the toxins and dirt in your skin pores. Thus, unclogging the skin pores to some extent and detoxifying the skin. But, you must have noticed, in some cases, sweat tends to aggravate conditions such as acne and even eczema. Let us find out if sweat is actually a friend or a foe in disguise.

Can Sweat Cause Acne?

People, who tend to exercise or undergo physical work, perspire a lot. Especially after one steps out in the hot sun on a dry, dusty day. A good sweat will definitely help open up your pores and flush out the dirt from the skin. But, excessive sweat may make things worse. When one perspires, they should immediately clean it off. Otherwise, it may start clogging your already wide open pores. 

When you sweat, your skin becomes moist. This moist skin attracts dust and dirt that start sticking to the pores. When this happens, the pores start clogging and the oil secreted by the skin makes sure the dirt sticks to your pores. Once it evaporates, it leaves behind all the dirt, dust as well as bacteria on your skin surface. If you do not wash off your face with a face soap and water, the pores remain clogged. And finally, the next day, you observe acne greeting you.

Many times, people tend to develop acne mechanica. This is a form of acne that develops due to rubbing of the skin due to clothing or sports equipment. This means constant friction due to presence of a belt, strap, synthetic fibre or helmets and shoulder pads with the skin along with sweat can lead to acne mechanica. The skin is not able to breathe under the synthetic clothing or material rubbing against it. They start sweating and the extra heat, pressure and friction makes them vulnerable to acne. This type of acne can develop at any age at any time. It may appear not only on the face, but shoulders, back, waist, legs, under the arms or in the groin area.

So, does sweat cause acne? The answer is yes. It does lead to acne as it allows grime and dirt to stick to your skin. But, sweat also helps cleanse the skin to a small extent. So, you need to strike a balance between good sweat and excessive sweat. If you tend to sweat a lot, make sure you clean your face or have a bath frequently. People prone to acne mechanica, like musicians, sportsmen, etc. should make sure they wear loose-fitting clothes or cotton fabrics. Do not wear belts, straps and helmets for a prolonged period. You can try a few over the counter acne treatments and get rid of the ones that you may develop. A little bit of hygiene will make sure your sweat does not lead to acne eruptions.

Best Eczema Remedies You Can Adopt Yourself!

Eczema is the major skin disease that can mean a person can be paralysed to a certain extent. Those suffering from this disease are not able to perform their jobs easily as intense care is needed as an eczema remedy.

The disease is caused by environmental factors, such as pollen, dust particles, climatic conditions and irritants such as different chemicals - particularly the harsh chemicals we find everywhere now days.

People having skin more sensitive to these irritants are more likely to fall a prey of this disease. Although eczema symptoms vary depending upon the type of disease, the level of irritation and pain caused by it is the same and can be extreme.

There are different types of eczema depending upon the causes and symptoms and there a many eczema remedies but the major type is Atopic Dermatitis. People often mistakenly consider eczema to be a type of Athlete's foot when the disease is found on feet. It is not the same case; one can clearly distinguish between the two by seeing the eczema pictures and that of athlete's foot. Moreover, eczema is caused by the environmental irritants while athlete's foot is caused by yeasts. However, the skin affected from eczema is more vulnerable to microbial attack, and infection is caused and disease flares up.

Irritants and chemicals are the major cause of eczema so one should avoid intake of anti histamines. The best eczema remedies include taking certain precautions. These include the prevention of using products containing harsh chemicals, or avoiding contact with anything that could aggravate the condition.

The patient should use warm water for bathing. Resist using woollen or linen clothing, and wash all clothing and bed linen in a chemical free detergent. It is better to use soaps for bathing that are as natural as possible with no harsh chemicals and even better, are produced especially for eczema sufferers.

Don't blindly opt for just any remedy; always seek well researched options. It is better if you make use of lotions and creams that are speciality products for extreme moisturising of the skin. In order to keep the skin hydrated, you can make use of cortical steroids but they can have harsh side effects over a period of time.

Eczema is somewhat a genetic disorder also and those who have a previous history of hay fever and asthma are more likely to be attacked by it. In this situation, prevention and precaution serves the purpose as best cure.