Victory Beauty Supply

Pimple Wars And The Quest For Victory

Years ago a popular television commercial used a jingle of the lonely pimple, and how one becomes two then three and soon the face is full of pimples. Acne is the scourge of teenagers everywhere, and although acne can be bothersome to adults, acne adversely affects teenagers at an important time of self-image.

The desperation sets in as young people try acne remedies that are natural, commercial and sometimes a "gosh I hope this works" odd recommendation. Checking the pharmacy shelves, grocery shelves, beauty supply shelves and other places, hundreds of products exist with guaranteed success when used according to directions. A rite of passage for most teenagers is preventing pimples and curing acne.

The Internet is filled with claims of how products cured acne miraculously overnight. Other products boast of an accidental discovery produced a product that cured acne. Some acne ads are sensation, but all ads play on the emotional impact of acne, the miraculous cure to their embarrassment and distress. How alluring is the promise a person can be free of acne in as little as three hours or perhaps in seventy-two hours?

This interesting point about acne products is teenagers will try anything that sounds promising, and when the product fails, feel momentary disappointment and try the next product. In two years my teenage nephew tried a dozen products, followed the instructions to the letter ...still has acne.

My nephew has been an interesting study in reading on the Internet, trying the product and ending with failure. Perhaps the funniest cure that he tried was turmeric. Turmeric is a bright-yellow spice that he made into a paste and applied to his face. The result, a face with a tinge of bright yellow, several turmeric-stained towels and yes, you guessed it ...still has acne.

Another "cure" he tried and stopped quickly was colloidal silver. Perhaps colloidal silver cures acne, but when he read that too much of the product can cause your skin and gums to take on a bluish discoloration, he stopped. He had already turned yellow, he didn't want to be blue ...still has acne.

Keeping the skin clean and not touching the skin with dirty hands is a common sense approach. Wiping your face with a bottle of alcohol isn't common sense, but my nephew was desperate. And he managed to clean his skin, the cotton showed he did, but he also dried his skin completely ...still has acne.

Looking at his arsenal of products, he also has ones that are the result of commercials on television, articles read in a favorite magazine and a passage down the shopping isle at the grocery store. Many products promised miraculous results and sit discarded to the side, miracle yet to be discovered. He gets an "A" for effort because he tries and tries and unfortunately the result is ...still has acne.

Perhaps the getting rid of the acne isn't as important as finding the cause of the acne. Perhaps as doctors say its hormones and too much of this hormone and not enough of that hormone. Perhaps acne is simply the body's adjustment to levels of hormones that take awhile to stabilize, but in the meantime, condemns a teenager to the scourge of acne.

What about diet? Does diet create or impact the generation of acne? Teenagers are notorious for poor eating habits. French fries and hamburgers cannot replace wholesome vegetables and non-fried meats. Do teenagers drink enough water or is there a power drink, energy drink, soft drink or other drink glued to their hands? Often, the excuse for not drinking water is that it is boring or doesn't taste good. Good heavens, this is water and not the latest buzz drink.

If diet is a culprit here, trying to get my nephew to change his diet is like trying to remove teeth with toothpicks, he won't change. The allure of fast food, the burgers, tacos, pizza and other junk foods are too much an allure for him. Unfortunately, altering the diet has not been tried to understand does diet affect acne. Odd for a person who would risk turning yellow to be acne-free, he won't try a healthier approach to see will his face start to clear.

Instant cures and acne free faces normally do not occur overnight. Common sense practices, balanced diet, exercise; cleanliness may help more for the face than a thousand bottles of this product and that product. When a teenager suffers from severe acne, a doctor is necessary because underlying factors may be the cause of acne. Without proper care, scaring can occur. The pimple war can be fought and won, but requires prevention and long-term solutions, not a product that promises a three-hour miracle.