Bad Acne Treatments or Just a Bad Diagnosis?
What you need to know acne treatments and Pseudofulliculitis
You use your acne treatments faithfully trying your hardest to get rid of your acne. You follow directions to a 't' but your skin is still a major source of embarrassment. If this is the case, you could be having one of two problems -- you're using the wrong acne skin treatment or you're acne isn't really acne. Here's how to tell your acne is really Pseudofolliculitis.
Do you have acne or Pseudofolliculitis?
Many times this scary sounding skin condition gets diagnosed as acne. That's the first mistake. The second mistake is using acne treatment for it. Pseudofolliculitis or PFB happens when one of two things occurs.
First, beard hairs curve back into your skin. When your hairs do this, your body thinks it is a foreign object and tries to defend itself by forming papules and pustules -- in other words, bumps.
The second cause of PFB is when the beard hairs penetrate the skin before leaving the hair follicle. Obviously, only men have this condition and it isn't true acne but many men try to get rid of it by using regular acne treatments. These just won't work.
The best acne treatment for PFB
The best acne treatment for PFB isn't really acne treatment. To treat this skin condition, you have to use different methods. Here are the most effective:
-- Manual treatment
Place a warm cloth over a small area of your skin. When the skin softens and warms, remove the ingrown hairs with a needle or a pair of tweezers. It is best if you have help doing this or have a magnifying mirror to help you.
-- Topical treatment
Topical treatments are those you put directly on your skin. One percent hydrocortisone or topical antibiotics can help make the swelling go down when the bumps are inflamed or swollen. A cream called eflornithine slows down the growth of facial hair and reduces the number of bumps caused by the hairs.
-- Oral treatment
Tetracycline or erythromycin are effective medicines that your dermatologist can prescribe.
-- Permanent treatment
If it fits in your budget, you can try electrolysis or laser treatments to permanently remove the beard hair. Of course, you would no longer be able to grow a beard so this is something you need to think about before you have it done.
If you think your 'acne' may be a case of Pseudofolliculitis, make an appointment with a dermatologist. A dermatologist can tell if you have this skin condition just by looking at your skin and give you proper medicine. You'll be amazed how quickly your skin will improve when you use the right treatment instead of using the wrong acne treatments.