Multi-award winning British Nigerian beauty entrepreneur, Dr Lady Clare Eluka will be on-call via Pride Mag NG every Thursday answering your Health, Beauty or Business questions. Catch her on twitter too @askladyclare for the chance to have your question answered in the magazine, online and in print!
Q: Why do my pimples appear blacker than my skin, and what can I do about it? (Chichi, Umuahia)
A: Chichi, Most people associate Acne as the most challenging of all skin ailments. All types of acne — blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, and cysts — develop when pores in our skin become clogged (comodegenic). The problem is sebum [see-bum] build up – natural oil in our skin, building up due to improper cleansing of the skin.
Characteristics:
- A blackhead appears when sebum and dead skin cells clog the pore.
- A whitehead forms when the excess oil and dead skin cells clog the pore and block the opening of the pore
- Appears in the sebaceous glands – Neck, forehead, upper back, and face
When inflammation reaches deep into the skin an Acne cyst forms. This is the most severe type of acne. Cysts can be very painful. People often see permanent scarring after this type of acne heals.
It is a known fact that 75% or 3 out of 4 teenagers will experience Acne throughout their teens.
Put simply, Acne is the scientific term used to describe the dead skin cells which do not shed from the skin and clog the pores, hence the dead skin (often black or brown in dark skin/ red in fair skin) causes acne blemishes (also appearing as black heads).
Acne is a skin disorder, which causes inflammation, resulting in redness, bumps, keloids and scar blemishes. At Premae Skincare , the Double Award winning Balance Rescue Face Tonique which naturally unclogs the pores and tightens them, controls the build up of Acne (dead skin cells). The two products with the highest anti-bacterial content are: Harmony Crème Balm and Harmony Serum primer, the primer is to be applied before foundation, it absorbs excess Sebum and neutralizes it before it can turn into a pimple. These products can be ordered at www.premaeskincare.com.
3 more things you can do to ensure pimples do not remain on the skin:
– Exfoliate twice per week using a natural face scrub – for DIY, you can melt cocoa butter and add brown sugar to it. The sugar granules will buff away dead skin and trapped Sebum.
– Drink a litre of water daily. Leave it by your bedside to remind yourself. Detoxify your skin from the inside out!
– Wrap your hair every night and change you pillow cases regularly. We use oily hair, skin and makeup products which rub onto our clothes and bedding. Make sure you clean your bedding and pillows regularly so there is less recontamination of old oils on your skin.
Thank you for your question. I hope that has answered it, please do follow up with me on @askladyclare via Twitter or www.facebook.com/ ladyclareeluka and send me more questions to be answered on www.pridemagazineng.com each Thursday.