Your skin happens to be the largest organ in your body. From time to time, it can also seem like it’s the most annoying organ in your body, as it’s likely to act up, usually at the worst time imaginable.
Razor Bumps
Those little bumps that develop on your skin after you shave are actually ingrown hairs. The hair curls under and ends up growing into the skin, creating irritation, and usually, a red bump.
One way to handle razor bumps is to try to keep them from happening in the first place. You can do that by exfoliating the skin the area before you shave, using a brush or a product that contains salicylic acid.
Another way to handle razor bumps is to change your hair removal process. Shaving, waxing and plucking out hairs with tweezers can all potentially cause the bumps. But laser hair removal won’t. As an added benefit, it also helps to permanently remove the hair, so you don’t have to keep coming back for more.
Adult Acne
When you were a teen, what the adults didn’t tell you is that they too, occasionally, get pimples and acne. Acne is so common among adults that’s its actually the most common skin disease in the country.
One of the big differences between the pimples you might have gotten as a teen and the break-outs you experience today is the cause of the acne. Often, adult acne is caused by hormones, which explains why you might be more prone to it if you’re pregnant, menstruating or going through menopause.
Treating acne is also different when you’re an adult compared to when you were a teenager. You don’t want to slather on Clearasil or another super drying, high strength acne cleanser made for 16-year-olds when you’re 40. Doing so will leave you with skin that might be clear, but it will also feel dry and itchy.
How you treat adult acne depends in large part on its severity. Some people get the best results when they schedule regular facials. Others see results by taking a prescription-strength oral medication. Other possible treatments include lasers, antibiotics, and chemical peels.
Splotchy Skin
Your skin can develop dark spots, creating an uneven, splotchy complexion, for a few reasons. In some cases, spending too much time outdoors, in the sun, can cause your skin to produce more melanin, or pigment, in certain areas. In other cases, hormones can trigger an over-production of melanin, leading to dark spots on the skin. When splotchy skin is due to hormones, it’s known as melasma.
Often, prevent dark spots is the first step towards treating them. Wearing sunscreen daily will help to reduce your sun exposure, reducing the chance of you developing spots.
In the case of melasma, treatment can be trickier. For some women, the dark spots clear up once the factor that caused the hormonal fluctuation is gone — such as childbirth or halting the use of birth control pills. Any dark spots that remain can be treated with a laser such as Fraxel.
Keratosis Polaris
Keratosis polaris is probably more commonly known as “chicken skin.” It’s a skin problem that causes tiny bumps to develop on the surface of the skin. Usually, chicken skin is harmless, but looks unattractive. The tiny bumps are actually small plugs of dead skin cells.
One way to deal with the problem is to exfoliate and moisturize the skin more often. Microdermabrasion can be help to reduce the bumps and lasers might also be effective in more severe cases.
Some skin problems are more annoying than others, but the good news is that there’s usually a fix for all about the most stubborn of problems. Whether you’re dealing with acne, razor bumps, “chicken skin” or another problem we didn’t mention, the staff at Mirror Mirror Beauty Boutique in Houston, Texas can help you determine which treatment is most appropriate for you. To schedule a consultation, call 281-810-9083 today.