Author Archive
Is Exercise Causing Your Breakouts?
Posted by: | CommentsIt might be. Exercising can lead to breakouts for two reasons. The first is that sweat creates a warm, moist environment that’s very attractive to P. acnes, the bacteria that cause acne. This is exacerbated if you’re wearing sunscreen or makeup while you exercise because you’re creating a closed environment for your pores, encouraging more bacteria and clogging.
The second part of the equation is what you’re wearing while you exercise. If your workout routine or daily activities require you to wear a hat, helmet, backpack, or non-breathable clothing, these materials can rub against acne-prone areas of the body causing a phenomenon called acne mechanica. This friction stimulates the sebaceous gland to produce excess oil that mixes with dead skin cells and clogs pores.
That doesn’t mean you should stop exercising!
The best way to prevent exercise acne is to wear loose-fitting cotton clothing. If possible, you should also avoid heavy makeup. If you’re wearing makeup to camouflage your acne, make sure it’s non-comedogenic (non-pore clogging)—it should say it on the label.There are also plenty of medicated cosmetic formulas and mineral makeups that contain salicylic acid, which can help keep your pores clear. When exercising outdoors, it’s crucial for your skin’s health to wear sunscreen—just make sure it’s also non-comedogenic.
Is Your Acne Caused by Stress?
Posted by: | CommentsThe simple answer is yes. Emotional stress can have many physical effects on your body, especially when it comes to acne. In fact, one study from Stanford University showed that students were more likely to suffer acne flare ups during midterms or finals. But, even if you’re not a student, chances are that you probably have to deal with a fair amount of stress.
The biological reasons for the acne-stress connection have to do with two hormones: cortisol and androgens. Your body releases higher levels of cortisol, sometimes called the “survival hormone” whenever you go through periods of stress. So, if you have a major deadline to meet, an argument with a friend or spouse, or trouble with your boss, you’re body will likely produce cortisol.
The problem with cortisol—where acne is concerned—is that it increases androgen production, a “male sex hormone” that your body begins producing once you hit puberty. Androgens trigger your sebaceous glands to produce excessive amounts of oil, resulting in a buildup of oil that can cause clogged pores and, of course, pimples.
Finding ways to reduce stress, including exercise, meditation and rest along with using a daily acne-fighting system can have big benefits for your skin!
Are You at Risk for Acne Scars?
Posted by: | CommentsAcne is bad enough while it’s actually happening, but the physical scars it leaves can also have a terrible effect on your self-esteem. The severity of your acne scars usually depends the severity of your acne—if you have cystic acne (characterized by large, painful, puss-filled pimples), you’re more likely to develop scars on the surface of your skin. But permanent acne scars are even possible with mild-to-moderate acne.
The best defense against acne scarring is to stop pimples before they actually reach the surface of your skin. You can do this by treating your skin on a daily basis with proven acne-fighting medicines. However, if you do get blemishes, it’s important to avoid picking and squeezing since this can lead to infection, delay healing and promote scar formation. If you already have scars procedures like laser resurfacing, demabrasion and laser therapy might help.
What about red or dark marks? Many people believe that the discoloration left after pimples heal are scars. Technically, they aren’t. These marks are called “post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation,” and they’re very common in darker skin tones. Hyperpigmentation caused by pimples can take months or years to resolve, and aside from preventing acne, there is no real way to guard against these marks. You can, however, help keep them from darkening by using sun protection whenever you go outdoors. Topical lightening products containing hydroquinone along with mild exfoliation may help speed up the fading process.
Top 5 Things to Avoid If You Have Acne
Posted by: | CommentsIf you suffer from acne, then you know there are plenty of things you should be doing to control breakouts—being consistent with your skin care regimen, eating a healthy diet, and keeping your stress level down. But a along with the dos come some definite donts.
Here are the top 5 things you should avoid if you have acne:
1. The sun: Exposure to the sun makes acne worse. In the short term, a tan might make your complexion look more even and pimples less visible, which is probably why people think sun exposure is good for acne. But tans and burns cause your skin to shed more cells, which build up on the surface, clogging pores and triggering more breakouts down the road.
2. Over-washing: It’s true that cleansing is an important part of controlling your acne, but too much washing can wreak havoc on your skin. Cleansing more than twice a day can strip your skin of moisture and natural oils, which often leads to more problems.
3. Trigger Foods: While diet doesn’t cause acne, it can make it worse. Some people get acne flare-ups in reaction to certain foods; including iodine-containing foods like seafood and table salt; dairy and other animal products containing hormones; and junk food like soda, candy and other foods that have a high glycemic load (increased blood sugar).
4. Harsh Exfoliation: Facial scrubs can be very harsh—some even include ground-up walnut shells and apricot pits. Using harsh scrubs causes micro-tears on your skin, leaving it raw and irritated. That’s no good for the look or health of your skin. Gentle exfoliation with a cleanser that contains small, round beads is recommended.
5. Squeezing: It can be really tempting to pop and pick at your pimples, but the habit has terrible—and sometimes permanent—consequences. For one thing, it can push bacteria deeper into the skin and possibly cause infection. Secondly, you can really damage the surrounding skin tissue, which can cause scars that last a lifetime. Hands off!
Privacy Policy
Posted by: | CommentsThis Privacy Policy is effective as of November 5th, 2010.
You linked to this Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) via a product website owned by Guthy-Renker LLC (“Company”). The Company’s network includes numerous product marketing Web sites (the “Websites”). The Privacy Policy is in effect for all Websites owned and operated by the Company. By using any of the Websites, you signify that you have read, understand and agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy.
This policy applies to all online communication with Websites owned by the Company. When you provide us with online information through any of the Websites, we respect your privacy. It is important for you to understand what information we collect about you during your visit and what we do with that information. Please note that your visit to any of our Websites is subject to this Privacy Policy and our Terms and Conditions.
1. Information Collection
We only collect personally identifiable information about you via our Websites when you provide it in connection with a request for a product, service, or information. You may browse our Websites without providing any personal information; however if, for example, you decide to place an order, we will ask you for your name, delivery and billing address, phone number(s), email address, credit card number and its expiration date. If you choose to complete a user registration form, survey or sweepstakes entry form, we may ask you for information such as your contact information (e.g., name, e-mail address and mailing address), age group or birth date. Occasionally, we may also ask you for other information such as gender, income level, and information about your prior experiences with the Company’s products. When you submit your personally identifiable information on one of the Websites, you are giving your consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information as set forth in this Privacy Policy.
We may also collect, store or accumulate certain non-personally identifiable information concerning your use of this Website, such as information regarding which of our pages are most popular, your IP address, browser, city, time zone, referring URL, and operating system. Information gathered may be used in aggregate form for internal business purposes, such as generating statistics, developing marketing plans, customizing content, and improving the Website. We may share or transfer such aggregate, non-personally identifiable information with or to our affiliates, licensees and partners.
All of our Websites are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. However, if the parent or guardian of a child under 13 believes that the child has provided us with personally identifiable information, the parent or guardian of that child should contact us at privacy@guthy-renker.com if they want this information deleted from our files so that it is not in retrievable form. If we otherwise obtain knowledge that we have personally identifiable information about a child under 13 in retrievable form in our files, we will delete that information from our existing files so that it is not retrievable.
2. Use/Disclosure of Personal Information
The Company may use the information that you provide to fulfill your request for a product, information, or other service, or respond to an email or other request, as well as to create and deliver to you our newsletters or surveys, communications containing product information, usage tips or promotions, help improve our website(s) or services, or customize visitors’ experience at our Website(s). The Company may also use your personally identifiable information to send you information about products, services and special offers. However, we want to communicate with you via email correspondence only if you want to hear from us. If for any reason you would no longer like to receive email messages from the Company, you can click here to remove yourself. Please allow up to 10 days for us to process your request.
The Company may make your name, emailaddress, and/or mailing address available to carefully selected vendors, business partners and other organizations whose products or services we think may interest you. Many of our users find this a valuable and time-saving service. However, if you do not want us to share your personal information with third party organizations, you can email us at unsubscribe@guthy-renker.com to remove yourself. Please allow up to 10 days for us to process your request.
Please note, if you opt not to receive marketing emails from the Company, you may still receive “Transactional” email messages regarding your order (i.e. order confirmation, shipping information, customer service notifications, etc.) If you have questions or concerns regarding this statement, please contact us at privacy@guthy-renker.com.
We may contract with companies or individuals to provide certain services including email and hosting services, credit card processing, shipping, data management, surveys and marketing, promotional services, etc. We call them our Service Providers. We may share personally identifiable information with Service Providers solely as appropriate for them to perform their functions, but they may not use such information for any other purpose.
We do not share your credit card or other account information with unaffiliated third parties unless you authorize us to do so, or if it is necessary to fulfill our responsibilities including, but not limited to, delivering a product or service that you order.
Finally, the Company may disclose personal information in special cases: (1) when we have reason to believe that disclosing this information is necessary to identify, contact, or bring legal action against someone who may be causing injury to or interference with (either intentionally or unintentionally) the rights of the Company or to anyone that could be harmed by such activities; (2) when we believe in good faith that the law requires it; (3) to any third party who may acquire the Company; and (4) in situations involving threats to the physical safety of any person.
Ensuring Your Security
We use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), an advanced security protocol that protects your credit card information and ensures secure online ordering. SSL Internet connections are encrypted, and thus protect all credit card ordering information, including your name, address and credit card number, so it cannot be read in transit. We use secure technology, privacy protection controls, and restrictions on employee access, to safeguard your personal information. Please note, however, that although we employ industry-standard security measures to safeguard the security of your personal information, no transmissions made on or through the Internet are guaranteed to be secure.
Safe Shopping Policy
Our policy is that you pay nothing if unauthorized charges are made to your card as a result of shopping on one of our Websites. It is determined that under the Fair Credit Billing Act, your bank cannot hold you liable for more than $50.00 of fraudulent charges. If your bank does hold you liable for any of this $50.00, we will cover the entire liability for you, up to the full $50.00. We will only cover this liability if the unauthorized use of your credit card resulted through no fault of your own from purchases made while using the secure server. In the event of unauthorized use of your credit card, you must notify your credit card provider in accordance with its reporting rules and procedures.
Technology Utilized
Like many e-commerce websites, we employ several commonly used technologies on this Website: cookies, clear gifs, networking traffic monitoring and active scripting We use these to monitor the performance of the Website, measure its effectiveness, tailor our products, services and advertising to suit the personal interests of you and others, estimate our audience size, assist our online merchants to track visits to and sales at our Websites and to process your order, track your status in our promotions, contests and sweepstakes, and/or analyze your visiting patterns.
“Cookies” are small pieces of information stored by your browser on your computer’s hard drive. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually change your browser to prevent this. If you disable cookies, you may be unable to order or use other features of our Website. If you experience any problems, please email us at cs@guthy-renker.com.
“Clear gifs” (also known as “web beacons”) are tiny graphics with a unique identifier, similar in function to cookies, and are used to help us better optimize our advertising.
“Network traffic monitoring” is programming that monitors and analyzes network traffic, and can be used to capture data being transmitted on a network, including plain-text data and computer IP addresses.
“Active scripting” is programming code that is designed to collect information about your interactions with the Website, such as which links you click on. The code is temporarily downloaded onto your computer or mobile device from our server or a third party service provider, is active only while you are connected to the Website, and is deactivated or deleted thereafter.
We may combine automatically collected Website usage information with your Personal Information. In those cases, we will apply this Privacy Policy to the combined information.
External Links
Our Websites may offer links to and from other third party sites. Other sites have their own policies regarding privacy. If you visit one of these sites, you may want to review the privacy policy on that site. For example, you may have linked to the Guthy-Renker LLC brand site through a banner advertisement on another site. In such cases the site you have linked from may collect information from people who click on the banner or link. You may want to refer to the privacy policies on those sites to see how they collect and use this information.
International Users
Like almost every website, our Websites may be accessed by an international audience. By visiting our Websites and providing us with data, you acknowledge and agree that your personal information may be processed for the purposes identified in this policy. In addition, such data may be stored on servers located outside your resident jurisdiction and in jurisdictions which may have less stringent privacy practices than your own. By providing us with your data, you consent to the transfer of such data.
Your California Privacy Rights
California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits customers of Company who are California residents to request and obtain from us once a year, free of charge, information about the personal information (if any) we disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes in the preceding calendar year. If applicable, this information would include a list of the categories of personal information that was shared and the names and addresses of all third parties with which we shared information in the immediately preceding twelve calendar months. If you are a California resident and would like to make such a request, please submit your request in writing to
Guthy-Renker, LLC
General Counsel
3340 Ocean Park Boulevard
Santa Monica, California 90405
Attn: California Privacy Rights
Notification of Changes
We may revise this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we decide to change our Privacy Policy, we will post the revised policy here. As we may make changes at any time without notifying you, we suggest that you periodically consult this Privacy Policy. Your continued use of the Website after the changes are posted constitutes your agreement to the changes, both with regard to information we have previously collected from you and with regard to information we collect from you in the future. If you do not agree to the changes, please discontinue your use of our Website.
Legal
Posted by: | CommentsGuthy-Renker LLC maintains this product site (the “Site”) for your personal entertainment, information, education, and communication. You may download material displayed on the Site for non-commercial; personal use only provided you also retain all copyright and other proprietary notices contained on the materials. You may not, however, distribute, modify, transmit, reuse, re post, or use the content of the Site for public or commercial purposes, including the text, images, audio, and video without Guthy-Renker LLC’s prior written permission. Your access to and use of the Site is also subject to the following terms and conditions (“Terms and Conditions”) and all applicable laws. By accessing and browsing the Site, you accept, without limitation or qualification, the Terms and Conditions and acknowledge that any other agreements between you and Guthy-Renker LLC, if any, are superseded and of no force or effect.
Terms and Conditions
You should assume that everything you see or read on the Site is copyrighted unless otherwise noted and may not be used except as provided in these Terms and Conditions or in the text on the Site without the written permission of Guthy-Renker LLC. Guthy-Renker LLC neither warrants nor represents that your use of materials displayed on the Site will not infringe rights of third parties not owned by or affiliated with Guthy-Renker LLC.
While Guthy-Renker LLC uses reasonable efforts to include accurate and up to date information in the Site, Guthy-Renker LLC makes no warranties or representations as to its accuracy. Guthy-Renker LLC assumes no liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in the content of the Site.
About
Posted by: | CommentsAcne.com is proudly brought to you by the makers of Proactiv® acne treatment. After serving millions of customers, the people at Proactiv® wanted to provide this valuable resource to acne sufferers everywhere. We understand what it’s like to have acne. We also know a lot about how to fight it, so we wanted to create a quick, comprehensive resource to share this information with the people who need it most. When you visit acne.com, you’ll have access to important resources that can help you understand what’s happening to your skin – and find the best ways to banish blemishes. Of course, the information posted here by Acne.com or any other third party should not be considered medical advice and is not intended to replace consultation with a qualified dermatology professional. But it will give you the facts you need to get on the path to clear skin. We sincerely hope we can help. Remember, we’re all in this together.
