(ANTI) PIMPLE POWER

Zit. Pustule. Carbuncle (a medieval term actually found in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales). A pimple by any other name is still as undesirable. Beauty historians theorize that pimples or any other marks on the face are considered ugly because they may be a mark of ill health. Traditionally, a woman’s prime qualification for wifehood was to bear children, and only a physically perfect, preferably young woman can withstand the rigors of childbirth and rearing. In early societies, before sophisticated communications and deep understanding of how the human body actually worked, a clear face was the surest mark of health. Thus, through evolution, men were programmed to look for clear skin when searching for a mate. After all, a disease like measles causes complications in childbirth and its most-telling symptoms are red marks on the face.

Sadly, though pimples have absolutely no effect on a woman’s ability to procreate, the presence of acne is now associated with either poor hygiene, or worse, a state of poor health. Not to mention, severely cutting down self-esteem and confidence. "Beauty is not skin- deep" is an old saying but from personal and professional experience, I have seen women hampered by their bad skin, with psyches as scarred as their complexions.

THE BIRTH OF A PIMPLE

Many myths surround acne. One is that pimples are caused by an oily, fatty diet such as pizza, chocolates or peanuts. Another is that pimples are caused by dirt. The truth is that there is no one cause for pimples. The three contributing factors are: stress, genes and hormones.

Stress can trigger the sebaceous glands to produce more oil. This excess oil can form a plug that blocks follicles inside the skin and these blocks can form whiteheads, blackheads, pimples or acne cysts. Now, everybody has stress, right? Then why doesn’t everybody have pimples all the time? That’s where genes come in – there are just some lucky people who have civilized sebaceous glands. And hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, go up and down with the menstrual cycle, thus causing that occasional breakout during or slightly before periods.

Most women first experience pimples during adolescence, when hormones that bring on bodily changes surge through the bloodstream. But the stress of modern life has increased the incidence of adult acne. There are increased reports of women undergoing menopause who also experience more breakouts. Imagine having to go through all the physical hell of menopause and then adding acne to the brew – not a pretty picture. Thus, both young women grappling with adolescence and older women struggling with menopause have to deal with pimples.

In response to this "mini-epidemic" Clinique decided to develop a line of skincare products devoted just to targeting pimples. I was actually quite surprised that Clinique never had a line devoted just to fighting acne. After all, Clinique is one of the pioneers in skincare, with such legendary products as Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion. But Clinique is a company that likes to do things their way. They did two to three years of research and development before putting together this line.

THE DEATH OF A PIMPLE

Clinique calls its Anti-Blemish Solutions line "a multi-pronged solution to a multi-faceted problem." The Anti-Blemish Solutions products cover the distance of treating the acne as well as disguising it. The products work synergistically to provide: exfoliation, antibacterial action, anti-irritation action and excess oil control.

The line includes a cleansing foam, a night treatment gel, a concealing cream (that treats pimples as well as camouflaging them), and a face and a body soap, as pimples are not always just confined to the face.

The Anti-Blemish Solutions line is tough but gentle. It combines traditional anti-acne ingredients such as salycilic acid, in modern formulations such as the night gel and the state-of-the-art concealer. The cleansing agents are balanced by such soothing ingredients as kola nut, green tea and seaweed extract.

In a perfect world, people wouldn’t care about pimples. But before that happens, there’s always an Anti-Blemish solution to zap that zit.

PRACTICAL ANTI-ZIT TIPS

• When talking on the phone, don’t lean the receiver on your chin, as the mouthpiece could be a source of bacteria that could aggravate your pimple problem.

• No sweat. Sweat can cause a film that can trap oil and bacteria which clogs pores and follicles. Make sure to cleanse regularly, especially after exercising or skin exposure.

• Over exfoliation can cause the sebaceous glands to go into overdrive so easy on the scrubbing. Gentle cleansing is more skin-friendly.

• Don’t ever pick on a pimple. It will surely leave a scar and you will only aggravate your skin’s condition. If the pimple is extra-large, a dermatologist can treat it with a shot to calm down the swelling or just excavate it with her expert hand and tools.

• Sun exposure can aggravate breakouts so if you have blemishes, it’s best to avoid the sun.