Friday 11 January 2008

Acne And Saunas

By Amy Nutt

Acne is one of the most trying problems in a teenager's life, and they will often do whatever it takes to clear their face of the red bumps. There are a lot of acne treatments out there, but there are only a few that actually work. One acne solution that has been recommended on more than one occasion is sitting in a sauna for twenty or thirty minutes a day. This treatment has been pretty controversial over the years, with half of the acne sufferers saying that saunas make their acne worse, and the other half saying that they couldn't live without weekly trips to the sauna.

Acne is caused by dead skin cells that get trapped in the skin follicles, and sitting in a hot sauna is supposed to open up those skin follicles and allow the body to sweat out all of the acne causing debris. However, this doesn't always work like it is supposed to. Often times, once the skin has cooled, there is still sweat trapped in the follicles, and this makes the skin break out even more. If you want go to the sauna a few times a week, make sure you wash your face with a gentle cleanser to get rid of that sweat before it gets trapped in your skin follicles and becomes a problem.

Some acne sufferers still complain that their condition worsens after sauna use, even after carefully washing their faces afterwards. What these and a lot of other people don't know is that there are two different kinds of saunas. There are some people who find success with the well known steam sauna, but for those who find that the steam just makes things worse, the newer, infrared heat sauna may be the cure they are looking for.

Steam saunas basically heat up your body by raising the room temperature with steam and heat. This can make the sauna a little unbearable, and many people can barely take too much of it at one sitting. The infrared sauna uses the tested and proven safe infrared heat rays that penetrate the body without the unbearable temperatures of the conventional steam sauna. Do not confuse infrared heat rays with ultra violet rays. The infrared heat is one hundred percent safe for your body, and it is also very beneficial to your health in more ways than one.

The infrared heat works wonders for your skin, and just a few minutes, a few times a week will help to clear up your acne. The infrared heat will also minimize scarring that can be left on your face from acne. Saunas can definitely help clear up your acne; but you have to make sure you go to right kind of sauna! Also, always remember to wash your face with a gentle cleanser after any sauna time. Even when you choose to go to a sauna that uses infrared heat, it will not do you any good unless you wash your face afterwards.

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