The facial skin care is directly connected with the acne treatment, something which is typical of all age groups. The main reason for the acne is the clogged pore. For the females this is a frequent case during puberty, while it is not always reasoned by this period. Among other popular causes of the acne are the overproduction of sebum (oil), irregular removal of dead skin, which results in irritation of the young skin, and finally all kinds of bacteria.

The best way of fighting acne is to follow the simple rules of taking care of your skin. This includes acne treatment, protection of the skin from various external factors, including direct sunlight, cold weather and bitter food, and general skin care.

The first stop here should be made upon the selection of acne treatments. How to choose the best product for you? Well, the first thing to deal with is the determination of the skin type. The most frequent skin types are dry, oil and combined. Normal skin is a rare type. For each of these types there are various products. Note that the general “all type” treatments more fit the normal type and might not be that good for oily skin.

The prevention of the acne can be reached if you keep your skin clean. For this you should at least wash your face once a day and sometimes even twice, but not more. While applying cosmetics, you stick to non-comedogenic products, which do not lead to the closure of pores.

Sometimes the cause of the acne is sebum, which is a type of oil being produced by organism coming from the hair follicles. It usually comes as a regulation of the skin oil, though in case of oily skin it causes lots of problems. To avoid the development of sebum you should avoid touching the skin with dirty hands or pulling the phone close to the face.

One of the main expressions of acne is pimps. Though they seem to be something bothering, the doctors claim you should avoid popping pimps. The reason for this is the irritation of the area surrounding the pimp, which after a while causes pimps in the same territory. Also there’s a chance the infection will go further into your skin and will cause even bigger problems afterwards. The best treatment of the pimps is the use of effective medical products approved by doctors.

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Ear Pain from ear wax

Ear wax (cerumen) is a natural substance, which is produced in the human ear canal for assisting its cleaning. It also protects against bacteria, insects and water. It is universally known ear wax should be cleaned from time to time with a cotton bud, since its excess accumulation in the auditory canal (ear canal) can press against the eardrums and thus cause pain; it can even lessen hearing capacity. But sometimes cleaning with the cotton bud pushes some wax deep inside and that causes problems, including the worst scenario that is harming the very eardrums. Therefore the cleaning operation must be done gently and with caution, a good advice can be to soften sometimes the cotton bud with olive or vegetable oil. There are special ear drops, which clean the audio canal, and are available in the pharmacy.  It is good also to visit periodically your doctor, who can make your ear canal clean with a special liquid, which will flash out the ear wax easily and quickly.

Ear pain from inflammation of the middle ear

The first symptom of this condition is when the pain starts deep inside the ear. Generally speaking, inflammation of the middle ear is the most frequent cause of earache, and is mostly based on infection. It is also very common among children and can not only be caused by bacteria, but even can be the consequence of catching cold. Contact with other children sometimes also generates this problem. There is an air channel between the middle ear and the nose, which is called Eustachian tube and ensures that the middle ear receives enough air so that the fluids can come out through the nose. The infection usually spreads via this Eustachian tube to the middle ear and makes the eardrum stretch and swell. This in turn creates pressure in the middle ear and thus pain. Children have smaller Eustachian tube, and that’s the reason they can suffer more frequently from this condition than adults. Known mild pain relievers like Paracetamol (Calpol), Ibuprofen, Nurofen (for children), can be used to treat or at least to ease the pain, which can be quite acute.

Ear pain from Otitis in the outer ear (Otitis Externa)

Otitis can be described as the inflammation of the ear canal skin due to bacteria or fungi penetration, when there is some vulnerability on the skin, for example eczema. The latter is a skin condition generated by a number of factors (for example scratching), which make the skin’s protective layer compromised and thus more prone to being affected by bacteria. Swimming in dirty water or letting water in the ears during swimming (wear special earplugs) or bathing can trigger otitis. Penetration of foreign objects (dust particles or ear bud particles), skin allergy and diabetes can potentially lead to otitis. Also you should avoid letting hair spray or hair color get in some way into the ear canal.

Anyway, you should think about otitis when your ear starts to itch or when there is a discharge from the ear. Try pushing or pulling the ear lobe or move the jaw, if the pain is getting worse, then this is also another symptom of otitis. There can be some swelling in the ear canal and in some cases; you could even experience reduction of hearing capacity.

So what is the treatment of this condition? As usual, the best treatment is to avoid getting this condition, avoid letting water into ears or letting cotton particles remain in the ear canal after cleaning with cotton buds. If the infection remains, it can become chronic and that will make it more difficult to treat. This is not a very dangerous situation, however, and with due and prompt professional medical attention, the issues should not take much time to resolve. The important thing is not to irritate the ear canal at home, rather use some painkillers, until your doctor cleans your ear and prescribes antibacterial medicine or more effective ear drops.

We hope we have given enough useful information in general terms as to what ear pain is, what its causes and symptoms are and also some advice on how to proceed in some situations to avoid or to treat earache. Remember, with good care, enough attention and awareness, your ears will not impose on you long winter days of pain.

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Tension Headaches

Tension headaches are the most common of headaches and usually are described like feeling a tight band around your head. Tension headaches are mild and can occur after a bad sleep, eye strain for a long period and stress. This type is cured by taking a good rest, developing healthy habits, and also taking medication after a consultation with a doctor.

Eye Problems

We are speaking about headache but the reasons can be problems with eyes. Some of the most common issues in this respect are:

Astigmatism: Astigmatism is a condition when people have irregularly shaped eye retina. Because of this some objects appear hazy if viewed from a certain angle. To see them clearly people with astigmatism squint and thus create tension on eye muscles, which in turn can lead to a strong headache.

Presbyopia: This condition usually develops in elderly people, because with age eye lenses lose their flexibility. This is the reason why elderly people have difficulties in reading and viewing close objects. Presbyopia thus can become the reason for sore eyes, badly focused images and headaches.

Hyperopia or Long Sightedness: This condition occurs when the object we view is not properly fixed on the retina, but goes behind it. It can appear due to genetic reasons, aging or injury. While straining to view the image in focus, the eye muscles and all vision system are also strained and this can lead to headache.

Migraine

Migraines can also be reasons for the pain behind eyes. Ophthalmoplegic migraine can lead to days or months of headache and retinal migraine stresses eye muscles, which can be the reasons of gradual loss of vision. Migraine can also cause nausea, vomiting and hyper-sensitivity to light or sound.

Sinusitis

Sinusitis is inflammation of paranasal sinuses, air-filled spaces, which are located around nose and between the eyes. Sinusitis can cause dull, throbbing pains behind eyes, but can radiate to the front of the face and cheekbones. Sinusitis symptoms include also fever, swollen and blocked nose and sore throat.

Cluster Headaches

We know about prohibited cluster bombs, but there are cluster headaches, which will create no fewer problems than cluster bombs. Two reasons are mentioned for this condition: some point to issues with trigeminal nerve, while others say it is due to deep vascular channels in the head. The symptoms include sudden several pains behind eyes, which last from 5 minutes to an hour, accompanied with a burning sensation on one side of the nose.

Treatment of headaches behind the eyes

To start the treatment of headaches behind the eyes, try to know the reasons behind such pain. Tension headaches usually are easy to treat: they should disappear after a good rest or relaxing exercises. For example, you can lie down on the floor and with thumbs find the base of the skull. Then lean back on your thumb and press hard. Remain in position until you feel uncomfortable. If the pain is behind only one eye, do the same exercise but with one thumb and on the side of the hurting eye. You should breathe deeply during the whole process.

Migraines can be cured with a message therapy, acupuncture and prescription medicine. Treatment of eye system problems can also free from headaches. Treatment of sinusitis can be achieved by steam inhalation and taking prescribed medicines, anyway this in turn will alleviate headache symptoms.

Anyway, there are plenty of medicines available for treatment of mild headaches, including headaches behind the eyes. But if the symptoms remain for long, or tend to repeat, then see your doctor just to be sure.

The headaches usually occur a few days before the menstruation period starts and during the period itself. The cause of the migraine is the drop of the estrogen level, which is typical of this cycle.

The main way to fight the menstruation-caused headaches is to use Triptans. They should be used in advance to the headache attacks, while they might be repeated during the period, to stop the immediate migraine causes. Another way of solving the situation is to use medication to stabilize the hormones. For this the most commonly used pills are the estrogen pills or patches.

Another cause of hormonal migraines is the use of oral contraceptives. These medications do use a lot of estrogen, which causes the raise of the level of this hormone, which in its turn  causes headaches. That’s why doctors advise women to use different kind of contraceptives changing them once in a while. In this case the estrogen level will be turned back to normal, thus there will be a chance to reduce the frequency of the headaches to the minimum.

Pregnancy is also a great period for headache prevention. During this period most women claim to have no headaches at all assuring that migraine frequency is getting highly reduced.

The same situation should be discussed during the menopause period. To prevent headaches women should take estrogen medication continuously, as their body is having lower estrogen levels. This is especially true when we are dealing with those women who are also facing hysterectomies.

While taking the medication you should also consider a few factors, including the blood pressure, smoking or drinking habits. And you should always remember that hormonal treatment might cause lots of problems concerning the weight and overall activity.  That’s why consult a doctor before taking certain medications.

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Tension headaches: Tension headaches are the common type of headaches, from which adults and adolescents generally suffer. Surprising as it may sound, the causes of this most common headache are not fully discovered. Generally referred to as muscle contraction headaches (though experts don’t believe muscle contractions cause them) they cause mild to moderate pain.

Migraines: Migraines are generally related to blood vessel contraction. Changes in the brain or abnormalities in certain brain area, which are usually inherited, also stand among the possible causes.

Things to know about migraines:

• They last for four hours to three days.
• They cause throbbing pain, which can vary between moderate to severe and are felt on one or both sides of the head.
• They occur one to four times monthly.

The best way to describe people suffering from migraines is they are sensitive to light, noise and odors. I belong to the last ones because even the slightly felt odor can spoil my mood and in most cases I end with a migraine. Migraines have different symptoms and causes.

You should not confuse migraines with the simple headaches, because if you happen to meet two kids, one suffering for example, from a tension headache and the other from a migraine, you’ll see what I mean. Migraines are more serious. The kid with a migraine headache will look pale, feel dizzy and sick in his stomach, go through abdominal pain and have fever and blurred vision. Besides he’ll experience nausea/vomiting and loss of appetite. Too much to be referred to as a simple headache, right?

The various types of migraine headaches include the following:

• Abdominal migraine
• Basilar migraine
• Complicated migraine
• Cyclic migraine syndrome
• Hemiplegic migraine
• Nocturnal migraine
• Ophthalmoplegic migraine

Interestingly, migraines are common among pregnant women, who can experience these recurrent headaches from the third month of their pregnancy until the delivery.

Mixed headache syndrome: As the name suggests it’s a combination of headaches. It combines both tension and migraine headaches. Like almost all types of headaches, adolescents and adults are at equal risk of suffering from them.

Acute headaches: Common in kids and adolescents these headaches have neurological signs and symptoms. If these signs and symptoms are absent, then they are being related to a respiratory or sinus infection.

Inflammatory headaches: Also referred to as chronic progressive headaches, inflammatory headaches are basically caused by a brain or skull disorder. They are not common, and on the whole they account for the least number of headaches in adults and kids.

Cluster headaches: If so far you have been wondering which the severest type of headache is, you already know – cluster headaches are the cruelest ones. They cause a feeling of burning in the head, which is accompanied with a throbbing or constant pain. The severity level of this headache is so high that a person experiencing it is just not able to sit still or make himself sleep. Once the cluster headache attacks, people start pacing, I don’t actually know how it helps them (or in reality it helps or no), but this pacing characterizes almost all people suffering this headache. The pain usually occurs in the eye region.

Things to know about cluster headaches:

• They occur one to three times a day.
• They can last for two weeks to three months.
• They can leave you in peace for months and years, but it doesn’t mean for forever. They leave you only to reoccur one day.

Hormone headaches: One of my sisters very often complains of headaches, and her mom continuously tells her it’s high time she marries. Though we usually take this for a joke and make fun of her we all realize there is some truth in her words especially if we take into account she’s never had sexual relations with anyone and she is about 28 or so. So hormone headaches are a type peculiar to women. They are related to hormone level changes, which occur during menstruation, pregnancy or menopause. Note that birth control pills can also trigger headaches.

Sinus headaches: If you experience constant pain in your cheekbones, forehead or the bridge of nose, then you suffer from sinus headaches. They usually occur with such sinus symptoms as feeling fullness in the ears, nasal discharge and facial swelling. The pain usually gets worse when you abruptly move your head or strain. In my case sinus headaches occur when I have flu and it feels really terrible.

Headaches are not a disease; so many people think “well, they’ll soon disappear.” These are basically people who suffer from tension headaches, which can ease with an even thirty minutes sleep. But things are different with people experiencing more severe types of headaches; sometimes they even hit their head onto the wall to ease the pain. It doesn’t help, I tell you from my own experience, but it shows how severe headaches can be and to what they can lead people.

And lastly, I’m sure many of you suffering from headaches wonder if they are hereditary or no. Most of them are, and the most common hereditary headache is the migraine. The possibility the kid will suffer from migraine is especially high (70 percent) if both parents experience it. If only one parent suffers, the possibility drops (25-50 percent), yet it doesn’t exclude the risk, because in my family only my dad suffers from migraine and it has passed to me.

Photo Credit: Ella Grace