BEAUTY

Adios, acne No, pimples are not part of to ruin

, a consplracy your life,

can do them

and yes, you something about \?-

/,j et's clear up a few things about acne:

Jb No, pimples do not have ESP, They j / do not know that tonight is the night

"-"" ., ·H' of the big party-the one your friend's Keanu-ish older brother is attending. They do not know that if they were just an io-ta of an inch higher on your forehead, they would be hidden by your bangs. They do not know that you haven't eaten a morsel of chocolate (almost) for a week in an effort to ban them from your face. AJlow us to dedi-cate this whole page to the subject of acne ... and see if we can't help get your skin smoother in the process.

Warning-this is not for the squeamish, but here we go. According to dermatologist Dr. Alan Kling, acne involves an array of zit-like structures: blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, pustules (we warned you), and cysts. They aJl start in the same fairly inno-cent way. A sebaceous oil gland, located be-low the skin's surface, gets clogged with dead skin ceJls and the oil that it produces to lubricate your complexion. Now, when this happens close to the surface, a blackhead re-sults (the oil turns dark 'cause it's exposed to the air). When it occurs deeper down, you get a whitehead.

If this weren't bad enough, bacteria can build up within the whitehead, causing in-flammation. White blood ceJls (good guys,

really, but they're col-lectively known as pus) zoom in, attempting to fight back. During aJl this activity, you're stuck with one of those big red pimples that hurt deep below the surface of your skin. Trying to squeeze such zits can spread the clogged duct's con-

Here's a crucial question-are you to blame for the state of your skin? Not reaJly. To a large extent, acne is a result of heredity (SOlTY, we know you don't have too much control over picking your parents). The oth-er major causes of acne are hormonal changes and stress-both of which speed up oil production, which can lead to acne.

So what can you do? Blackheads and whiteheads can be dealt with pretty easily at home with benzoyl peroxide lotion and gentle but th(,lrough washing. Exfoliate once a week to get rid of dead surface ceJls that can clog pores, and only use makeup that's labeled "oil-free" and "noncomedo-genic" to further prevent pimples. You might

The four main zit myths also want to consider get-ting a professional facial (about $25 to $55) once a month or so to deep-clean your skin. Now, if the sit-uation is any worse-like lots of those throbbing, pink pimples happen-ing-it'S most assuredly time to get yourself an ap-pointment with a derma-tologist. He or she can prescribe stronger skin treatments, like Retin-A or oral antihiotics.

111 Eating fried, fatty foods gives you acne. Sorry, the oil in greasy foods has nothing to do with the oil clogging your pores. A good diet will boost your general health, though-which includes your skin. Iillf you've got zits, your sl:ln's dIrty. Not necessarily. In fact, too-strong scrubbing and too-harsh soap can actually aggravate the pimple problem. III The sun dries up acne. Only a little bit, and it's offset by the fact that the sun causes the skin to thicken. This, in turn, can block pores. Case a lifeguard's back for proof. If! Oily skin causes zits. Not! Acne's an equal-opportunity kind of thing. Our proof: People with dry skin and clogged norA!' nAt hlAmi!'hA!, tnn

1-' ,.~i;\"'--. • ·l'r":~. ..~.-,,:,,\,,,," '.-~\"\:\'.' ...... ' .. ''''- 1 • \ ( , · .. 'r ....... /,1. t: ) I .tl: J t" l

L....l...:..~_--"-___ "~-'-. __ ._._c.. _'-. __ , __ .... There are other sneaky things going on in

your life that can wreak havoc on your skin. For example, your after-school job at a fast-food joint may also be a hazard to your skin's health (those tiny grease particles fly about and gunk up your pores). Fight back by car-rying some toner or astringent and SWabbing your skin often. Also, if you happen to have a knack for spending long periods of time on the phone, the receiver smushed against your cheek can trigger blemishes .. Our advice: Switch the phone from ear to ear as you gab, and wipe it down with an antiseptic every day. Dontt worry; we'd never suggest you 2ive uo the ohone for a clearer comolexion.