Struggling with stubborn acne that just won’t go away? You’re not alone! Acne isn’t just about clogged pores—it’s influenced by hormones, stress, diet, and even the products you use daily. From painful cysts to pesky blackheads, breakouts can feel frustrating. But don’t lose hope! With the right skincare routine, patience, and dermatologist-approved tricks, you can take control of your skin.

Acne can be stubborn, frustrating, and emotionally draining. For many, persistent breakouts don’t just affect their skin but also their self-confidence. If you’ve tried everything and still see blemishes, you might need to tweak your approach. While acne is an inflammatory condition, several other factors contribute to its persistence. Here’s what you can do when nothing seems to work.

1. Stick to a Treatment for at Least Four Weeks

One of the biggest mistakes people make when treating acne is switching products too frequently. It’s tempting to try a new cream or cleanser every few days, but this can irritate your skin and worsen breakouts. Acne treatments require time to work—typically four to six weeks for noticeable improvement and two to three months for significant clearing. Even when your skin improves, continue using the treatment to prevent new breakouts.

2. Target Different Causes of Acne Simultaneously

Acne isn’t caused by just one factor; bacteria, clogged pores, excess oil, and inflammation all play a role. If a single treatment isn’t working, consider adding a second product that targets a different cause of acne. For instance:

• Benzoyl peroxide helps kill acne-causing bacteria.
• Retinoids like adapalene gel unclog pores and reduce oiliness.
• Salicylic acid eases inflammation and clears out pores.

Using a combination of these ingredients—rather than just one—can be more effective in reducing stubborn acne.

3. Follow Instructions Carefully

Even the best acne treatments won’t work if not used correctly. If a dermatologist prescribed a regimen, follow it precisely. Using too little may be ineffective, while using too much can cause irritation. Read product labels carefully and stick to recommended usage.

4. Wash Your Face Twice a Day (But Not More)

While cleanliness is important, over-washing can strip your skin of natural oils and lead to increased oil production, worsening acne. Dermatologists recommend washing your face:

• In the morning
• Before bed
• After sweating

Use a mild, non-comedogenic cleanser to remove dirt, excess oil, and bacteria without irritating your skin.

5. Stop Scrubbing Your Skin

Scrubbing might seem like a good way to deep-clean your pores, but it can actually aggravate acne-prone skin, leading to more breakouts. Opt for a gentle cleansing routine using your fingertips rather than washcloths or harsh scrubs.

6. Choose Non-Comedogenic Skin Care Products

Many skin care and cosmetic products contain oils and ingredients that can clog pores. Look for labels that say:

• Non-comedogenic
• Oil-free
• Won’t clog pores

Even with these labels, some people may still react to certain products, so consider testing new ones on a small patch of skin before full application.

7. Stop Touching, Picking, and Popping Pimples

It’s tempting to pop a pimple, but doing so can push bacteria and debris deeper into the skin, leading to increased inflammation and a higher chance of scarring. Resist the urge to touch your face, as your hands carry bacteria that can worsen acne.

8. Apply Acne Medication to All Acne-Prone Areas

Many people make the mistake of applying acne treatments only to visible pimples. However, acne often forms beneath the surface before appearing. Applying a thin layer of acne treatment to all acne-prone areas (not just individual blemishes) can help prevent future breakouts.

9. Consult a Dermatologist

If over-the-counter treatments aren’t working, it may be time to see a dermatologist. Professional treatments like prescription retinoids, oral antibiotics, or hormonal therapies can address stubborn acne more effectively. Seek medical advice if:

• Your acne is severe, causing painful cysts or nodules.
• You have persistent acne despite months of treatment.
• Acne is leaving scars or affecting your confidence.

We have all have experienced fevers, there are many different beliefs about it in different cultures and multiple ways to treat it, ranging from modern medicine to ancient practices. When one has a fever, their body feels warm and weak, they also do not have energy to do extended movements. As fevers are a range, some being slight to others being signs of dangerous conditions, dealing with them can be tricky. Things like fever dreams, conversations and thoughts are often incoherent. There are things called fever hallucinations as well, but why does this happen?

Fever means your body temperature has gone above what's normal. But what's "normal" can be a bit different for everyone and can change based on how active you are and the time of day. Generally, a fever is when your temperature is higher than 99 degrees Fahrenheit in the early morning or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit at any other time.

Do Fevers Make Us More Irritable?

In a 2013 review published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, the researchers found that not only do fevers cause people to feel cold, weak and other bodily sensations, but the participants also expressed emotional changes, vivid dreams/hallucinations.

In one of the interview with a participant from the study, researches noted them experiencing feelings of anxiousness, crabby, angry and frustrated, “Like I said, I think fever is really tied in to how you feel emotionally. Because I know every time I have a fever, I just get snotty, for lack of a better term, because I'm just really agitated.”

“I feel tired. I feel irritable”

How Is Body Heat And Brain Health Connected?

Harvard Heath explains a part of your brain called the hypothalamus acts like a thermostat for your body. When you're healthy, it keeps your body at its usual temperature. A fever happens when the hypothalamus gets set to a higher temperature than normal. This change in the brain's thermostat is usually caused by tiny things in your blood called pyrogens.

According to a 2023 review by Yale School of Medicine heat can change things in the environment, it can also change how our brains work. In a study, researchers found that even small increases in temperature while the brain is active can really change what the brain does, and sometimes these changes can be negative.

Experts from Yale explain that changes in temperature in the brain also affect how our nerve cells (neurons) fire signals. These cells have tiny pumps that give them electrical energy, which they release when the brain is active. The researchers found that if brain cells get heated up too fast, faster than these pumps can adjust, the cells might become more active or less active than usual.

Even tiny temperature changes from brain stimulation can lead to big changes in neuron activity. As neurons get warmer, they can even stop working, and when they cool down again, they can become very easily excited.

Fever Hallucinations and other Psychological Affects

According to an Infections & Chemotherapy 2022 review, fevers can cause febrile convulsions, which is a seizure caused by a fever in young kids. It can also cause confusion, like not understanding where you are, not recognizing your surroundings. It can also cause unstable emotions, conscious and cognitive disturbances like illusions on hallucinations.

These can also be symptoms for things like influenza infections or encephalitis. Like the Yale experts explained even small temperature changes can have such a big impact on brain activity, we need to start paying attention to these small changes. He points out that it's a basic rule of physics that when you send electricity through wires to stimulate the brain, you will create heat, both in the wires and in the brain tissue itself.

Researching more on these matters can help us find better treatments and help doctors change the course of several procedures to help their patients.

Turkey has banned elective caesarean surgeries for childbirth at private hospitals and healthcare centres. "Planned Caesarean sections cannot be performed in a medical centre," said a gazette entry outlining new regulations governing private healthcare institutions in Turkey. It came as the country's president, Tyyip Recep Erdogan, has been pushing hard to have women give natural births, asserting that C Section surgeries promoted Western culture.

The move has triggered massive criticism from the opposition and right-wing organisations. "As if the country had no other problems, male football players are telling women how to give birth," Gokce Gokcen, deputy chair of the main opposition CHP, on X. Meanwhile, many human rights and women's rights organisations have also raised their voices against this new law, calling it out for restricting women's rights and liberty.

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What Is A C-Section Birth?

C-section or caesarean birth is a surgical procedure wherein a baby is delivered through incisions made in mother's abdomen and uterus. The name caesarean comes from the Latin word "caedare" which means "to cut." Interestingly, there are rumours that link the name to Roman emperor Julius Caesar, stating that he was the first person to be born via this procedure. However, there are no records of this.

However, there are many cases where a caesarean section surgery becomes almost necessary. A doctor may order a C-section if:

• Your baby is breech, or the lower part of the body is in the birth canal instead of the head.
• Your baby is in a transverse position, or lying sideways in the birth canal.
• Your baby’s head is unusually large.
• Your baby’s heartbeat is slowing down, or there is a problem with oxygen delivery to your baby.
• You are giving birth to more than one baby. Sometimes one baby will be in an abnormal position, so all of the babies are then born via C-section.
• Your baby has a birth defect that makes vaginal delivery unsafe.
• You have umbilical cord issues.
• You have health conditions that make vaginal delivery unsafe. These include high blood pressure, HIV, open herpes lesions, or heart problems.

What Are The Complications Of Having a C-Section Surgery?

There are many complications that come with this method of delivering a child. They include:

• Reactions to the medicines used during surgery
• Bleeding
• Abnormal separation of the placenta, especially in women with previous cesarean delivery
• Injury to the bladder or bowel
• Infection in the uterus
• Wound infection
• Trouble urinating or a urinary tract infection
• Delayed return of bowel function
• Blood clots

Bottom Line

Despite the potential risks and complications, C-sections are much safer than they once were. With evolution in medical science, doctors are now taking great care to make incisions that will reduce the risk of nicks to the baby and infections to the mother. Meanwhile, the use of anaesthesia, also reduces the pain of the childbirth.

ALSO READ: Dishonesty Is 'More Than A Vice', It Could Make You Sick With

Being dishonest doesn’t come naturally to people, it is a learned virtue, whether out of necessity or pleasure. When kids lie, a lot of it stems from them not wanting to get in trouble, for example, breaking a household item or doing something they were told not to do like running around inside the house. However, when people do learn to tell lies, it can become like a go to tendency for many. It is easier to make something up rather than explaining complex truths.

According to a study published in the Psychological Science 2015, kids start lying around the age of two to three years old. Their habit then progresses rapidly, till the age of 3 and 7.

Not all lies are the same, some are really small and don't hurt anyone, like saying you like someone's new haircut even though you don't. These little white lies often just help keep things smooth and make people feel good. Then there are much bigger lies, like saying someone else did something wrong when they didn't, or lying to people about money. These kinds of lies can cause a lot of damage and have bad consequences for people's lives.

Stress Response of Lying

When we know that being dishonest could really hurt how others see us, the act of lying itself makes our bodies feel stressed. When we tell a lie, things start to happen without us even thinking about it. A 2015 review published in the Current Opinion in Psychology explains that our heart might beat faster, we might start to sweat a little and our mouth can feel really dry. These physical changes are what those old-fashioned lie-detector tests used to try and pick up on.

Some people don't feel as much empathy as others, and they might not have the usual stressed reaction when they lie. The American Psychological Association explains that some people can learn to control their bodies really well and might be able to lie and still pass a lie-detector test. On the other hand, someone who is telling the truth but is just really nervous about being tested might look like they are lying.

Gut-Brain Connection and Extreme Reactions

While it's not common, some people might have a really strong physical reaction to lying, like feeling sick to their stomach or even throwing up a lot. This shows how connected our gut and our brain are. When we feel really anxious, like when we are worried about getting caught in a lie, it can actually make our stomach feel bad. So, for someone who is constantly lying and worried about it, this anxiety could potentially lead to physical sickness.

Living a life where you are often not telling the truth can actually take a toll on your health over time, not just in the moment. Research has suggested that people who lie a lot might have problems like high blood pressure, their heart might beat faster more often, their blood vessels could get tighter, and they might have more stress hormones in their bodies on a regular basis.