| Causes
of Acne & Treatment Options Acne is
the term used for inflamed pores (blackhead or
whitehead), nodules or even cysts that occur on
face, neck, chest, back, shoulders and the upper
part of arms. Though is not a dangerous disease,
it can be annoying. In those with severe acne, it
may cause permanent marks.
Acne
affects 90 percent teenagers (12-17 years) and
can continue to occur with less frequency in
adults aged 20 to 40 years. Acne effects in both
women and men, but males are predisposed to more
grave forms of acne.
The
main causes of acne include:
- Hormones
– the period when acne begins
coincides with period when the body
starts to produce androgen hormones. One
of their actions is to enlarge the
sebaceous glands which increase sebum
production.
- Cosmetics
– some cosmetic and hygienic
products contain substances that have as
effect to close hair follicles. It’s
an easy form of acne, but a persistent
one.
- Increased
production of sebum –
blemishes are due to the hair
follicle’s obstruction by a mixture
of sebum and dead epithelial cells. The
sebum lubricates the skin and has the
role of a protective wall to avoid
drying.
- Changes
in the hair follicles –
normally, dead epithelial cells are
eliminated without any problems.
Increased sebum production combined with
hyper-stimulation caused by androgen
hormones lead to hair follicle’s
obstruction and a sebum accumulation in
the cell.
- Bacteria
– on skin surface and inside of the
hair follicle exists a bacteria called
Propionibacterium acnes that is
responsible for inflammation of the
follicle and skin.
- Environment
Some
people try to treat acne at home using treatments
suggested by friends or natural remedies. These
have no success because acne develops emotional
and physical effects which last longer than
eruption itself. They should see a dermatologist
when:
-
Lesions produced by acne are big and create
scars;
- Improperly treatments used have no results.
Acne
can be treated using:
Self
care at home – face has to be
washed with a soft soap once or twice a day with
the purpose of eliminating oil surplus from the
skin’s surface. It’s compulsory to make
a gentle massage of the skin and do not scrub it
roughly; this will make the acne worse.
Medical
cure – there are a lot of
treatments to help fight acne troubles. People
can use special creams that are applied directly
on the skin’s surface, while strongly
medication, like hormonal therapies and
antibiotics, are taken oral. Creams don’t
have secondary effects. Most popular are:
- Benzoyl
peroxide, inhibits skin’s dryness
and kills Propionibacterium;
- Retin-A,
inhibits acne’s occurance;
- Acetylsalicylic
acid.
Antibiotics
complete the treatment of special creams. They
are prescribed by dermatologist and its role is
to kill bacteria, decrease redness and
inflammation of the skin. Can be find in
different shapes: lotion, gel, pills.
Myths
about Acne
- Frequent
washing of the face helps to eliminate
spots. Acne is not caused by dirt and
excessive washing irritates and dries the
skin. Exfoliating products have to
contain small particles because the
bigger ones scratch membranes.
- Acne is
caused by diet. Researches couldn’t
find a connection between food and acne.
Changing diet does not affect acne.
- Sun is good
for acne. The sun can rush healing but
also produce skin’s lesions. After
exposure acne will be amplified.
- Acne is
caused by stress. Stress doesn’t
have as effect acne, but some pills used
to treat it can guide to incidence of
acne.
Heredity.
Prognosis
for some acne types is brilliant. Treating acne
means not only to heal, but also to prevent the
scars which occur. Though scars can be treated by
dermabrasion technique, chemical peels or laser
sessions.
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