No More ACNE | Best Acne Treatment Available in Today Medical Science
No More ACNE | Best Acne Treatment Available in Today Medical Science | Understanding the types of ACNE and Treatment Options.
Acne is a skin condition that occurs when your hair follicles become plugged with oil and dead skin cells. Acne usually appears on your face, neck, chest, back and shoulders. Effective treatments are available, but Acne can be persistent. The pimples and bumps heal slowly, and when one begins to go away, others seem to crop up.
Acne is most common among teenagers, with a reported prevalence of 70 to 87 percent. Increasingly, younger children are getting Acne as well.
Depending on its severity, Acne can cause emotional distress and scar the skin. The earlier you start treatment, the lower your risk of lasting physical and emotional damage.
SYMPTOMS
Acne signs and symptoms vary depending on the severity of your condition:
Whiteheads (closed plugged pores)
Blackheads (open plugged pores — the oil turns brown when it is exposed to air)
Small red, tender bumps (papules)
Pimples (pustules), which are papules with pus at their tips
Large, solid, painful lumps beneath the surface of the skin (nodules)
Painful, pus-filled lumps beneath the surface of the skin (cystic lesions)
CAUSES
Four main factors cause Acne:
Oil production
Dead skin cells
Clogged pores
Bacteria
Acne typically appears on your face, neck, chest, back and shoulders. These areas of skin have the most oil (sebaceous) glands. Acne occurs when hair follicles become plugged with oil and dead skin cells.
Hair follicles are connected to oil glands. These glands secrete an oily substance (sebum) to lubricate your hair and skin. Sebum normally travels along the hair shafts and through the openings of the hair follicles onto the surface of your skin.
When your body produces an excess amount of sebum and dead skin cells, the two can build up in the hair follicles. They form a soft plug, creating an environment where bacteria can thrive. If the clogged pore becomes infected with bacteria, inflammation results.
The plugged pore may cause the follicle wall to bulge and produce a whitehead. Or the plug may be open to the surface and may darken, causing a blackhead. A blackhead may look like dirt stuck in pores. But actually the pore is congested with bacteria and oil, which turns brown when it's exposed to the air.
Pimples are raised red spots with a white center that develop when blocked hair follicles become inflamed or infected. Blockages and inflammation that develop deep inside hair follicles produce cyst-like lumps beneath the surface of your skin. Other pores in your skin, which are the openings of the sweat glands, aren't usually involved in Acne.
Factors that may worsen Acne
These factors can trigger or aggravate an existing case of Acne:
Hormones. Androgens are hormones that increase in boys and girls during puberty and cause the sebaceous glands to enlarge and make more sebum. Hormonal changes related to pregnancy and the use of oral contraceptives also can affect sebum production. And low amounts of androgens circulate in the blood of women and can worsen Acne.
Certain medications. Drugs containing corticosteroids, androgens or lithium can worsen Acne.
Diet. Studies indicate that certain dietary factors, including dairy products and carbohydrate-rich foods — such as bread, bagels and chips — may trigger Acne. Chocolate has long been suspected of making Acne worse. A recent study of 14 men with Acne showed that eating chocolate was related to an increase in Acne. Further study is needed to examine why this happens or whether Acne patients need to follow specific dietary restrictions.
Stress. Stress can make Acne worse.
TREATMENTS AND DRUGS
If over-the-counter (nonprescription) products haven't cleared up your Acne, your doctor can prescribe stronger medications or other therapies. A dermatologist can help you:
Control your Acne
Avoid scarring or other damage to your skin
Make scars less noticeable
Topical medications
Retinoids. These come as creams, gels and lotions. Retinoid drugs are derived from vitamin A and include tretinoin (Avita, Retin-A, others), adapalene (Differin) and tazarotene (Tazorac, Avage). You apply this medication in the evening, beginning with three times a week, then daily as your skin becomes used to it. It works by preventing plugging of the hair follicles.
Antibiotics. These work by killing excess skin bacteria and reducing redness. For the first few months of treatment, you may use both a retinoid and an antibiotic, with the antibiotic applied in the morning and the retinoid in the evening.
Dapsone (Aczone). This gel is most effective when combined with a topical retinoid. Skin side effects include redness and dryness.
Oral medications
Antibiotics.
For moderate to severe Acne, you may need oral antibiotics to reduce bacteria and fight inflammation. Choices for treating Acne include tetracyclines, such as minocycline and doxycycline.