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Acne – Everything you need to know

According to American Academy of Dermatology most of the teenagers in USA suffered from acne at some point in their life. The severity of the condition varies from person to person, some only have a few small pimples that soon go away, others develop persistent and clearly visible acne, that can be distressing. 

There are many treatments options available that can be done against Acne, although patients are required

Symptoms of acne:

Doctors differentiate acnes between mild, moderate, and severe form of acne, there are also inflammatory and non-inflammatory types of acne. Non inflammatory acne is milder type,
which most people would refer to as “pimples or black heads”. While non inflammatory acnes are more
likely to disappear soon, the inflammatory acnes are likely to cause scarring on your skin. These include:

  • Papules are small, red, raised bumps caused by inflamed or infected hair follicles 
  • Pustules are small red pimples that have pus at their tips 
  • Nodules are solid, often painful lumps beneath the surface of your skin 
  • Cyts are large lumps found beneath your skin that contain pus and are usually painful 

Causes of acne:

During puberty the body produce more androgen hormone, which regulate the changes in the body of an adult, androgen is a male sex hormone, one thing that it does is cause your skin to produce more oil (Known as Sebum). This oil (Sebum) protects the skin and keep it moisturized, but if the pores in the skin block the sebum it causes developing of blackheads or whiteheads.  Typically, by their early twenties the production of androgen in the body gets settled down acne usually goes away on its own.

Myths about Acne:

Myths about the real cause of acne are quite common, you are most at risk for developing acne during the puberty, Excessive production of oil in the body escalate the risk of developing acne. Many people believe eating chocolate or French fries cause developing acne, however there is no scientific support for those claims.

The factors who influence developing acnes are: 

  • Production of hormone Androgen during puberty 
  • Medication such as birth control pills 
  • Excessive carbohydrate 
  • Hereditary 


How to treat Acne:

Home care tips for preventing acne scars:

1) Wash your face twice a day especially after sweating:  Ensure you wash your face after sweating. 

 2) Don’t scrub your skin:  Avoid a temptation to scrub your skin. 

 3) Rinse with lukewarm water 

 4) if you have oily hair, shampoo daily

 5) Let your skin heal naturally, if you squeeze your acne the chance of getting acne is more 

 6) keep your hands off your face.

 

Medication:

if self-care doesn’t settle down your acne problem acne counter medications are available, most of this solution contains ingredients that kills or neutralize acne causing factors.

Solutions are

  • Benzoyl peroxide, this kills acne causing bacteria (found in many acne creams and gels) 
  • Resorcinol is less common ingredient used to remove dead cells 
  • Sulfur natural ingredient that’s found in some lotions, cleansers and masks 
  • Salicylic acid is often used in soaps and acne washes. 

If you experience the symptoms even after applying above said creams and lotion, you may consider consulting dermatologist for seeking medical advice. Your doctor and prescribe medication that may help reduce your symptoms and prevent scarring 

Everyday Life and Acne:

How people get on with acne varies greatly, while few teenagers feel less -confident and may be very negative about themselves and their appearance, some teenagers are less bothered by it or can deal with it in a self-confident way.  If having an Acne makes a teenager less self-confident supportive family and friends are particularly important.

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Sources:
Acne: Causes, Risk Factors, and Treatment (healthline.com)
Acne: Tips for managing (aad.org)
Acne: Overview – InformedHealth.org – NCBI Bookshelf (nih.gov)