Acne
What Causes Acne
Acne form when the pores become clogged with oil and dead skin. It usually appears on the face, as well as the back, chest and shoulders. It can be caused by having an overabundance of oil on the skin, bacteria buildup, and irregular shedding of dead skin cells that result in the irritation of the pores. There are other factors that can make acne worse, such as hormones, medications, and diet. Hormonal changes that are related to pregnancy can make acne worse and oral birth control medications have been known to effect sebum (oil) production. Medications with lithium, corticosteroids, and androgens have been known to cause acne. A diet that is rich in dairy and carbohydrates may also attribute to acne on the face.
There are many myths about acne. Many still believe that it is caused by eating too much chocolate. Or by consuming greasy foods. Eating these two types of foods have not been proven to give one acne. Another myth is dirty skin will give one acne. Acne is not caused by dirt but rather by having the pores become clogged with oil and dead skin. Over washing the face can actually lead to acne, since excess oil may be produced.
The Types of Acne
There are two types of acne. The first one is non-inflammatory lesions. These are comedones, or also known as whiteheads or blackheads. They are formed when the openings of the skin follicles are clogged by excess oil and dead skin. When comedones are open at the skin surface, we refer to them as blackheads, due to the dark appearance of the plugs in the hair follicles. Whiteheads are formed when the comedones are closed.
The second type of acne is inflammatory lesions. There are four types in this category. Papules are raised bumps that are small. They are red and tender and signal inflammation or infection in the hair follicle. Pimples, or pustules, are tender bumps that are red that have white pus at the tip. Nodules are solid lumps beneath the surface of the skin. They are very painful and are solid. Nodules are formed due to a buildup of secretions deep in the hair follicle. And cysts are painful lumps that are filled with pus. They look like boils and can lead to scarring.
Acne Treatments
There are many acne treatments that one can do. These include at home treatments, as well as treatments in a dermatologist’s office. At home treatments include an over the counter topical treatment. These are usually lotions that are mild and could contain benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, sulfur, or resorcinol. This kind of treatment could lead to dry skin, flaking and irritation.
A home remedy that is easy to incorporate into your lifestyle is to watch what touches your face. Hair should be clean, telephones should not be allowed to rest on the face, and pillow cases should be cleaned weekly, or every few days.
For treatments in a dermatologist’s office, one could ask about a chemical peel or microdermabrasion. They are very helpful in controlling acne in many patients. These treatments can reach deep into the skin to rid one of acne.
Laser and light therapy is a procedure that reach deep into the skin. Laser therapy could damage oil glands, which would allow the skin to produce less oil. Bacteria that causes the skin to be inflamed is treated by light therapy.
Skin surgery could also be an option. This procedure cuts out acne scars, and is healed with either stitches or a skin graft.
Acne is a nuisance to many but can be healed. With the use of at home remedies and procedures done in dermatologists offices, one can get their acne under control.
Acne is the worst! I suffered from it till I went to my local dermatologist. I was prescribed pills to help my face clear up. He also gave me a prescription cream that really did clear up my acne. After living with acne for years, I can finally say that the past two years my face has been clear, all due to my dermatologist. He was a life saver for giving me back a face that I now love and cherish!
I have suffered with acne all my life. You are right when you say it is a nuisance. It makes me very self conscious as well. I don’t feel well with how I look and makeup only does so much to help cover it up. I am interested in going the the dermatologist to see if microdermabrasion is right for me. I have heard many great things about this procedure, but thought it was only for those with wrinkles or lines. Never realized it could help acne out as well. I have no lines yet as I am only 30, but this treatment seems like a great option for me. I am so glad that I found this article as I now have hope for clearer skin!
I am glad that the what you eat is a myth. I have heard all my life that eating greasy foods was the culprit of my acne. I rarely eat greasy foods and do not like chocolate. So I knew that was never the reason why I got acne. I was surprised that acne is not caused by a dirty face though. I thought for sure that it would be the number one reason. I never knew acne was formed due to the oil on the face!
I have had laser therapy done on my face for my acne and the results were amazing. I can testify that my face is now less oily. I used to wash my face and within an hour, it was greasy again. Not anymore. My face can go several hours and it is still not oily. I tried many different acne skin care including proactive (I can honestly say its just a marketing gimmick and people fall for their bad products). I am so glad that the laser therapy worked for me in damaging the oil glands. This is a procedure that I highly recommend one checks out.
I have been troubling with acne for years… During my teenage years I had bad acne on my face and at school I was teased and called acne face and that really troubled me so as soon as I could I started with a acne treatment and tried different acne creams some of which worked other didn’t.. In due time they went away (still not sure if it was due to the creams or just got over them). In any case, following that I was left with bad acne scarring which made me look even worse than before and played a toll on my self-esteem and really effected me badly. I had several treatments to repair the damage and my life started changing.. Now in my mid 20s and I have again having issues with acne. I have very bad back acne, which have just appeared within the past 12 months. I recently joined a gym bought gym clothes, I assumed it may have been from my clothes so I got rid of my acne clothes but they are still there. Can someone help me, how to get rid of back acne? Are these adult acne and what is the difference from adult acne to normal acne.. Thank you!
What would cause the Acanthosis Nigricans to stink? Is it because it is usually in an area that is in the folds of the skin and the air can not circulate to it the best? Would there be a way to get more air to it? Does one think that this would help to relieve the condition?
Ladies, birth control was my answer. It was not listed in the treatments, but all through high school, my face looked like a pepperoni pizza. After high school and college I could not handle it anymore and went to my doctor. She prescribed me oral contraceptives. I was skeptical at first but within a while after using them, my face did clear up significantly.
You have brought up microdermabrasion for the skin and acne, but what about dermabrasion? Is this procedure effective as well for acne? I know that it is suitable for acne scars, but will it relieve acne as well?
One thing that helped me out was switching my makeup. I used to wear heavy foundations, but switched to mineral makeup. It does not clog my pores like my old heavy foundation does. Since I have switched, my face has cleared up tremendously.