Acne
Acne, medically known as Acne Vulgaris, is a skin disease that involves the oil glands at the base of hair follicles. Acne occurs most commonly during adolescence and often continues till adulthood. In adolescence, acne is usually caused by an increase in testosterone, which build-up during puberty, regardless of sex. Acne usually improves around the age of 20 but may persist into adulthood also. Choose the right website to buy acne products online.
Why Are Most Teenagers Affected By Acne?
As per reports, 85% of teenagers are affected by acne, but it can affect people of all age groups, with many cases persisting into adulthood. Even people in their 40s and 50s can suffer from acne. However, the skin condition most often begins in puberty. At puberty, the sex hormones (androgens) increase in boys and girls. This causes the sebaceous glands to secrete more oil substance (sebum). Normally, this oily substance and dead skin cells come up through the hair follicles and the pores through the skin’s surface. When sebum, bacteria, and dead skin cells clog the follicles, the sebum can’t escape through the pores, forming pimples. As you enter adulthood, androgens may decrease enough that acne will start to diminish. A lot of women continue to have acne even in their 40s just because of hormonal changes and other causes, including:
- Certain medications
- Hormonal changes in pregnancy or from the menstrual cycle
- Certain cosmetic products
- High humidity and sweating
- Squeezing or popping pimples can make your acne worse. Even scrubbing too hard can aggravate your pimples. The skin may also become irritated with friction or pressure from tight collars, backpacks, and helmets. In some cases, pollution or humidity can also irritate.
Since acne may persist for many years and require long term therapy, there has been a recent effort to reclassify acne as a chronic condition. Acne has clear detrimental psychological effects and may cause permanent scarring. Therefore, it is not surprising that acne patients are motivated to seek medical attention. Choose the right website to buy acne medicines online. The severity of pimples can vary quite a bit.
Dermatologists distinguish between mild, moderate, and severe forms of acne. Acne is further divided into two categories, inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne. Non-inflammatory is a mild type of acne that most people refer to as pimples or blackheads rather than acne. Unlike normal pimples, acne appears over a longer period and remains for a longer duration. Normal pimples develop quickly and resolve within a few days or weeks.
1. Mild Acne: People with mild acne have blackheads or whiteheads. These are clogged skin pores. The dark colour of blackheads is because the blackheads are open, and the skin pigment melanin reacts with oxygen in the air. On the other hand, whiteheads are closed and have a white or light yellowish head. The more oil builds up, the more bacteria will likely multiply and lead to inflammatory acne. People having few pimples are considered to have a mild form of acne.
2. Moderate Acne: People having moderate acne have noticeably more acne pimples.
3. Severe Acne: People who have a severe form of acne have lots of small bumps and pimples filled with yellow pus. They also have nodules that are often reddish and painful. Severe acne may lead to scarring.
The appearance of acne varies with skin colour. It may result in psychological and social problems. Consultation from a dermatologist is advisable to have prescribed medication for severe acne treatment. Your doctor will probably recommend the best medication for acne that will suit your skin type. The purchase of acne products online can ease your pocket expense as the online pharmacies offer the best discounts.
Where Does Acne Commonly Occur?
- Acne appears as pimples without pus-filled cysts that rupture and larger abscesses.
- Acne can develop anywhere in the body. However, the problem occurs in areas with high sebaceous glands, including the face, neck, chest, shoulders, and upper back.
- Acne is common and may look like other skin conditions. Always speak to your dermatologist for a diagnosis.
How Is Acne Diagnosed & Treated?
Most people recognize when they have acne. Suppose you are suffering from acne regularly, though it is best to fix an appointment with a dermatologist. Your dermatologist will check you for blemishes and ensure that your skin condition is acne and not a similar skin disorder, like rosacea.
1. Your dermatologist will consider your age, over health, the severity of the acne, and other factors in evaluating what kind of treatment is best for you.
2. Treatment focuses on minimizing scarring and enhancing the skin’s appearance. Treatment works to clear away bacteria and dissolve excess oil that leads to acne.
3. Treatment options include medicines you apply to your skin or drugs you take orally. Some of these medicines need to be prescribed by your dermatologist. In moderate to severe cases, a combination of both types of medicines may be recommended.
4. Treating mild to moderate acne is relatively easy. However, if you have severe or inflammatory can, your treatment may be more challenging.
5. Inflammatory acne is large, more painful, and are under the surface of your skin. Your dermatologist can help you figure out what type of acne you have.
Procedures That Treat Acne:
Your dermatologist may treat your acne with a procedure performed during a clinic visit. These treatments include:
- Laser therapies and Light therapies to reduce acne-causing bacteria.
- Surgical lancing or drainage/extraction of acne large cysts. The acne scars lessen with using this technique.
- Chemical peels treat certain acne types like blackheads and blemishes.
The Most Common Topical Medications For Acne
1. Retinoids: Topical products that contain Retinoid Acids or Tretinoin are often useful for treating moderate acne. These come as creams and gels. Examples include Retino A cream, Supatret Gel, Retin A Gel, Tretinoin cream, etc. You apply for this medicine in the evening, beginning a week thrice, then daily as your skin becomes used to it. Tretinoin speeds up the cell skin turnover and shedding of dead skin cells. Do not apply Tretinoin at the same time as other topical medications.
2. Benzoyl Peroxide: Benzoyl peroxide is an FDA approved prescription medication for the treatment of acne vulgaris. It targets surface bacteria, which often worsens acne. A formulation such as Persol gel is common.
3. Azelaic Acid: It has antibacterial properties. Aziderm cream 20% containing Azelaic acid is effective when used twice daily. Prescription of Azelaic acid is an option during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. It can also be used to manage discolouration associated with certain types of acne. Side effects include minor skin irritation and skin discolouration.
4. Oral Antibiotics: Dermatologists may prescribe a daily antibiotic pill to help fight bacteria and infection from the inside out. Antibiotics are commonly prescribed with topical medication when gels or creams cannot improve your condition.
5. Topical Tazarotene, salicylic acid is also commonly used. Acne medicines you take orally or oral antibiotics are often prescribed to treat moderate to severe acne and may include doxycycline, tetracycline, erythromycin, dapsone, minocycline, trimethoprim, etc.
- Some women use birth control pills to affect hormones to control acne.
- Laser procedures are also used to control moderate to severe acne.
Acne is often a chronic condition; it can leave lifelong scars. Although appropriate treatment may help reduce scarring, several dermatological procedures can cause further reduction in appearance. These processes include dermabrasion, chemical peels, laser resurfacing, dermal filler injections, and phototherapy. Discuss with your dermatologist if you wish to use any of the treatments.
Do Certain Foods Give Rise To Acne Formation?
- Changes in the diet have been recommended to avoid the recurrence of acne. Some health care experts recommend avoiding certain foods including, spicy foods, chocolates, junk foods, and cola beverages. Some studies also found that a high protein-low glycaemic diet lowered the risk of acne lesions. If the patients are treated with spironolactone, levels of electrolytes should be measured regularly.
- Majorly, hormonal changes in the body drive acne. There is evidence that whey protein, skim milk, and diets high in sugar may cause acne breakouts, although more research is needed to claim the evidence. Eating a well-balanced diet with plenty of colorful fruits and green leafy vegetables, especially those rich in vitamin C and beta carotene, helps reduce inflammation. Some reports claim that eating fish can help.
Can Acne Leaves Scars?
In some cases, acne results in scarring. It happens when the acne-causing bacteria penetrate the skin and damages the deepest skin’s surface. Inflammation makes the acne pores swell and red in appearance. Scarring can be a source of anxiety, which is quite normal. But before it can be treated, your dermatologist will evaluate what type of acne caused the scars. Several treatment options for permanent scarring include chemical peels, laser resurfacing, dermabrasion, micro-needling, and surgery to reduce scars.
Can Acne Be Prevented?
In most cases, normal hormonal changes during puberty are a major cause of acne. Hormonal changes make the prevention of acne a difficult task or even impossible. However, avoiding substances that cause acne may help; this includes using certain medicines, cosmetics, minerals, or cooking oil. Also, daily shampooing helps prevent oil on the scalp from getting on your face and neck. Early treatment may prevent the worsening of acne and stop scarring.
The treatment aims to reduce inflammation and keep pores, oil and dirt-free. Several OTC drugs are available in the market that can be easily purchased without any prescription, or you can also place your order to buy acne products online.
Steps To Improve Skin Condition:
In this era, practically almost every case of acne can be fruitfully treated. Dermatologists can help treat acne, prevent new acne breakouts, and reduce your chance of having scars. If you have questions or concerns about caring for your skin, you should make an appointment to see a dermatologist.
You can follow the preventive measures to avoid skin irritation like:
- Always wash your body after sweating
- Use your fingertips to apply a gentle, non-abrasive cleanser
- Be gentle with your skin
- Scrubbing your skin can make acne worse
- Rinse with lukewarm water
- Shampoo regularly
- Keep your hands off your face
- Stay out of the sun and tanning beds
Acne majorly appears on the face and around the back neck-shoulder area in most cases. About 15% of people experience Acne on the chest as well. It can occur as black and whiteheads (comedones), small red spots (papules), yellow/white pus-filled spots (pustules).
The primary cause of Acne is considered hormone (androgens) imbalance. This hormonal imbalance stimulates the oil glands to produce more oil (sebum), which can block the tiny holes in the skin, known as hair follicles. Bacteria then grow within these blocked pores, causing them to become inflamed and break out.
Oil glands get stimulated when hormones become active during puberty in teenagers. That's why teenagers are more likely to get acne.
Stress cannot directly cause acne. Studies have shown that stress can worsen if you already have acne. Researchers have also found that the healing rate of acne is much slower when the person is under stress. Slower healing means pimples stay longer, contributing to increasing severity. As a result, more acne is visible because it takes longer for each zit to heal during a breakout.
See a dermatologist:
If you suddenly begin to see several red bumps on the face, upper chest, back, or elsewhere, and you have never been diagnosed with acne before, see a dermatologist.
If your existing acne worsens despite using over-the-counter products.
If you have inflammatory acne
This usually depends on what kind of acne you have and how severe it is. Simple salicylic acid face washes clear pores and treats mild breakouts for mild cases. In some people, benzoyl peroxide tackles mild to moderate acne. Contact a dermatologist if you aren't seeing results after three or four months of using OTC products.
Hormone fluctuations, unhealthy diet, use of certain medications, too much stress, or sometimes a family history of severe acne can majorly worsen your acne.
In most cases, excess oil production causes acne in adults; hormonal changes, including pregnancy and menstrual cycle in women, can also influence oil production. Hair products, skin care products, and makeup can sometimes clog hair follicles. Also, diet can influence inflammation throughout the body. Certain medications, including anabolic steroids, corticosteroids, and lithium, can also contribute to adult acne.
Mild (non-inflammatory includes whiteheads and blackheads) to moderate Acne (inflammatory Acne includes papules and pustules) can usually be cleared up with ingredients like salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, or topical retinoid (tretinoin). There are some of the best medications for acne. However, it is important to consult a dermatologist about what’s best for you.
There is still research is going on to identify the impact of certain foods on acne. Several studies show that high glycaemic foods (white rice, doughnuts, potato chips, puffed rice, sugary drinks, pastries, etc.) quickly spike in blood sugar. In contrast, low glycaemic foods (fresh fruits, beans, oats, fresh vegetables, etc.) have a slower or smaller impact on blood sugar. Your body produces more sebum when blood sugar spikes, leading to acne. More studies must confirm that milk-based products like cheese or yogurts lead to more breakouts. Consult your doctor for accurate information.
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The best way to determine the right acne treatment plan is to see a dermatologist. Severe inflammatory Acne requires topical or oral prescriptions from a dermatologist for effective treatment. Generally, doctors prescribe powerful topical retinoids to unclog pores and remove extra oil. Oral medications, including antibiotics, are effective for deeper acne and spots. Severe inflammation is more likely to lead to scarring, so consulting a dermatologist is always the best way to clear Acne.
Yes, acne scars can be treated, but no single treatment is best for everyone. One or a combination of approaches might reduce the appearance of scars, depending on your scar type and the severity of the scarring. For an effective treatment, please consult your doctor for prescription medications.
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