ACNE - A WORRISOME AND BOTHERSOME PROBLEM!!

DONT LET IT GET TO YOU!!!!

Acne vulgaris, also known as acne or pimples commonly, is a long-term skin disease that occurs when hair follicles are clogged with dead skin cells and oil from the skin.It is an bacterial infection with P.acne.

It is characterized by1) blackheads or whiteheads, 2)pimples,3)sensitive skin 4)oily skin.

It primarily affects areas of the skin with a relatively high number of oil glands, including the face, upper part of the chest, and back.Back acne is called truncal acne.

The resulting appearance can lead to anxiety, reduced self-esteem and, in some cases depression too.

CAUSES of acne-

1)Genetics is thought to be the cause of acne in 80% of cases.

2)The role of diet and cigarette smoking is unclear.

3)Increase in hormones such as testosterone during puberty.

4)Excessive growth of the bacterium Propionibacterium acnes, which is normally present on the skin, is often involved.

4)It affects boys more than girls

5)Acne may be associated with polycystic ovary syndrome.

6)Acne may result from abnormal production of androgens. This may occur in testosterone replacement therapy, abuse of anabolic steroids, Cushing's disease or in virilising tumours in women, such as arrhenoblastoma.

PRESENTATION--

Acne usually presents with a greasy skin with a mixture of comedones, papules and pustules, which present just after puberty and continue for a variable number of years, usually stopping in late teens or early 20s but uncommonly continuing well into adulthood.

The face is affected in 99% of cases, the back in 60% and the chest in 15%.Acne runs a variable course with marked fluctuations.Nodulocystic acne: severe acne with cysts. Cysts can be painful. They may occur in isolation or be widespread over the face, neck, scalp, back, chest and shoulders.The severity of the condition varies enormously between individuals. It is unsightly but the degree of distress is sometimes disproportionate.

TREATMENT 

-LIFESTYLE CHANGES--Less intake of sugars may help.Dandruff can cause acne on the forehaed and back.

-MEDICATIONS--combination of topical retinoid and antimicrobial therapy as first-line therapy for almost all patients with acne is important.

Retinoids reduce abnormal desquamation, are comedolytic, and have some anti-inflammatory effects, whereas benzoyl peroxide is antimicrobial with some keratolytic effects and antibiotics have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects.

Resistance to antibiotics may develop as a result of antibiotic therapy.

Antibiotics and retinoids are available in formulations that are applied to the skin and taken by mouth for the treatment of acne.

Isotretinoin tablets are recommended in severe cystic acne.

-MEDICAL PROCEDURES--. 

LASER resurfacing, dermabrasion and chemical peels are used in the treatment of acne scarring.

MICRODERMABRASION is a simple outpatient procedure in which aluminum oxide crystals or other abrasive substances are blown on to the face and then vacuumed off, using a single handpiece. It has a limited role in the management of acne scars.

SUBCISION is occasionally used to treat depressed acne scars. It involves inserting a tri-beveled hypodermic needle through a puncture in the skin surface and manoeuvering its edges to break down subcuticular fibrotic strands, thus releasing the skin from the underlying connective tissue.It appears to be equal in efficacy to collagen filler.

LASER RESURFACING WITH FRACTIONAL CO2-it helps in resurfacing the skin where acne scars are concerned.3-4 sessions are needed for satisfactory results.

CHEMICAL PEELINGS- Various peels can be used to treat pigmentation due to acne and to get an even tone skin.

WORDS OF CAUTION-

AVOID any kind of over the counter medications for treatment of acne.

always consult a doctor for a customised treatment plan.