Dealing With Acne
Acne is a powerful condition. Not only can it cause many
discomforts and pains physically to an infected person, but it
can also do quite a bit of damage on the overall self esteem of
an individual as well. These two factors can cause untold
problems for those who experience acne. While it is not
something that you can do easily, acne can be treated and
minimized in several ways.
What Causes Acne?
For many, it is something that just showed up one day. Acne is
an inflammatory disease that affects the skin. There are several
types of acne and you may experience one or more of them. The
most common type is known as 'common acne' and is caused by the
excessive secretion of oils from the glands. This along with the
dead skin cells that seem to block the hair follicles causes
acne. What happens is this. Your body produces these excessive
oils. They tend to build up under the blocked pore. This
environment can cause all sorts of things but the main
occurrence is acne. The environment is simply perfect for
bacteria to grow.
What causes the glands to produce these excessive oils can be
anything from hormones to hereditary reasons. Acne tends to
appear first during the age of puberty. From here, it will
produce a significant amount of problem due to the increased
hormone levels within the individual. This often passes or
lessons as the person ages. But, for many, acne can last much
longer, well into their 30's and 40's and even beyond that as
well. And, acne is different for each person it effects. For
some, it may be quite bad in that it may be considered severe.
Others may only experience a few outbreaks during their lifetime.
What Can I Do About It?
Because acne is something that can do quite a bit of damage to
the self esteem of a person, it is often important to get help
for it. Acne can lead to depression and dangerous emotions that
many teens do not know how to control. Here are some of the
methods that are currently being used to treat various types of
acne?
Your first step is to see your dermatologist. He or she
will help to determine what is causing the acne as well as if
there are any treatments that are needed. In some cases, mostly
mild ones, you will simply be told to use a specific soap for
your face and to keep it as clean as possible. Avoiding makeup
or other products on the skin as well. But, not everyone fairs
this easily.
For more severe cases, the dermatologist may prescribe
an antibiotic to help kill off the bacteria that are in the skin
causing these problems. This can be any of these: tetracycline,
minocycline or even doxycycline; or, your doctor may have you
use a product that is applied to the skin. Such products are
benzoyl peroside and erythromycin. These products will help to
treat the bacteria there, but will not get to the core of the
problem of the excessive oils being made in the skin
To do this, the doctor may have you take Vitamin A
derivates such as the products isotretinoin for a few months
time. This oral treatment will likely be one that will help. In
fact about 80% of patients have this treatment help them to
reduce the onslaught of acne. The product can work for an
extensive period of time.
Another method of handling severe cases of acne
includes exfoliating the skin. There are a number of ways that
you can do this. Mechanically or chemically are the two that you
will choose from. This can be done through the use of abrasive
materials such as liquid scrubs or an abrasive towel. On the
chemical side, you can use salicylic acid and glycolic acid to
peel off the layers of the skin that are packed with dead skin
cells. Not only will this help in getting rid of the potential
dead skin cell problems but it will also help to get rid of
those cells already blocking the pores.
Yet another option in the treatment of acne is hormonal
treatments. By using contraceptive pills, many doctors have
found that many females will have less occurrences of acne.
Phototherapy is yet another treatment option. Through
the use of lasers and LED's, patients can see improvements in
the acne that they already have.
While there are many ways to get rid of acne, it is wise to
count on your dermatologist and family doctor to decide which
are the best methods for your needs. It is important to insure
that your health be the first importance. Acne treatments are
always improving as well, so look for new opportunities down the
road.