What is the acne?

Acne is an inflammatory disease of the sebaceous glands; it usually occurs during puberty in adolescents and young people, from the age of 12 years to 25 years. This affects women and men equally and is one of the main reasons which led to a dermatological consultation.

 

What is the cause?

There is no determined cause, but we can note four factors:

-Hereditary: In general, it has been noticed that people who have acne, have history of the same problem on their family members.

-Bacterial: Acne is associated with bacterium that feeds on sebum. The skin of people who have acne are often greasy. This condition induces bacteria proliferation, which generates greater inflammation.

-Hormonal: Acne appears in adolescence, a stage during which important hormonal changes take place.

-Immune: Inflammation is a common way in which our body reacts against the various stimuli.

All these above factors are involved in the result of acne

 

Acne types

We can divide acne into inflammatory and non-inflammatory. Each of these divisions is graded from the range1 to 4. The comedones (buttons) are the non-inflammatory and early stage of acne which is mild and recent. In the inflammatory type, in addition to buttons cysts will appear; abscesses will fill with pus and will leave scars on the healing process.

Non-inflammatory acne is almost not visible without consulting a dermatologist. Almost all the people who have this type of acne will see a beautician for a facial treatment in order to extract the buttons. For some patients, this is sufficient. And for the majority of other patients, this manipulation induces a gain of skin inflammation and the condition of acne becomes more severe.

 

Can acne be caused by consuming a lot of chocolate or greasy food?

There is no report supporting this statement. The food in general is not involved in the acne. There are people who eat a lot of chocolates and meals very rich without the troubles of having acne. On the other hand, many people who have acne are actually very rigorous with their diet. Therefore, the consumption of food is not a determining factor for this disease.

 

At what age it is more likely for acne to happen?

Acne occurs from the age 12 to 25 and may extend a little more. What has been noted is that a lot of people confuse adult acne with another disease called rosacea, caused by stress, tension, and aggravated of alcohol, hot food or places with high temperature.  Rosacea patients often presents: red face, papules (boules harsh), and small veins on the skin.

 

What is the treatment for acne?

The treatment depends on the acne type, it can be external (creams) or internal (by the use of oral medications). For non-inflammatory acne, a good number of facial or exfoliation treatments are enough.

 

What are the consequences of untreated acne?

Medical insurance consider this disease as a medical pathology much more than an aesthetic condition because it has the serious consequence of leaving marks or scars. Acne will not lead to death, but there are significant consequences at psychological and aesthetic level. This disease usually appears in adolescence, when the personality is not well formed.

As mentioned before, this condition usually appears in adolescence, when the body is not well formed or fully grown. In addition, teens with acne are less prompt to socially integrate among other teens and schoolmate, leading to decrease of self-esteem and insecurity.

 

What to do against the scars?

The scars of acne are difficult to treat. We normally use ablative lasers and light therapy to treat scars and hyperpigmentation .Unfortunately, scars cannot be erased completely. However, most of our patients are very satisfied with our result. That is why the specialists should ensure to prescribe an effective treatment to avoid the buttons and therefore the scars.

It is important to remember that acne is a transient disease which is located in the skin and specifically of the gland sebaceous.

 

Can sprays help to make the irritation disappear?

No, the sprays worsen the acne. Receiving steam increases the blood flow on the infected area which causes a greater discomfort. The sprays are not recommended. Instead of this technique, cold compresses of camomile can be used as cure.

Should pimples be extracted?

The manipulation of the lesions is not recommended. In some cases this action generates greater inflammation; the lacerations can be infected and leave more serious scars. It is not recommended to   extract pimples. Skincare should be done by professional who carried out this process in a clean environment with sterile equipment.

 

Is it true that the sun can dry the buttons?

No, there is no relationship on this fact. When a person has acne it is preferable that he/she does not expose the skin to the sun, because that can cause greater inflammation increasing the amount of pigments in the scars.