Emerging from the Abyss Called ACNE

As a teen, looking healthy and vibrant is an important part of self-esteem. And every teen has a nightmare called acne, dealing with any of its form.

The markets are filled with remedies which most of the times do nothing but create a dent in the pocket. Medguru looks into the why’s and how’s of the problem called Acne.... and also finds ways to contain it.

In Health Topic Questions and Answers about Acne: NIDDK states that nearly 17 million people in the United States have acne, making it the most common skin disease. Of these 17 million, which is 85 percent are between 18-24 years of age. This gives us an idea as to how big the scope of this disease is. Though acne is normally non-existent in adults, it is almost of an epidemic proportion among the teens. To top it all there are loads of myths that misguide patients about the disease.

What exactly is Acne?

Acne is a dermatological condition, an inflammatory disease of the sebaceous follicles. Acne is more common among boys. Acne affects the upper neck, face, chest, back, shoulders and sometimes even the arms. It does not compliment the look of a person and can be pretty upsetting to the patient. If acne is not treated properly, severe scarring may occur.

The most common forms of acne are:

Whitehead: where it is covered by the epidermis and doesn’t protrude from the follicle.

Blackhead: where it is not covered by the epidermis and thus protrudes. The black colour is because of melanin or pigment of the follicle.

What Causes Acne?

The first and foremost need is to break the myths surrounding the causes for acne. Acne is certainly not caused by dirt and just washing your face will not cure it. Research has also proved that the diet of a person has very little to do with causing acne.

Experts point out a number of causes for Acne:

- High intake of skimmed milk, cottage cheese

- Having high Glycemic index food

- Lack of Vitamin A and E

- Lack of proper hygiene

- Hereditary

- Hormonal activities like menstrual cycle in girls and puberty in boys can also prompt the growth of acne.

- Any kind of inflammation or skin irritation

- Stress

- Exposure to heavy oils, grease and tars

- Applying heavy cosmetics

How can Acne be treated?

Most of the products available in the market are not scientifically proven. Consulting a dermatologist for the treatment is the best option. There are also some alternatives that can be considered while treating Acne. A proper treatment of acne will hardly show any result during the first couple of weeks. Sometimes, combinations of methods help in removing the symptoms to a larger extent.

1. Medication: Benzoyl peroxide containing ointments, soaps etc are helpful in dissolving keratin from the pores. Antibiotics like erythromycin kill the bacteria in the blocked follicles.

2. Hormonal Treatments: acne can be treated by hormonal methods in females. These should be medically supervised and only be carried by a specialized doctor. This method reduces the chances of scarring than operating on the pimple.

3. Usage of birth control pills can also help in reducing acne.

4. A very expensive FDA approved treatment available nowadays is Phototherapy in which the patient is exposed to intense violet light from lights built for this purpose called dichroic bulbs.

5. Another treatment that the FDA has recently approved is the Laser treatment for Severe Acne.

6. A few alternative treatments like Ayurveda, Vitamin B3, Tea tree Oil, local heating etc., are also used for treating Acne.

As there is no magical cure for Acne, it is of utmost importance that the patients suffering from Acne are given a lot of psychological support. Severe depressiondefine is possible because of the disfiguration and vulnerable teenagers need understanding and help from family and friends.