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Acne
- By Asim Farooq
- Published 08/21/2007
- Acne
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Asim Farooq
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Perhaps no other medical condition has been documented as much as acne, and not without reason. Medical estimates show that about eighty percent of all Americans suffer from acne at some point or the other in their lives. It is a common cause of concern among teenagers, and is the subject of a lot of marketing for products targeted at acne treatment. The reason for acne becoming a subject of so much discussion is that it is more of a social problem than a medical one. People usually get acne on the face, and that hampers their appearance. That is the reason why acne is so dreaded by teenagers. Most teenagers would not like to even move out in public while they have 'zits' on their face, as the eruptions of acne are popularly called.
However, it must be noted that acne is not a teenage problem. It is true that acne manifests itself mostly in teenagers, and can start any time after puberty. But many people continue getting acne even in their twenties and thirties. Some people – mostly women – get acne even until their thirties, when the hormonal changes occurring during their menopause can cause skin eruptions. At the same time, it must be said that the face is not the only place where the acne can occur. Acne can show up on the chest and the upper back, while on some people it can even extend up to the shoulders and upper arms.
Cause of Acne
Since acne occurs after puberty, it is widely conjectured that the hormonal changes that take place during this time are responsible for the condition to occur. The hormonal imbalance could be the root cause in producing an over-secretion of oil from the sebaceous glands that are located in the skin. The excess oil then accumulates in the hair follicles, and begins trapping the dead cells of the skin. The oil and dead cells harden and become compacted. They may be pushed up from the skin as more accumulation takes place, and this is what is known as a pimple or a zit. So, basically, a pimple is a compacted mass of oil produced by glands in the skin and dead skin cells.
Acne can be made worse if bacteria collect in the blocked hair follicle. In that case, the pimple could grow larger and could even become painful.
Symptoms of Acne
The signs and symptoms of acne are all too evident because they make a physical appearance on the skin. The main affected part is the face, but the chest, back and shoulders could also be affected by skin eruptions. There are three main types of skin eruptions that can be classified as acne. The following is a list.
Pimples – Pimples are the reddish marks on the skin with a white center. Pimples are the most raised form of acne.
Whiteheads – These are the common eruptions of acne, which contain a white mass of dead cells and some oil secretions.
Blackheads – They appear as dark skin eruptions that are open to the surface of the skin.
In the advanced form, acne can occur in the form of dense buildups under the skin at the region of the hair follicles. These are not raised too much, but they appear vividly red. Such forms of acne can affect a person's appearance drastically, and can persist on the face for long periods of time.
Risk Factors of Acne
Being largely a hormonal imbalance disorder, acne cannot be pegged down with particular risk factors
. In most cases, acne makes its appearance automatically at puberty, irrespective of hygiene and food factors. In women, acne occurs during all phases in their life when their bodies are subject to hormonal changes. In some women, acne can make cyclical appearances during each menstrual cycle. In rare cases, acne can also appear in women during menopause.
Some environmental factors can have an influence on acne, such as bringing the skin in contact with oil. Some oil-based cosmetics can aggravate acne. Also, regular contact of the skin with external objects can cause bacterial infections that can cause acne. People with family histories of acne are at higher risk than others. This classifies acne as a hereditary disorder.
Acne Treatment
Acne is a much-feared condition, especially among teenagers, but the good news is that it is not a medically dangerous condition in any way. There are a lot of treatment options available for the condition, and they include over-the-counter treatment options and also prescription antibiotics.
There are two main forms of acne treatment, external application creams and oral antibiotics.
External Application Creams – Creams available for the treatment of acne act by drying up the oil that is collected on the skin, or by removing the dead skin cells from the skin by allowing the cells to regenerate faster and to remove the dead cells from the hair follicles. Some of these creams are also effective in killing the bacteria that collect in the hair follicles, aggravating the acne condition. Generally, the acne treatment creams available without prescriptions contain mild agents that can only cure cases of simple acne. It is possible that these creams may not work for everybody, and in that case, doctors could give stronger medication.
Oral Antibiotics – There are some antibiotics that doctors would prescribe for people with severe cases of acne. Antibiotics are generally prescribed to people who have got persistent acne, or acne that keeps recurring on the skin. These antibiotics follow long courses of treatment, and they are not effective if the treatment is stopped midway. Many a time, the acne would aggravate temporarily while these oral medications are going on.
Creams are more popular than the oral medications because of the convenience and comparative safety in using them. Also, creams are topical, so people can test and try which cream will work for them the best without any qualms. Oral medications are not popular because of the prolonged nature of the treatment. They can also produce some hormonal side-effects, which doctors will warn the patients about. Pregnant women are not advised to take any sort of oral medicines for acne.
Another treatment option that is becoming popular in recent times is cosmetic surgery. Of course, this treatment method is used only by people who are suffering from extreme symptoms of acne, and want permanent relief. Even in cosmetic surgery, different methods are implemented, such as laser removal, or simple surgical lifting of the upper layer of the facial skin and replacing it with skin from other parts of the body.
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Copying and publishing any article from our site is strictly NOT allowed.
However, it must be noted that acne is not a teenage problem. It is true that acne manifests itself mostly in teenagers, and can start any time after puberty. But many people continue getting acne even in their twenties and thirties. Some people – mostly women – get acne even until their thirties, when the hormonal changes occurring during their menopause can cause skin eruptions. At the same time, it must be said that the face is not the only place where the acne can occur. Acne can show up on the chest and the upper back, while on some people it can even extend up to the shoulders and upper arms.
Cause of Acne
Since acne occurs after puberty, it is widely conjectured that the hormonal changes that take place during this time are responsible for the condition to occur. The hormonal imbalance could be the root cause in producing an over-secretion of oil from the sebaceous glands that are located in the skin. The excess oil then accumulates in the hair follicles, and begins trapping the dead cells of the skin. The oil and dead cells harden and become compacted. They may be pushed up from the skin as more accumulation takes place, and this is what is known as a pimple or a zit. So, basically, a pimple is a compacted mass of oil produced by glands in the skin and dead skin cells.
Acne can be made worse if bacteria collect in the blocked hair follicle. In that case, the pimple could grow larger and could even become painful.
Symptoms of Acne
The signs and symptoms of acne are all too evident because they make a physical appearance on the skin. The main affected part is the face, but the chest, back and shoulders could also be affected by skin eruptions. There are three main types of skin eruptions that can be classified as acne. The following is a list.
Pimples – Pimples are the reddish marks on the skin with a white center. Pimples are the most raised form of acne.
Whiteheads – These are the common eruptions of acne, which contain a white mass of dead cells and some oil secretions.
Blackheads – They appear as dark skin eruptions that are open to the surface of the skin.
In the advanced form, acne can occur in the form of dense buildups under the skin at the region of the hair follicles. These are not raised too much, but they appear vividly red. Such forms of acne can affect a person's appearance drastically, and can persist on the face for long periods of time.
Risk Factors of Acne
Being largely a hormonal imbalance disorder, acne cannot be pegged down with particular risk factors
Some environmental factors can have an influence on acne, such as bringing the skin in contact with oil. Some oil-based cosmetics can aggravate acne. Also, regular contact of the skin with external objects can cause bacterial infections that can cause acne. People with family histories of acne are at higher risk than others. This classifies acne as a hereditary disorder.
Acne Treatment
Acne is a much-feared condition, especially among teenagers, but the good news is that it is not a medically dangerous condition in any way. There are a lot of treatment options available for the condition, and they include over-the-counter treatment options and also prescription antibiotics.
There are two main forms of acne treatment, external application creams and oral antibiotics.
External Application Creams – Creams available for the treatment of acne act by drying up the oil that is collected on the skin, or by removing the dead skin cells from the skin by allowing the cells to regenerate faster and to remove the dead cells from the hair follicles. Some of these creams are also effective in killing the bacteria that collect in the hair follicles, aggravating the acne condition. Generally, the acne treatment creams available without prescriptions contain mild agents that can only cure cases of simple acne. It is possible that these creams may not work for everybody, and in that case, doctors could give stronger medication.
Oral Antibiotics – There are some antibiotics that doctors would prescribe for people with severe cases of acne. Antibiotics are generally prescribed to people who have got persistent acne, or acne that keeps recurring on the skin. These antibiotics follow long courses of treatment, and they are not effective if the treatment is stopped midway. Many a time, the acne would aggravate temporarily while these oral medications are going on.
Creams are more popular than the oral medications because of the convenience and comparative safety in using them. Also, creams are topical, so people can test and try which cream will work for them the best without any qualms. Oral medications are not popular because of the prolonged nature of the treatment. They can also produce some hormonal side-effects, which doctors will warn the patients about. Pregnant women are not advised to take any sort of oral medicines for acne.
Another treatment option that is becoming popular in recent times is cosmetic surgery. Of course, this treatment method is used only by people who are suffering from extreme symptoms of acne, and want permanent relief. Even in cosmetic surgery, different methods are implemented, such as laser removal, or simple surgical lifting of the upper layer of the facial skin and replacing it with skin from other parts of the body.
This article is the property of http://www.iGuides.org
Copying and publishing any article from our site is strictly NOT allowed.