Acne is one of the most common problems in adolescent teens
affecting nearly seventeen million people in the United
States. Acne is
nothing but a disorder involving
sebaceous glands and hair follicles.
Acne results from the clogging of sebaceous glands leading to the
formation of pimples and cysts. The condition usually begins with the
onset of puberty. Going by the facts, as teens attain puberty the
androgens also called male sex hormones are produced in high number
leading to sebaceous glands becoming over active which results in sebum
being produced in high proportions.
Sebum, which is nothing but oil is produced by sebaceous glands
which travel to the skin surface through hair follicles. But, skin
cells block the follicles which results in oil also being blocked. When
these hair follicles are blocked it results in the development of skin
bacteria known as Propionibacterium Acnes within the follicles which in
turn results in swelling of the skin called Acne. If the hair follicles
are partially blocked it results in blackheads. If the follicles are
completely blocked they result in whiteheads. But if these plugged
follicles are not treated they ultimately burst causing the oil,
bacteria and skin cells to spill all over the skin resulting in
irritation and formation of pimples. Acne can be shallow as well as
deep in various individuals depending on the nature of skin and amount
of oil produced.
There can be various causes why Acne forms. Apart from rising
hormone levels due to puberty it can also be attributed to certain
other factors like intake of drugs which contain lithium, barbiturates
and corticosteroids. Acne can also be caused due to excess grease and
oil in the scalp, due to cooking oil and use of some cosmetics can
actually alleviate the acne problem. Acne problem many times is
inherited also. Acne problem is worsened if the pimples are squeezed or
scrubbed too hard.
Acne can form at any place of the body but they most commonly form
in the areas where there sebaceous glands are present in high
proportions like face, chest, shoulders, neck and upper back. The
symptoms may differ from person to person but commonly seen symptoms
are: formation of blackheads, whiteheads, lesions filled with pus and
which are very painful and lastly nodules. One may get confused
sometimes as symptoms of acne may be like some other skin condition and
it is always advised to consult a doctor in this scenario.
There are lots of treatments available today to treat acne. The
primary goal of the treatment is to reduce scars and better appearance.
There are various treatments and the doctor decides which specific
treatment you need based on: the extent of acne problem, age, medical
history, overall health, tolerance to specific medications and
procedures, expectations and last but not the least what patients
prefer.
Treatment of acne is classified into topical and systemic drug
therapies which are given based on extent of severity. In some
instances the combination of both the methods might be the way to go
for acne treatment. Topical medication is nothing but creams, gels,
lotions, solutions etc. prescribed to patients for acne treatment. Some
of the examples of topical medication are: Benzoyl Peroxide which kills
the Propionibacterium Acnes bacteria, antibiotics helps in stopping or
slowing down the growth of the bacteria and also reduces inflammation,
Tretinoin helps in stopping the formation of new acne lesions and
Adapalene reduces formation of comedo.
Systemic drug therapies involve prescription of systemic antibiotics
primarily for the treatment of acne problem which is moderate to severe
in nature. The examples of antibiotics prescribed are Doxycycline,
erythromycin and tetracycline. In some cases an oral drug called
Isotretinoin is prescribed for teenagers with severe acne problem which
shrinks down the sebaceous glands that produce oil. The results are
pretty good and almost ninety percent of the adolescents have success
with this oral drug. But the drug has some serious side-affects and
thus it is very important that one consults a doctor before use.