| What
is Acne? |
 |
| A common inflammatory
pilosebaceous disease characterized
by comedones, papules, pustules,
inflamed nodules, superficial
pus-filled cysts.
Acne is red, irritating skin
rash primarily affecting teenagers
and young adults. It can, however,
occur at all ages. Typical acne
appears in the oil-producing
areas of the body-namely, the
face, chest, and back. Acne
can also occur on the neck and
upper arms.
Acne can have a short-term,
potentially lasting psychological
effect. Decreased self-esteem
and self-confidence can lead
to social withdrawal and even
depression. Left untreated,
severe acne can lead to disfiguring
scarring, which can itself be
difficult to treat.
|
|
| Several
myths exist about acne |
|
- Acne is not a result of
uncleanness or infrequent
washing. In other words, acne
does not result from too much
"dirt" on the skin
or in the pores. Too much
scrubbing may actually make
acne worse.
- Acne does not come from
eating a lot of so-called
bad foods such as chocolate
or fried foods. No foods cause
acne or make it worse.
|
|
| What
causes acne |
|
- Most
people develop acne during
adolescence. It is most prevalent
in those aged 16 to 18 years.
The reasons are:
- There are higher levels
of sex hormones at puberty
than in younger children.
- These hormones are converted
in the skin to dihydrotestosterone
(DHT) which stimulates oil
glands to enlarge.
- The oil glands, called sebaceous
glands, produce sebum. The
more sebum, the more likely
it is that acne will be troublesome.
- If sebum and keratin (dead
skin cells) block the skin
pores,comedones can develop.
- The wall of the follicles
may rupture.
- Bacteria and comedonal debris
cause acne pimples or pustules
(inflammatory lesion).
- Acne usually becomes less
of a problem after the age
of 25 years, although about
15% of women and 5% of men
continue to have acne as adults.
- Aggravating factors:
- Genetic factors (family
members have bad acne(
- Hormonal factors (higher
levels of androgenic hormones)
due to: dysfunction of
the ovary
- Polycystic ovaries (common)
or dysfunction of adrenal
gland
- Enzyme deficiency eg
sterol hydroxylase deficiency
(very rare(
- Excessive corticosteroids
(eg Cushing's disease)
(rare(
- Psychological stress
and depression
- Environmental factors
such as:
- High humidity causing
swelling of the skin
- Cosmetics
- Petroleum oils
- Pressure from headbands
& chin straps (eg:
"fiddler's neck")
- Certain medications.
|
|
| Acne
vulgaris |
|
The common type
of acne is called acne vulgaris.
It is a condition that mainly
affects adolescents but may persist
or even become more severe in
adulthood.
N.B Most, but not all, acne patients
have oily skin (seborrhea(
Acne vulgaris may occur on
the face, chest, back and sometimes
even more extensively. Several
types of acne spots occur, often
at the same time.
Lesions are found in areas
with abundant sebaceous glands
such as the face and trunk
|
| Non-inflammatory
lesions: |
- Open comedones
(blackheads)
- Closed comedones
(whiteheads)
- Uninflamed
nodules (sometimes called
cysts
|
| Inflammatory
lesions: |
- Papules (small red bumps)
- Pustules (white or yellow
"squeezable" spots)
- Inflamed nodules.
|
| Non-inflammatory
acne |
- Open comedon:
result from the enlargement
and dilation of a plug that
forms from oil and flakes
of skin inside the hair follicle.
The hair follicle pore remains
open exposing a black plug
(known as a blackhead). The
dark color is not dirt inside
the pore. Instead it is the
oil inside the pore, which
has become exposed from the
outside air.
- Closed comedon:
forms if the hair follicle
pore remains closed. The plug
in a closed comedo or whitehead
is therefore not exposed to
the outside air, and no black
color develops. The closed
comedo simply appears as a
tiny, sometimes pink bump
in the skin.
|
| Inflammatory
acne |
| Inflammatory acne
lesions consist of red blemishes,
pimples also called "zits"
(papules, pustules), and larger,
deeper swollen tender lesions
(nodules). |
- Papules
are closed comedos, which
have become red, swollen,
and inflamed.
- Pustules
are closed comedos, which
become inflamed and begin
to rupture into the skin forming
pustular heads of various
sizes.
- Nodules
represent large, tender, swollen
acne lesions, which have become
intensely inflamed and rupture
under the skin. If untreated,
these can produce deep scarring.
|
| Secondary
lesions: |
- Excoriations
(picked or scratched spots)
- Erythematous
macules (red marks from recently
healed spots, mostly in fair
skin)
- Pigmented macules
(dark marks from old spots,
mostly in dark skin)
- Scars Individual
acne lesions usually last
less than two weeks but the
deeper papules and nodules
may persist for months.
|
|
| Acne
Grading |
|
| Acne may
be considered mild, moderate or
severe. Comedones and inflammatory
lesions are usually considered
separately. Many
dermatologists assess the severity
of a patient's acne more precisely
by using a grading scale, such
as the one developed by the
Leeds' group. The inflammatory
lesions are compared with a
set of standard photographs
to determine the grade, which
may be 1 (very mild) to 12 (exceptionally
severe)
|
|
| Comedonal
acne |
|
| The term comedonal
acne refers to the pattern of
acne in which most lesions are
comedones (blackheads and whiteheads).
Comedonal acne most often affects
the forehead and chin.
Comedones form because plugs
of sebum and keratin (old skin
cells) block the skin pores
(follicles).
|
|
| Statistics |
|
- Acne is the most common
dermatological condition treated.
- 80% of teenagers suffer
from some form of acne.
- Waiting to outgrow it
can be a bad mistake.
- Starting early treatment
can minimize the emotional
impact and the possibility
of scarring
- 20% of adults suffer from
a low grade persistent acne.
|
|
| Prognosis |
|
| prognosis for
most acne is excellent. Most
people experience their worst
acne during the teen years and
"grow out of it."
The goal in all acne treatment
is to prevent scarring. Severe
acne left untreated for a long
time can result in scarring.
The scars can appear as pits
(usually on the face) or as
big, bumpy scars (usually on
the chest and back). The scarring
of acne can also be treated.
There are various ways available
to treat acne scars.
| If your
face looks like the left
photo... |
you will
prefer the right |
 |
 |
|
|
| Acne
Treatment |
|
| Acne treatment
works by: |
- Reducing sebum production
- Speeding up skin cell turnover
- Fighting bacterial infection
- Or any combination of these
effect
|
|
| What
we offer: |
|
 Azaderm
Akne-Mycin
2%
Akneroxid
5 Gel |
