As they say when the clock strikes 12 the day starts, and it is well known that when kids hit puberty acne appears. Alright let’s see what this acne is all about, the acne is a skin condition that transpires when the hair follicles become plugged with dead skin cells and oil follicles which causes blackheads, whiteheads and pimples. Acne is the most common among teenagers but can occur or affect all ages of people. Even though there might be effective acne treatment, but can is proven to be persistent, pimples generally seem to be bumpy which heals slowly and when one begins to go away the other pop up. The acne marks can be severe, and they might cause some sort of emotional distress and scarring on the skin. The earlier the treatment is taken the lower would be the skin problems.
What would lead to acne
Acne has a lot of affecting conditions like:
- Blackheads (Known as open plugged pores)
- Whiteheads (Closed plugged pores)
- Small, tender and red bumps (Known as papules)
- Pimples which are papules with pus at the tips
- Large, lumps which are painful under the skin(nodules)
- The cystic lesions which are painful, and will be pus-filled under the skin
Acne generally appears on the forehead, face, chest upper back and shoulders in teenagers.
When to seek treatment
If the healthcare remedies don’t clear the pimples on the face and don’t seem to work at all then the doctor has to be consulted. The doctor generally prescribes stronger medications. If the acne is severe, then the dermatologist must be consulted.
For most women, a primary consult would go however for some kids if the acne is severe then the medically prescribed medications will be given. Generally, in women, the acne persists for decades however this has to be treated but this acne will tend to clear up in women who use contraceptives and in adults all of a sudden, the underlying disease. This condition is an underlying condition which requires medical attention. There are some non-prescribed ace lotions, cleaners and other skin products but choosing the best one for the skin is the toughest part.
Treatments for acne-prone skin
The basic thing about reducing acne marks is about stopping the bacterial infection and there are a lot of over-the-counter medications that help in reducing the oil by treating the infection. With a lot of acne drugs, the result may seem to be delayed by four to eight months and it would take years for the complete reduction in the acne. But the basic request made by the doctor is to wash the face twice daily as it keeps the face fresh and takes the dust and debris.
The topical medications
Retinoids and retinoids drugs: This compound contains retinoic acid and tretinoin is used for moderate acne, however, these come in creams, gels and lotions. Some of the topical medications are tretinoin (Avita, Retin-A and others). The adapalene (Differing) and tazarotene(As Tazorac, Avage others). The application of this medication must be applied in the evening, and in the beginning three times, a week and then daily as your skin becomes used to it. The main effect would be for plugging of the hair follicles. Do not apply tretinoin at the same time as benzoyl peroxide, this tends to increase skin sensitivity.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics will be generally prescribed by doctors, which kill the excess skin bacteria and reduce redness and inflammation. For the first few months of treatment but the use of retinoid and an antibiotic with the antibiotic applied in the morning and the retinoid in the evening. The antibiotics are often combined with benzoyl peroxide to reduce the likelihood of developing antibiotic resistance. Examples include clindamycin along with benzoyl peroxide (Benzaclin, Duac and others). But generally, antibiotics are given along with topical medication.
Azelaic acid and salicylic acid
These are naturally occurring acids which are produced by yeast. But this has antibacterial properties and the 20% azelaic acid, creams gels seem to be the more conventional way to reduce the spots on the skin these have additional antibacterial properties but it has to be applied two times a day.
Dapsone
Dapsone 5% is a gel which can be used twice a day as it has anti-inflammatory properties, particularly for women with acne, this comes with the side effect of redness and dryness.
Combines oral contraceptives
This also plays a pivotal role in reducing acne for women who wish to go for acne therapy, it is combined with oral contraceptives that are approved by FDA for all acne therapy in women. These are the products is the combination of progestin and estrogen and the benefit of the treatment would be for a few months. But even if this comes with side effects like weight gain, breast tenderness and nausea, there might be a risk of cardiovascular problems, breast cancer and cervical cancer.
Therapies other than topical agents and oral drugs
For a certain set of populations, the topical agents would work but for some people, the oral drugs would work, that doesn’t guarantee that it would cure the acne, so some sets of cohorts opt for the combination therapy.
- Light therapy: A variety of light-based therapies have been tried and has been a success and most of them require a regular visit to the doctor. But this requires more experimentation and has to be in an ideal method with light source and dose.
- Chemical therapy: This procedure uses a repeated application of chemical solutions like salicylic acid, retinoic acid and glycolic acid. This treatment is for insignificant/ mild acne. It will improve the skin even though the change is not long-lasting and repetitive treatments are needed.
- Extraction and drainage: This require a special tool to gently remove the whiteheads and blackheads or crysts can be used with topical medications. This temporarily improves the appearance of the skin, and it might also cause scarring.
- Steroids: The steroid injection for the nodular and cystic lesions can be treated by injecting and steroid drug into them. This shows rapid improvement and has decreased pain, this may include skin discoloration and skin thinning in the treated area.
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