Acne revisited

Its been quite some time since I abandoned blogging. I never thought life can be so very bussy and demanding. But now I am back again, with what I enjoy doing. Coming back to our topic, I wanted to give you some real insights about acne and its occurence or say recurrence. Sometimes we notice that skin breakouts happen and dissappear on their own. How much ever care we take but these breakouts, pimples simpy don't stop, they keep coming back again and again. This is quite a nightmare as you never know whether tomorrow you will have a clear face or not. Doctors believe acne results from several related factors but the exact cause is unknown. One important factor is the increase in hormones called androgens (male sex hormones). The increase in hormones during puberty causes the enlargement of sebaceous glands thus making more sebum. Also, the hormonal changes related to pregnancy or starting or stopping birth control pills can cause acne. Hereditary or genetics is another factor that acne may be related to. Others believe that the tendency to develop acne is inherited from parents. Certain drugs including lithium and androgens are known to cause acne. Likewise, greasy cosmetics may alter the cells of the follicles and make them stick together thus producing a plug. People often blame chocolates and greasy foods but foods seem to have little effect on the development and course of acne in most people. Dirty skin is as well believed to cause the skin disorder; however, blackheads and other acne lesions are not caused by dirt. Lastly, stress does not cause acne. Obviously, there are several factors that can make the acne worse. The changing hormone levels in the adolescent girls and adult women 2 to 7 days before their menstrual period starts affect the worsening of the acne. Leaning on or rubbing the skin, environmental irritants, squeezing or picking at blemishes and hard scrubbing of the skin are other factors that could worsen acne conditions. It is always the goal of the treatment to heal existing lesions, stop new lesions from forming, prevent scarring as well as minimize the psychological stress and embarrassment caused by the disease. The drug treatment is to reduce several problems playing a part in causing acne; abnormal clumping of cells in the follicles, increased oil production, bacteria and inflammation. The doctor will recommend one of several over-the-counter (OTC) medicines or prescription medicines either topical (applied to the skin) or systematic (oral medication) depending on the extent of the person's acne. Remember proper personal care and hygeine can help you maintain a clear skin, but if your acne is really very very severe and not simply healing, visit a doctor.

ACNE: WHAT IT IS?

Acne vulgaris (the most common form of acne) is a chronic skin disease. It is the disease of the sebaceous gland which can be either inflammatory or non inflammatory. Usually severe forms of acne are inflammatory. Acne is most common in puberty; about 85% of teenagers suffer from this disease. Age group between 12-20 years is the most susceptible, but acne is not just restricted to adolescence, even adults between the age groups of 30 and 60 years are seen to suffer with acne.
Acne can manifest itself in either of the following forms:
Comedones (which are caused by blockade of pores)
Whiteheads
Blackheads
Pimples (zits)
Pustules
Nodules and cysts (more severe acne)
Acne rosacea is another form of acne which occurs mostly in adults and is more commonly observed in women. Other than these two forms of acne, there are some very severe forms of acne. These are:
Acne conglobata
Acne fulminans
Gram negative folliculitis
Nodulocystic acne
While there are many trigger factors that lead to acne, the most common reason is the over production of sebum or oil.
Sebaceous glands (oil producing glands) are present just beneath the surface of the skin. These glands produce sebum (or oil) which helps in moisturizing the skin and maintaining the softness of hair. These glands are located in each hair follicle under the skin and are found in large numbers on the face, back, chest, and shoulders. In certain circumstances the cells which are closer to the surface of the skin block the openings of these glands leading to accumulation of sebum under the skin surface. This leads to proliferation of bacteria that are already present in everyone and as such cause no harm. But this multiplication process of bacteria starts making the condition worse.
In certain conditions the production of sebum itself increases so much that it cannot be drained out through the pores efficiently. This excess sebum combines with the dead cells that are shred from the linings of the follicles and forms a plug, or comedo (or comedones), that blocks the pore, which is not usually seen.
In majority of cases the acne problem starts during puberty when the body starts producing large amounts of androgens (the male hormone). These androgens cause higher production of sebum, which in turn may lead to acne flare ups.