Acne Causes, Treatments And Skincare

I'm back with another article on acne, this time a more scientific one because I picked up some magazines and pamphlets at a skin clinic on a job!

What is acne?
Firstly, let's get the basics right. Acne is a common condition that affects the pilosebaceous unit in the skin. This is the structural unit of oil glands and hair follicles. The types of acne problems can be divided into two broad groups - comedonal (white and black heads) and inflammatory (red bumps, fluid and pus-filled bumps). Teenagers have the highest incidence of acne, but adults develop it too, though less severe and frequent.

Causes of acne
There are a few main causes of acne. One of them is excessive oil production, which is usually related to excess male hormones especially during puberty, over-production of hormones by abnormal ovarian cysts and hormonal changes during menses. Blockage of oil gland pores, presence of acne-causing bacteria and inflammation are other causes.

Acne prevention
Firstly, the underlying conditions causing the acne should be treated first. Secondly, it is useful to apply a vitamin A-derivative topical to the skin at night to prevent acne formation. Thirdly, remove excessive oil with soap preferably containing salicylic acid, toner and facial blotters.

Present acne treatment technology
There are topical medication, antibiotics, oral contraceptive (for women only) and phototherapy.
The first three are relatively quite common and are prescribed by skin doctors. Phototherapy is a new external treatment. Blue light (wavelength range of 405-420nm) is shone on the inflamed areas. The light activates the porphyrin present in acne-causing bacteria, resulting in the release of singlet oxygen to destroy the bacteria. Each session is administered between 20 to 30 minutes and results may be seen within two to four weeks. There may be transient mild burning sensation. Treatment is at least two months shorter than oral antibiotics and suitable for patients including those who experience intolerable side-effects from acne drugs, namely pregnant patients and patients who find that other conventional acne treatment methods are ineffective for them.

Ingredients in facial products that acne patients should avoid
Cocoa butter, isopropyl myristate, industrial quality mineral oil, industrial quality petroleum and vegetable oil are acne aggravators. Anyone prone to developing acne should only use cosmetics and products that have been properly tested and labeled "non-comedogenic". (Comedogenic means acne aggravator).

Tips on acne skin care
Some acne cleansers, especially those with salicylic acid, and acne topicals can be drying and somewhat irritating. If one is affected by these, it will be helpful to apply a bland non-comedogenic moisturizer about half an hour after topical medication. Women who use makeup should inform the doctor about what they use, so their doctor can prescribe an appropriate formula of the topical and advise on the right sequence to apply. Men who perspire a lot and have oilier skin may need to cleanse their faces more than twice a day. Their acne medication should preferably be in the form of a gel or solutions. If the oil is cosmetically disturbing, they can use mattifying moisturizer about half an hour after applying acne medication.

Great post, Gingko, I really liked it. You have great skin, you are so lucky! It is perfect.

Unfortunaly acne normally has no quick fix - it is not easy to get rid off. If there for example was a pill that could get rid of it everyone would take it. It really is not that easy to prevent either, in many cases it is actually a genetic thing. Two of my old friends started using cleansing products for young skin when they were really young, I have no idea if it worked... in my opinion it did no difference as they were 9 years old. One of them has perfect skin and the other one good skin, but not perfect. The products contained a lot of bad stuff, and that can make a big difference.

One thing I have heard a lot about recently is "microdermabrasion." It sounds so amazing, but here it would set me back about 20 US dollars per minute. Normally they need about 2-10 minutes (I think), I have never tried it. Maybe if I suddenly wake up one morning with more money.

I created a thread regarding ingredients in cosmetics, so I will not write all that stuff all over again. The ingredients of your make-up and what creams you use can have a lot to say for some people. Some of my friends do not wear good make-up, remove it or use good creams. She has great skin. Again it is different from person to person. I use products from the pharmacy. Recently I started using a night cream in the same range of products. It is thicker and gives moisture, but still it is nice to my skin.

One of my friends (using my friends as examples, haha.) reacts to chocolate. Not sugar, but chocolate. When she avoids it she has a lot better skin. When I drink a lot of water it sometimes seems I get better skin - but none of my friends have the same experience. Do you know anything of what water do?