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Acne does not only occurs in teens, as the number of adults
suffering from acne has been increasing in the last decade.
In 1999, Goulden and Cunliffe published their study of rising
cases of acne in adulthood (Prevalence of Facial Acne in Adults);
they noted that the mean age of patients treated for Acne
had increased in a decade from 20.5 years to 26.5 years.
Acne nowadays is not considered only a puberty-related problem,
but is treated as a skin disorder which can turn into severe
disease at times. Sometimes babies are born with acne. Although
this acne clears in a few months time, these infants are more
prone to get acne again in their formative years. Treating
acne in infants can be dangerous and should only be done after
consulting a dermatologist.
There is one interesting difference in occurrence of acne
in boys and girls. Baby boys are more likely to have infantile
acne than baby girls. Teenage boys get more acne than girls.
And in adulthood, females are infected by acne more than the
males.
There are many types
of acne depending upon the severity of infection. Could
it be that different kinds of acne strike different kinds
of people? Not exactly. Acne is universal in that it affects
human beings all over the world.
Acne can be differentiated into two groups. One in mild form,
which can be controlled with topical treatments,
and another severe form in which case the patient has to receive
a dermatologist's help and be treated by oral antibiotics.
This treatment
can last for several months. Beware that some oral acne treatments
are extremely dangerous and many medical professionals would
rather recommend a topical treatment. If you would like to
review Tru-derma, a
safer topical product we built based on existing recommendations
from medical professionals, click
here.
According to the severity of infection, acne
can be separated mainly into comedo, papule, pustule, nodule,
and cystic
types. The basic form of acne is a red swelling or lesion
on the surface of skin caused by the bacterial attack on body
tissue. When the hair follicle under the skin gets choked
by sebum (an oily
substance) secreted by the adjacent oil glands (sebaceous
glands), and dead cells and superficial grime, it attracts
bacteria P. acnes (Propioni bacterium) that normally lives
on the skin.
3D Cross Section of a Hair Follicle
This bacterium produces certain enzymes and chemicals to
break down the tissue wall in order to get into the plugged
follicle (hair canal). The injury of the body tissue results
in swelling, redness and pain. Thus lesions or comedones are
formed. When a comedo is open, the surface of the plug looks
blackish because of oil deposit and is called a blackhead.
When the comedo is closed, it looks like a skin-colored bump
and is known as whitehead.
 
Popules are also comedones but very small, and instead of
being bump-like, these give the skin a rough appearance like
sandpaper.
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If the lesion gets filled with pus, the name changes to Pustule.
When pustules
become severely inflamed, the lesion becomes sac-like and
is filled with a liquid or semi-liquid material consisting
of bacteria, dead cells and white blood cells. These are called
cysts,
which can penetrate into the deeper layers of skin and become
quite painful. Even after being healed, cysts
can leave scars on the skin which are difficult to get rid
of.
Acne is given different names in different skin conditions.
The most common acne, blackheads
or whiteheads, is called Acne Vulgaris. Acne changes form
and strikes adults as Acne Rosacea, in their middle age. This
kind of acne usually does not have any open pores.
It makes the face look flushed with bumpy nods on the forehead,
cheeks, nose and chin. Acne Rosacea can be quite stubborn.
This may result in the formation of a bulbous nose which is
called Rhynophyma. The most severe form of Acne is Acne Cystica.
When the inflammation becomes deep and pus filled, the bursting
of Acne causes this pus to spread into the skin tissue rather
than on the surface of skin. This deep infection and inflammation
causes formation of cysts.
These cysts
are so deep that skin scarring might become permanent. Acne
Fulminance is a rare form of acne which occurs in young boys
and is accompanied by systemic symptoms such as fever, weight
loss, and other critical conditions. Apart from these, there
might be other forms of acne such as Acne Iinfantilis, Acne
Pustulosa, and Acne Connglobata etc.
Then, there are some types
of acne which are produced by external causes. Like Corticosteroid
Acne, which is a side effect of using of steroids. Acne Excoiree
occurs by picking or scratching pimples. It is a common habit
of people suffering from pimples to pick at them or scratch
to get rid of them. Unfortunately it only causes secondary
infection and makes acne look worse. For a list of healthier
means to treatment and acne prevention, click
here.
Some cosmetics can cause acne. These are called Acne Cosmetica.
It's a mild form of acne and disappears when the patient stops
using the particular cosmetic which caused the skin irritation.
Mostly, the cosmetics guilty of producing acne are high in
oil content. This plugs the skin pores
and makes skin susceptible to bacteria attack. It would be
more beneficial if consumers suffering from acne refrain from
such cosmetics use water base cosmetics (foundation, liquid
make-up etc). They should also confirm that the cosmetic carries
the label "non-comedogenic" (should not cause whiteheads or
blackheads),
or "non-acne-genic" (should not cause acne). Acne usually
occurs on the face, but in severe cases it can spread on the
back, chest and even upper arms.
To learn more about acne and cosmetics, click
here.
www.acne.com
Julie
C Harper, MD, Department of Dermatology, Alabama, Birmingham.
Yale-New Haven Medical center.
American Academy of Dermatology.
www.acnecontrol.net
Dermatology Information
System
NZ dermatological society
American
Acadamy of Dermatology
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