This
guidelines is intended to give you a basic understanding of the way in
which your body functions and occasionally, malfunctions. It is also
designed to help you to relieve some of the more common aches and pains
by giving simple and practical notes on self-help. It is not, however,
intended to replace your doctor. No amounts of medical knowledge gleaned
from reading books can replace the deep understanding that a qualified
doctor gains from years of training and experience. So use this advice
for interest and for reference and if any doubt, consult your doctor.
Acne Can be an Embarrassing Problem and Difficult to Treat
In
the normal course of events, sebum, made in the sebaceous glands deep
down in the skin, travel up the hair follicle to emerge through a fine
pore on the surface. There, it emulsifies with sweat to fulfill its
vital double role of lubricating and protecting the skin. Therefore if
the sebum hardens and becomes trapped just beneath the surface of the
skin, or if the dead epidermal cells stick together and clog the opening
of the pore a small pimple or blackhead will appear.
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| Acne Can be an Embarrassing Problem and Difficult to Treat |
If
the blockage occurs deeper down, inflammation and primary bacterial
infection combine to produce a much larger and angrier spot. Both are
acne. The more severe inflammatory types of acne are thought to be
caused by the male hormone, androgen, circulating in the bloodstream and
causing the sebaceous glands to secrete grease. Nothing is demonstrably
“wrong” in a hormonal sense. Some people are simply more sensitive to
the hormone than others. This sensitivity will depend on familial
inheritance and skin type.
Although
diet has no direct causal link with acne, an imbalanced diet can
certainly aggravate it, so too can stress overzealous self-treatment and
squeezing. The first rule is to leave your skin alone. If you are a
habitual picker or squeezer, cut the fingernails short and watch your
skin improve. Wash your skin twice daily with an antiseptic or medicated
soap, use topical creams and lotions sparingly and remember that
there’s absolutely no virtue in fanaticism. Dirt and oil on top of the
skin have nothing to do with any but the smallest of pimples it is the
oil trapped beneath that is to blame.
If
you’ve persistent or severe acne, or are distressed about the
condition, see your doctor. Acne can be treated often extremely
effectively with a course of antibiotics, prescribed over a period of
months or even years. It works by counteracting the effects of the
problem, not by curing it. It may be as many as three months before a
noticeable improvement in the condition of the skin can be seen.
Topical
acne treatments range from mild antiseptic lotions (astringents) to
stronger more abrasive chemical solutions that “strip” off the dead
layer of skin cells to unblock the pore and free the sebum. Lotions
containing benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid or retinoic acid (vitamin A)
are probably the most effective. However while they can be valuable in
treating superficial non-inflammatory acne, they’ll not help more severe
types and may even aggravate them. In addition if these lotions are
used too often or applied over enthusiastically, they may produce
redness, dryness and excessive irritation Cis Retinoic acid (at present
only available in the USA), taken orally as a course of tablets, works
by cutting down sebaceous activity and can be very effective. Its
disadvantage, however, is that it tends to dry up the skin. Common side
effects are chapped lips and general flaking and dryness.
In
the future, medical treatment of the more severe types of acne may
involve regulating the hormone levels responsible for producing the
condition, either by prescribing an anti-androgen, usually cyproterone
acetate, or additional oestrogen, depending on the patient. While
effective in combating and protecting again acne, the drug is at present
being combined with an oestrogen for a contraceptive effective. Risk
factors on ovulation and pregnancy have still to be assessed.
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