What is acne?
Acne is an ongoing, inflammatory skin condition that causes blemishes to appear on your face, back, and chest. These blemishes appear when your hair follicles become clogged. Acne is most common among teenagers but can show up at any age.
Various kinds of blemishes can occur with acne, including:
- Whiteheads (entirely blocked pores)
- Blackheads (open clogged pores)
- Papules (red, tender bumps)
- Nodules (large, painful lumps beneath the skin)
- Pimples or pustules (papules with pus at their tips)
- Cystic lesions (painful, pus-filled lumps beneath the skin)
As many as 85% of people 12-24 have acne. Early treatment at Aesthetic and Clinical Dermatology Associates reduces the risk of long-term scarring.
What causes acne?
Acne is caused by clogged hair follicles. Oil glands beneath your skin produce a substance called sebum. Sebum normally moves from the bottom to the top of each follicle and spills out onto the surface of your skin through pores, taking dead skin cells with it.
When you have acne, the sebum and dead skin cells get trapped in blocked follicles. If the pore’s opening is completely blocked, a whitehead forms. Blackheads appear when the pore is open. Don’t scratch or pick at a blackhead or whitehead because that can lead to inflammation and scarring.
If a whitehead or blackhead becomes inflamed, papules and pustules appear. Blockages deep in the follicle produce cystic acne beneath the skin’s surface.
How is acne treated?
First, the Aesthetic and Clinical Dermatology Associates team carefully evaluates your skin and reviews your medical history. They then recommend the best acne treatment for your particular needs.
There’s no overnight cure for acne, and treatment can be a relatively slow process. Acne treatments include:
- Oral antibiotics
- Topical creams and washes like benzoyl peroxide, antibiotics, tretinoin, and azelaic acid
- Isotretinoin, a derivative of vitamin A that can help with severe acne
In some cases, they recommend light therapy, chemical peels, drainage and extraction, and/or steroid injections.
For effective acne treatment, call Aesthetic and Clinical Dermatology Associates today or request an appointment online.
