Acne vulgaris is a dermatological pathology that adolescents often encounter. In the puberty, there is increased work of the sebaceous glands. This causes excessively oily skin and acne. However, adults can also suffer from this disease. This is a chronic disease that occurs with inflammation of the epidermis and the formation of acne and comedones - black spots on the skin. When a bacterial infection attaches, small acne is converted into boils. This disease is also called acne vulgaris.
What is a disease?
Acne vulgaris are the result of increased work of the sebaceous glands. When their ducts are blocked, a black dot appears on the skin - comedone. This is the result of accumulation of fat and particles of keratinized epidermis. When bacteria attach, red nodules form on the skin, and pus accumulates on their top.
Acne can break through when pressed or on its own. After that, a crust forms on the surface of the skin, and then a scar. On the epidermis, pigment spots (post-acne) also remain.
Causes of skin pathology
The main cause of acne vulgaris is increased oily skin (seborrhea). The following factors can be distinguished that lead to increased activity of the sebaceous glands:
- Failures and pathologies of the endocrine system. Violations of the endocrine glands lead to excessive oily skin.
- Wrong diet. Excessive intake of fats negatively affects the condition of the skin.
- Taking medication. Some medicines may cause temporary endocrine disruptions. This is especially true for steroid hormones.
- Hereditary factor. Sometimes the tendency to form acne is genetically determined.
- Disorders of the digestive tract. Diseases such as stomach ulcers or gastritis can also lead to acne.
Acne often forms during puberty and during pregnancy. This is due to hormonal changes in the body. Non-compliance with hygiene leads to the appearance of acne vulgaris, when sebaceous gland secretions do not wash off the skin in time.
Symptoms of the disease
Most often, rashes are observed on the face. Acne vulgaris on the back is formed in 60% of cases. This is usually seen in people of mature age. Rashes can also appear on the shoulders, chest, and limbs.
The first sign of the disease is the appearance of black spots on the skin. This symptom indicates a blockage of the sebaceous glands. Comedones most often form on the chin and on the wings of the nose. If you press on them, then a rod with a black head comes out. These are open rashes. Skin inflammation is not observed.
Then papules and pustules form on the epidermis. They look like a cone. Inside, these rashes are filled with pus - an accumulation of lymphocytes and neutrophils. The skin around these formations is inflamed.
In advanced cases, acne can form in the form of a cyst. Nodules appear on the skin. Then their purulent fusion is observed. A cyst may pass into a boil or abscess. This occurs when infection or extrusion occurs. In place of such formations there are long non-healing scars.
The most severe form of the disease is spherical acne. This pathology is usually observed in men of mature age. In this case, several acne merge into a single formation. It has the shape of a ball of crimson color and can reach the size of a cherry. Spherical acne is painful. Over time, they erupt, with dense pus. Large white scars form at the healing site.
The difference between pink and vulgar acne
Rosacea and acne vulgaris are two different skin diseases. They are somewhat different in their symptoms. Rosacea usually occurs in mature people after 40 years of age, they are noted only on the face. Acne vulgaris occurs most often in the puberty and adolescence. They can be scattered throughout the body.
Erythema with pink and acne vulgaris looks different. This is an important differential feature in the diagnosis of two types of acne. Pink acne is always accompanied by diffuse redness of the skin and the expansion of blood vessels. With acne vulgaris, such a symptom is not noted, there is only a slight hyperemia around the rashes.
International Classifier of Disease Code
According to the ICD, acne vulgaris belong to the group of diseases combined under the codes L65 - L75. This section includes all skin pathologies. Different types of acne are indicated by the common code L70. The code for acne vulgaris according to ICD-10 is L70.0.
What can not be done with acne
First of all, you can’t squeeze out eels on your own. This can lead to infection. In this case, a boil, and sometimes an abscess, forms at the site of the acne. In severe cases, squeezing a pimple at home even led to sepsis.
Many women try to mask acne with a dense layer of powder. This also should not be done. The thick layer of cosmetics clogs the pores even more, and as a result, the rash only worsens.
You should not start the disease and hope that the acne disappears on its own. This pathology requires serious treatment by a dermatologist.
Diagnostics
The disease can be detected by external examination according to the appearance of the patient's skin. However, it is necessary to establish the cause of the appearance of acne vulgaris. To this end, the doctor prescribes the following examinations:
- General blood analysis. This study is prescribed for severe forms of acne. The white blood cell count and ESR may indicate an inflammatory process in the epidermis.
- Blood test for hormones (testosterone, dihydrotestosterone). High levels of male hormones can cause acne.
- Glucose test. In diabetes mellitus, increased activity of the sebaceous glands and the appearance of acne can be noted.
- Bacteriological analysis. A sample is taken from the affected areas of the epidermis and sent to the laboratory for inoculation. This allows you to determine the type of pathogen if the appearance of acne is accompanied by a bacterial infection.
- Study of the function of the gastrointestinal tract. The patient needs to be checked for intestinal dysbiosis. Violation of microflora leads to increased work of the immune system, which can cause acne.
Drug treatment and diet
How to treat acne vulgaris? The choice of treatment method depends on the severity of the skin lesion and the type of acne. In mild forms of epidermal lesions, local treatment is performed. Prescribe creams and ointments with antibacterial and wound healing effects. These include:
- Sulfuric ointment. It has bactericidal properties, which is especially useful for infection of rashes. In addition, sulfur inhibits the activity of the sebaceous glands.
- Retinoic ointment. This drug also reduces the rate of fat formation. It also relieves inflammation and has a wound healing effect.
- Differin. This remedy is indicated for black spots on the skin. It does not allow the cornified scales to accumulate on the epidermis and prevents the obstruction of the ducts of the sebaceous glands.
- Azelaic acid. The drug is useful for staphylococcal lesions of the epidermis. In addition, it prevents clogging of the subcutaneous glands.
Prescribe also drugs in the form of lotions for face and body:
- Klerasil. This remedy is used to treat acne vulgaris on the back, face and other parts of the body. The composition of the product includes the anti-inflammatory substance allantoin, aloe juice, which has regenerative properties and salicylic acid, which dries the epidermis. This complex action helps to eliminate rashes.
- Zinerite. The lotion contains the antibiotic erythromycin and zinc sulfate, which inhibits the activity of the sebaceous glands.
In the treatment of severe acne vulgaris, the use of local drugs is combined with oral medication. Prescribe the hormonal contraceptive drug "Diane-35." This drug blocks receptors on the skin that are sensitive to male sex hormones. This helps get rid of acne, especially if the causes of their appearance are associated with endocrine disruptions.
If acne is complicated by the attachment of a bacterial infection, then oral antibiotics are prescribed: Erythromycin, Metrogil, Doxycycline, Clindamycin.
One of the new treatments for acne is plasma therapy. Blood is taken from the patient and plasma with platelets is isolated from it. Then this composition is collected in a syringe and injected under the skin. This contributes to the rejuvenation and restoration of epidermal cells. In this case, there are no allergic reactions, since the patient is injected with his own blood particles.
The treatment of acne vulgaris with medicines is supplemented with multivitamins. These substances contribute to the improvement of metabolic processes and the purification of the epidermis. An important role is played by diet. Fatty foods and sweets should be excluded from the diet. It is useful to eat fermented milk products, cereals, vegetables and fruits.
Cosmetic treatments
Skin cleansing procedures are carried out in cosmetology rooms and clinics. These methods help eliminate rashes. In the treatment of acne, the following cosmetic treatments are indicated:
- Peeling. This method is useful for black spots on the skin. The procedure is to remove the upper layer of the skin in various ways. At the same time, comedones are eliminated. Peeling helps to expand skin pores, which allows deeper penetration of healing creams.
- Laser Therapy The laser rays penetrate under the skin into the layer where the glands are located. As a result, the production of fat is reduced, bacteria are destroyed and the pores are narrowed. Usually, after a few procedures, the skin becomes much cleaner.
- Mesotherapy This procedure is carried out manually or using special devices. Do microinjections of drugs under the skin. Vitamins, antibacterial substances or retinoids are introduced that reduce the production of fat. The injections are carried out with very thin needles and do not cause pain. Improvement of the skin condition is noted after 5-10 procedures.
- Phototherapy. The affected areas are affected by light pulses. They activate the special pigment porphyrin, which destroys bacteria. This method is indicated for the infectious origin of acne.
- Ozone Therapy A mixture of ozone and oxygen is injected into the skin around the rash. It has antibacterial and wound healing properties, and also helps to improve blood circulation. This is a fairly lengthy procedure, it is carried out for an hour. Improvement comes after 2-3 sessions.
Folk remedies
With acne rash of medium and mild degree, folk remedies can help. However, they must be used after consultation with a dermatologist. In severe cases of the disease, it is better not to self-medicate, since suppurating acne can leave scars and spots on the skin. Only a doctor can cope with such consequences.
The following recipes will help cleanse your skin from acne:
- Aloe juice. This remedy relieves inflammation and helps restore skin. Squeeze the juice from the plant and rub it over their skin overnight.
- Plantain juice. The leaves of the plant are washed, chopped, put in a bowl and held until they secrete juice. The resulting product is rubbed the skin 1 time per day.
- Tincture of calendula. This product can be purchased at the pharmacy. It is used to wipe skin areas with acne 1 time per day.
- Mask of brewer's yeast. This product is rich in B vitamins, which improve blood microcirculation and help fight inflammation. It will take 1 tablespoon of yeast and milk. The ingredients are mixed to a mushy state. The resulting mass is applied to the affected areas and hold for 10-15 minutes. Then the composition is washed off with water.
- Mask of baking soda. Water is mixed with soda until gruel is formed. The composition is applied to the face, while avoiding getting mass into the eyes. The mask is held for 5-10 minutes, and then washed off. This composition is useful for blackheads, as soda dissolves sebaceous plugs.
Therapy reviews
You can find many positive reviews about the treatment of acne vulgaris with a laser. A week after the first procedure, an effect was noticeable: the number of blackheads was significantly reduced. People report that laser therapy is well tolerated and there are no unpleasant sensations during the session.
Many patients had to be treated with ointments and hormonal drugs for a long time. However, after some time, acne vulgaris reappeared on the skin. Reviews indicate that peeling helps in such difficult cases. After several procedures, the skin became like new, not only acne disappeared, but also their consequences - age spots with scars.
Ozone therapy also received a lot of positive feedback. For complete cleansing of the epidermis, usually about 10 procedures were required, and the entire course of treatment took 6 months. After the third treatment session with ozone, acne begins to dry out. After the entire course of therapy, the skin becomes clean. At the same time, the sebaceous and oily epidermis is significantly reduced. At the same time, patients note that in order to achieve a better effect, ozone treatment should be combined with the use of local skin cleansing agents.
Blackhead Prevention
To prevent the formation of blackheads, you need to regularly and thoroughly cleanse the skin. This must be done not only during washing, but also with the help of special cosmetics. People with high oily skin are especially prone to acne. In this case, it is necessary to use special masks and lotions for cleaning the epidermis. Creams for oily skin are also useful.
It is necessary to eat right and limit foods with a large amount of fat in the diet. It is important to monitor the hormonal photon of the body. Endocrine disorders are the main cause of acne on the skin.
The appearance of acne in the puberty is almost impossible to prevent. This is the result of hormonal changes in the body, and doctors cannot affect this. Such acne usually disappears between the ages of 20-22. In the puberty period, attention should be paid to regular skin cleansing. This will help to avoid bacterial complications and the transition of acne to a chronic form.