Acne on the face is a fairly common occurrence, especially in boys and girls. This skin lesion is the result of the interaction of certain pathological factors, as a result of which the production of sebaceous secretion increases, the stratum corneum of the ducts of the sebaceous glands thickens, the dead cells begin to exfoliate irregularly, and the follicle duct is blocked by horny scales. As a result, conditionally pathogenic organisms actively multiply in the follicle, an inflammatory process develops and, accordingly, acne appears. We will consider the causes of such processes a little later, and now we will talk about how the elements of the rash are formed.
Acne
As you probably know, each hair follicle surrounds the sebaceous gland, and they are connected using the corresponding duct. The secretion produced by the gland covers the hair and skin and thereby not only protects them from any environmental influences, but also, of course, moisturizes them. If the amount of fat is excessive, keratinized cells will begin to stick together, as a result, at the mouth of the follicle, a sebum-hair plug is formed. Most often, it just provokes the swelling of the walls of the follicle. In this way, in most cases, acne is formed on the face. Photos of people suffering from this ailment are sometimes just scary. Acne can cover the entire face. Yes, really scary! But such an extensive defeat happens even in the most advanced cases.
At the very first stages of the inflammatory process, the elements of the rash look like white hemispherical nodules no larger than the size of the pin head. These are closed comedones, or so-called miliums. When the sebum plug is oxidized, black dots form - open comedones. And already as a result of active reproduction in the follicle of bacteria, papules are formed - inflammatory cone-shaped elements of red color, having an abscess at the apex, and around the corolla of hyperemia.
Causes of Acne
The main triggering factor is changes in the body of a hormonal nature. That's why acne most often appears in pregnant women, adolescents, women in the last days of the menstrual cycle, as well as in people who take hormonal drugs. Excessive irritation of the skin with all kinds of care products also leads to the appearance of such an unpleasant phenomenon as acne. The reasons for this reaction are as follows: firstly, a variety of scrubs, gels, and soap reduce the barrier function of the skin, as a result of which pathogens have access to the follicles; secondly, such drugs can simply cause allergies, which entails the launch of the inflammatory process.
There are several varieties of blackheads :
- steroid - appear with inadequate intake of hormonal medications;
- necrotic - occur in the scalp;
- fulminant (fulminant) - a rare form that occurs mainly in boys of thirteen to seventeen years old and is accompanied by weakness, fever, malaise, joint pain, increased fatigue;
- neurotic - are formed as a result of peeling or squeezing out existing acne and appear in the form of erosion and scarring;
- professional - are formed as a result of exposure to the skin of oils, tar, lubricants, chemicals, herbicides and the like.
Acne: treatment
Reviews about various methods of dealing with acne can be found very different. One thing helps one people, another helps. Unfortunately, there is no universal remedy which, as ordered by a magic wand, would instantly make your face skin clean, even and radiant. Treatment of teenage acne, as, indeed, any other, requires considerable effort and financial investment. But first things first.
Microbial flora identification
This is the first thing to do. Sowing the contents of the pustules will determine their susceptibility to antibiotics. In addition, the level of androgens should be identified. With the results of the tests, you can go for consultation to the endocrinologist, and for the fair sex - also to the gynecologist. You also need to do a general blood test, and if abnormalities are found, continue to conduct control studies every ten days. Such monitoring (determination of cholesterol, triglycerides, total bilirubin and fractions, AcAT, AlAt) is necessary when systemic retinoids are treated, but we will talk about this a bit later.
Cosmetical tools
The main approach in the treatment of acne is aimed at the gentle and proper care of affected skin. If you use alcohol-containing cosmetics, then the acne on the face will remain for a long time. Aggressive lotions and creams will further disrupt the barrier function and lead to an exacerbation of the inflammation process. Therefore, you need to wash and cleanse the skin only with gentle means, which will contribute to recovery. To get rid of acne, apply cosmetic products of dermatological lines Aven, Uryazh, Bioderma, Klinans for your face.
Antibacterial agents
The treatment of inflammatory elements should begin with the use of external antibacterial drugs, such as Zinerit, Imex, Dalacin T. You can also use a variety of drugs that are prescribed by dermatologists in pharmacies. Often, Metrogil gel is prescribed against acne, it really helps a lot, but you should remember and know that this medication has a phototoxic property.
When the acute process of inflammation begins to subside, it is necessary to add agents to the therapy process that act on keratinized epidermal cells and thus reduce the formation of comedones. Azelaic acid, which acts as an active component of the Skinoren preparation, possesses these properties in full. The medicine is available in the form of a gel and cream. Decide which option to use, yourself, but it should be noted that the cream additionally produces a depigmenting effect. If you want to get rid of such an unpleasant phenomenon as acne as soon as possible, it is recommended to combine the treatment with external antibiotics and Skinoren with sessions of selective phototherapy (you need to do fifteen to twenty procedures).
Other effective drugs
Recently, more and more often, doctors prescribe Baziron AS medication for patients with acne . It is characterized not only by antimicrobial action, but also keratolic, that is, it contributes to the softening of the outer layer of the skin and its rejection. However, remember that while under the sun you cannot use the medicine. Acne on the face can also be reduced through the use of the drug "Differin". This is a retinode, an analogue of vitamin A, which produces anti-inflammatory and comedonolytic effects. It stabilizes the processes of rejection of dead cells. Similar medicines are Retin-A and Lokatsid. It should be noted that they all exhibit phototoxic effects and are contraindicated in nursing and pregnant women.
Oral medication
As a rule, a combination of the above drugs is enough to cure a mild form of the disease. But what if the advanced stage has acne? Broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment is what can help. Such medicines not only fight acne on an external level, but also reduce the production of fat. The best choice are the drugs Doxycycline (take 100-200 milligrams per day) and Tetracycline (apply twice a day for 500 milligrams). The course of antibiotic treatment is two to four weeks. These drugs also have a phototoxic effect, so it is forbidden to use them during the active sun. In addition, medications are contraindicated for children under the age of thirteen, nursing and pregnant women.
Acne on the face can also be eliminated by using a staphylococcal vaccine. Women are often prescribed oral contraceptives, such as Diane-35, Jess, to weaken the effect of androgens on the sebaceous glands . They should be drunk for a long time, for six months or longer.
Systemic retinoids and hepatoprotectors
If the above methods of treatment do not bring results, you can resort to the use of the drug "Roaccutane". Remember, we talked about the need for regular monitoring of the level of blood components? It is made just at the appointment of this tool. The daily dose of the drug, based on the characteristics of the condition, is selected individually. In combination with Roaccutane or in isolation, the drug Prednisolone may be prescribed.
To support the liver, the use of hepatoprotectors is indicated. The most popular of them are Essentiale forte (drink three capsules three times a day) and Carsil (take one tablet three times a day). The course of treatment is one month.
Modern treatments
If external remedies and pills do not relieve acne, you should think about more radical ways to deal with hated acne. With deep and large acne, intra-focal administration of corticosteroids every two to three weeks is indicated. This procedure has its drawbacks: it thins and discolors the skin. You can cleanse your face with ultraviolet radiation, cryotherapy, laser therapy, vacuum and mechanical cleaning. Consider these procedures in more detail.
Cryotherapy
This is a painless and affordable way for almost everyone to remove blackheads, which consists in exposing the skin to liquid nitrogen with low temperature. Local freezing allows you to first narrow, and then expand the capillaries, thereby increasing blood flow. Some people who subjected themselves to this procedure write in reviews that after cryotherapy, scars remain on the face.
UV exposure
Ultrasound deeply cleanses the skin of impurities that cause acne. Such facial cleansing with acne will remove dead skin cells and sebum. At the same time, the procedure is safe and does not leave local swelling or redness, which happens after mechanical cleaning. Also, ultraviolet irradiation improves drainage, at the cellular level produces tissue massage, rejuvenates the skin by toning the muscles and the flow of oxygen and nutrients. This treatment method is ideal for people with sensitive skin, because when exposed to ultrasound, the epidermis is practically not damaged.
Laser Acne Treatment
This is a relatively new, but very effective technology, which is confirmed by massive positive reviews. The laser acts on the skin cells carefully, slightly warming up the treatment site and creating an acoustic wave. Due to this, the area of inflammation is disinfected, soft tissues feed, the protective properties of the epidermis and its ability to recover sharply increase, as a result, the process of producing skin fat is optimized. Laser treatment of acne, perhaps, gives the best results regarding the impact on the infiltrative focus. Improvements, as a rule, are noticeable after the first session, but the doctor should tell you how many procedures will be needed.
A pulsed laser can also be used to kill bacteria and reduce the secretion of sebaceous glands. As a result of the thermal effect on the skin, the intensity of the production of sebum by the glandular cells decreases, and therefore it becomes difficult to obtain nutrients for bacteria. Such a procedure normalizes metabolism in problem areas, activates local immunity and starts the skin regeneration process.
Often, a diode laser is used to treat acne. Therapy completely stops the functioning of the sebaceous glands, as a result of which sebum does not stand out anymore.
Vacuum cleaning
This is a fairly effective method to eliminate acne, but it is worth saying that it is very specific. In the affected areas, a special vacuum suction is carried out, as a result of which shallow eels and sebaceous plugs are pulled from the pores. The irritating effect on the skin during the procedure is minimal, but there is one significant drawback - deep acne remains untouched.
Mechanical cleaning
This is the most aggressive, but also the most common way to treat acne. Such a procedure after itself often leaves damage to the epidermis and considerable chances of scar formation, especially if the technique has been violated. In the classical version, the method is as follows: the face is steamed, and then intensively treated with a scrub to free the skin from sebaceous plugs and keratinized particles.