What is acne?

Acne is a very common skin disorder that most young people get in early puberty. It is caused by inflammation of the small oil glands (sebaceous glands) that surround the fine hairs on the face and chest.

The severity of acne increases and, typically, reaches its peak around the ages of 17 to 19. For most people, acne tends to go away by the time they reach their mid-20s; however, very sensitive people may continue to have the disorder until they reach their 40s.

Hormonal changes related to pregnancy or menstrual periods can also cause or contribute to acne. This is also the case with environmental irritants such as pollution, intense heat, humidity or cold.

During puberty, the production of male sex hormones (androgens) increases in both girls and boys, which can stimulate the sebaceous glands to produce more sebum. In some people, the sebaceous glands are extremely sensitive to androgens. These people, mostly men, get acne so severely that they need medical treatment.

The increased production of sebum makes the openings of the sebaceous glands narrower, which prevents the sebum from getting out. Meanwhile, the sebum production continues regardless.

Pimples are often caused by Propionebacterium acnes, a common bacterium on the skin that feeds on sebum. This bacterium produces waste products and fatty acids that irritate the sebaceous glands and make them inflamed.

Who Gets Acne?

Acne usually occurs in adolescents and young adults. About 85 per cent of people between the ages of 12 and 24 develop this skin disorder.

Does Acne go away as people grew older?

Yes, in few cases acne does go away by the time people reach their thirties, however, some people in their forties and fifties continue to have this skin condition.

Is Acne an infectious disease?

No, acne is not an infectious disease therefore you cannot "catch" it from someone else.

Symptoms of Acne

The first symptoms are small, tender, red spots that later turn into pimples containing degraded fatty acids. The inflammation disappears over a few days or weeks, depending on the severity.

Severe acne can cause scars which will never disappear. Acne can also cause psychological stress and be socially disabling. An early effective treatment is therefore imperative.

What can make acne worse?

• Working in a damp environment with oil, grease and other chemicals.
• Squeezing or picking at the pimples.
• Menstrual periods.
• Certain medicines and chemicals
  

What can be done at home?

• Wash your face twice a day with a mild cleanser. Make sure you wash your skin whenever it becomes sweaty. Do not scrub your face as this will only make your acne worse.
• Avoid hairstyles in which the hair is constantly touching your face. Shampoo your hair regularly.
• Do not squeeze or pick at the pimples. This makes them worse and may cause scarring.
• Avoid exposing your skin to too much cold, heat and sunlight. Sunlight may improve your acne for a while, but it won't cure it. Too much exposure to sunlight can lead to burning and skin cancer.
• Use a water-based moisturiser. Greasy or oily creams and foundations block the pores and may cause pimples.
• If you notice that spots increase after you eat certain things, it makes sense to avoid them.
• Choose a sensible, varied diet, drink lots of water and exercise regularly. If you feel good, your skin will feel good too
• Consult a beautician about how your skin should be cared for.
• See 101E Acne Getaway Lotion  
• Sunlight (not sunburn), vitamins A and B6 and zinc all have beneficial effect (see notes on zinc below).  Avoind refined carbohydrates, iodine (in some cough mixtures, seaweed etc) and fatty foods.
  

When should the doctor be consulted?

If over-the-counter medications do not work after six to eight weeks.

• If acne causes psychological distress.
• If there are big, tender pimples.
• If the acne causes scars.
• If you have dark skin and dark patches form where the pimples used to be.

 Treatment for Acne

Depending on the severity of your acne, your doctor may choose to treat you or refer you to a dermatologist. Acne can be treated with medications that are either applied to the skin or taken by mouth. The treatment is directed at the factors that trigger acne, which are:

• the increased production of sebum that leads to a narrowing of the sebaceous glands
• the bacteria that causes acne.

You can continue with the home-treatment described above while you are being treated medically. Remember that it takes six to eight weeks before the effect of the treatment can be seen. Treatment will typically have to continue until the patient reaches their 20s.

Local treatment (applied to the skin)

Local ointments which help prevent the narrowing of the openings of the sebaceous glands and slow the growth of the acne bacterium.

Alternatively, the doctor may choose to prescribe a product that combines benzoyl peroxide with a topical antibiotic such as erythromycin or clindamycin), or treat the outbreak with a topical antibiotic alone. 

Systemic treatment (taken by mouth)

Grown women with severe acne may benefit from treatment with contraceptive pills containing anti-androgens.

For people with severe inflammatory acne, long-term treatment with oral antibiotics combined with one of the medications mentioned above may be helpful. Tetracycline antibiotics are not given to pregnant women; women who are breastfeeding; or children under 12 years of age.

Acne Herbal Remedies

• 1. Use lavender compresses to relieve inflammation.
• 2. Drink Carrot/ cucumbers juice or eat carrots or cucumbers
• 3. Dip a cotton ball in egg whites and apply on clean face, wait a few hours and wash.
• 4. Mix and cook 2-3 tea bags with dried basil for 10-20 minutes. Then apply on face and acne with a cotton ball
• 5. Squeeze cucumbers and apply the juice on the acne with cotton wool pads
• 6. Take 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of white sugar wet a little and rub it into the face
• 7. For acne scars: Mix 1 tablespoon of sour cream ( 0% fat for oily face), 1 tablespoon of yogurt, 1 tablespoon of grind oatmeal and 3-4 drops of lemon juice. Apply on the face, leave for 10 minutes and wash off
• 8. Blend 1 peeled apple with 1 tablespoon of honey, half a cucumber and 1 tablespoon of yogurt (use a blender)
• 9. Apply on the face, leave for 20 minutes and wash off with warm water.
• 10. For buttocks zits: Smear some salty water and tan the area
• 11. Apply some toothpaste on the acne. Do NOT apply on skin because it will make it dry, only on the acne spots
• 12. Whip the egg white and put on face acne until it drys and then wash with cool water

Tea Tree Oil for Acne

Tea tree oil is a popular home remedy for acne. It is an essential oil that is diluted and applied topically to acne lesions.

How is tea tree oil believed to work? Tea tree oil contains a constituent called terpinen-4-ol that's thought to be responsible for most of tea tree oil's anti-bacterial activity. Because tea tree oil can kill bacteria, applying topical tea tree oil to acne lesions is believed to kill Propionibacterium acnes, the skin-dwelling bacteria involved in causing acne.

Zinc for Acne

Zinc is another popular home remedy for acne. A couple of research studies have found that zinc is somewhat effective. While it was more effective than a placebo, antibiotic medication was still more effective. In light of this, it may not be the best option when scarring is a possibility.

Side effects of zinc include digestive upset and a metallic taste in the mouth. At high doses, zinc may lead to copper deficiency, weakened immune function, anemia, and heart problems. There is some concern that higher doses may reduce levels of HDL ("good") chholesterol.

Zinc may also interfere with the absorption of magnesium and iron from food and supplements. It can interfere with the absorption of tetracycline and fluoroquinolone antibiotics and penicillamine. There is also some concern that a particular diuretic, amiloride, can reduce zinc excretion and lead to a toxic build-up in the body.

High-protein foods contain high amounts of zinc. Beef, pork, and lamb contain more zinc than fish. The dark meat of a chicken has more zinc than the light meat.

Other good sources of zinc are peanuts, peanut butter, and legumes.

Fruits and vegetables are not good sources, because zinc in plant proteins is not as available for use by the body as the zinc from animal proteins. Therefore, low-protein diets and vegetarian diets tend to be low in zinc.

Homeopathy for Acne

Long standing acne, rough hard skin, condition agravated by washing, especially if person tends not to feel the cold: Sulphur 6C .

Blind pimples and weeping pustules which form yellow crusts, spots slow to heal: Calcarea sulph 6C.

Large spots which look like boils: Hepar sulph 6C.

Spots made worse by rich fatty food, especially if person is fair haired, emotional and dislikes stuffy rooms: Pulsatilla 6C.

Where pus filled pimples are main feature: Antimonium tart 6C.

Where skin has scarred: Silicea 6C.