Do You Have Acne?

The chances are pretty high that you’re suffering from acne right now. Acne is one of the most common skin disorders in the world; striking people of all ages and all races. And if parts of your skin are prone to “breaking out” with whiteheads, blackheads, or tender reddish bumps, then you suffer from acne.

What Kind of Acne do You Have?

Acne can be categorized in different ways and in many cases it takes a thorough examination by a Dermatologist to specify exactly which type you suffer from. But an easy way to understand the differences is to classify acne into two broad groups.

• Non-Inflammatory Acne
• Inflammatory Acne

Non-Inflammatory acne presents with smallish skin eruptions – whiteheads and blackheads (AKA your basic pimples). The inflammatory variety of acne presents with larger, reddish bumps either on the surface or beneath it; they tend to be tender and even painful to the touch. Acne breakouts can often be a combination of the non-inflammatory and inflammatory types.

What Causes Acne?

Acne is caused by the over-production of oil in the skin’s sebaceous glands (called “sebum”) mixed together with the dead skin cells our body throws off naturally every day. This mixture forms into tiny plugs in our hair follicles which in turn can then form into whiteheads or blackheads. If the plugs become inflamed or infected with bacteria, they form into tender-to-the-touch reddish bumps. When those bumps form deep inside the hair follicles themselves, they become the sub-surface bumps known as cysts.

The Effects of Acne

While acne is not life-threatening, it certainly is ego-threatening. Skin blemishes, especially occurring on the face, have an emotional impact on the acne sufferer and can greatly diminish self esteem and self confidence. Severe acne can have a lasting physical effect as well, leaving behind scars that last a lifetime.

Acne Treatments

Treatments for acne typically fall into five general categories.

1. Over-the-Counter Acne Topical Treatments
There are many kinds of acne-fighting gels, lotions, soaps, and creams available at your local drug store – almost too many to pick from! They can be effective but keep in mind that they’re formulated to be on the milder side as treatments go because they’re available to literally anyone and can be used in an unsupervised manner. That’s great for a pharmaceutical company’s liability but maybe not so great for your acne.

2. Prescription Acne Topical Treatments
These will cost more than their over-the-counter cousins but they pack a bigger punch too. Also, apart from the added expense, there will be some added inconvenience too because you’ll have to go through your Doctor/Dermatologist to get them. And you’ll have to be monitored in some regular fashion by that same Doctor to make sure you’re not having an adverse reaction.

3. Prescription Acne Oral Treatments
These treatments have become the real go-to method for people truly serious about knocking down their acne for good. Patients take a course of pills (for between 4 to 6 months and sometimes longer) and usually their acne improves dramatically. In many cases, acne clears up almost completely – and that clearing is long-term. But of course with that serious powerful effect come serious possible side-effects and these treatments are always administered under some very strict physician supervision.

4. Cosmetic Acne Treatments
These are procedures (sometimes full-on medical procedures) that go right after the acne from the top down. By that I mean they use chemicals or abrasion to strip away at the surface skin to remove or lessen acne. All of these treatments will leave your skin red and sensitive to some degree. The more aggressive procedures will leave your skin raw and even blistered. In other words, they can be very uncomfortable. The idea behind these treatments is that your skin grows back acne-free and stays that way for some time.

5. Acne Light Treatments
The newest kid on the acne treatment scene is light therapy. This type of phototherapy reaches down into the deeper layers of your skin without harming the surface – unlike chemical peels and dermabrasions. The light disrupts the functioning of the sebaceous oil glands which causes them to produce less oil. It also zeros in on the kind of bacteria (p. acnes) that causes acne to become inflamed. Light therapy treatments aren’t cheap and to be effective they must be administered regularly over the course of weeks to months.