Skin Disease Acne: Causes, Types, Symptoms and Treatment
Introduction
Acne is a common skin condition where your skin pores are blocked by hair, sebum (an oily substance), bacteria and dead skin cells. Those blockages produce blackheads, whiteheads, nodules and other types of pimple. Most teenagers have pimple at some point in their lives. Some have only a few small pimples which quickly go away. Others develop constant and clearly visible acne. It can be very painful, especially in youth.
Acne is the most common skin condition or disease faced by many adolescents. Most people are found to have some acne during puberty. About 15 to 30 out of 100 have moderate to severe acne. Comparatively it is much more common for boys than girls.
Skin Disease Acne and its Treatment
Acne are often cleaned by the age of 20, but in cases of some individuals the presence of acne is observed even after the age of 30. These can leave red spots (brown spots on dark skin).
The following article will discuss the problem of skin disease acne and other things related to it.
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Causes of skin disease Acne
During puberty, in the phase of adolescence the human body faces many changes. These changes are controlled by hormones like androgens. Androgens are a group of male sex hormone that the body (in both male and female) makes more during puberty. One of the functions of this hormone is to produce more oil on the skin.
Oil produced in the skin layer is called sebum, and it is produced in the oil gland called ‘sebaceous gland’. The sebum protects the skin from dryness and helps to keep it moisturized. But if a layer of dead cells blocks the opening of the skin pores the sebum gets stuck in that pore. It accumulates in the sebaceous gland, and develops a blackhead or whitehead. If it swells, it converts into pimples (also known as zit or spots). The skin part of the body that has more oil glands mostly develops acne, such as the face, chest, back and shoulders.
The main reason for adolescent acne is that the body produces more androgen hormones during puberty. Once the hormone levels are stabilized (usually by the early twenties) acne usually goes away on its own. But not all teenagers have acne. For this reason, it is believed that other factors in the development of acne such as genetic factors and immune system plays an important role.
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Acne Types and their Symptoms
Acne problems can be of several forms. Doctors distinguish between mild, moderate and severe types of acne. It also contains inflammatory and non-inflammatory types of acne. Non-inflammatory acne is a mild type, which most people prefer to call “pimple” or “blackhead” instead of “acne”.
- Mild Acne: People with mild acne have a blackhead or whitehead. These are closed pores of the skin. Blackhead has nothing to do with dark color. They look thick as these types of blackheads are “open” and skin pigment (melanin) reacts with oxygen in the air. Whiteheads are closed, and have white or yellow heads. The more oil accumulates, the more likely the bacteria are to grow and convert into inflammatory acne. Acne is described as mild when there are only a few or not at all acne pimples.
- Moderate Acne: People with moderate acne have significantly higher acne scars. Pimple bumps are called “papule” or “pustule” (a bump filled with yellow pus).
- Severe Acne: People with severe acne have a lot of papules and pustules on their skin, as well as nodules. These nodules are often red and painful. Acne can cause blemishes.
Remedies for Acne Problem
To treat the skin disease acne, many people depend on home remedies or natural ways and many also advocate the effectiveness of it. Some of these effective remedies are mentioned below –
1) Tea tree oil:
Tea tree oil is a natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory remedy, which means it can kill the acne causing bacteria- P.acnes. The anti-inflammatory properties of tea tree oil can also reduce pimple swelling and redness. You can apply cream, gel or oil containing tea tree extraction.
2) Jojoba oil:
Waxy substances of jojoba oil can help repair damaged skin, which means it can help to speed up wound healing process, including acne lesions. Some compounds of jojoba oil can help reduce skin inflammation, meaning it can reduce redness and swelling around pimples, whiteheads and other puffy lesions.
Mix jojoba oil with gel, cream, or clay mask and apply it to acne. Or you can simply take a few drops of jojoba oil in a cotton ball and gently rub it on the acne.
3) Aloe Vera:
Aloe Vera is a natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory substance; it can reduce the appearance and growth of acne. Aloe vera contains a lot of water content and is a great natural moisturizer, thus it is especially suitable for people who get dry skin from other anti-acne products.
4) Honey:
Honey has been used for skin conditions, such as acne treatment, for hundreds of years. It contains many antioxidants that can help clear dirt from the closed pores.
5) Garlic:
Eat garlic. Garlic contains organosulfur compounds, which have natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Organosulfur compounds can help boost the immune system, which helps the body fight infections.
6) Green Tea:
Green Tea has a high concentration of a group of polyphenol antioxidants called Catechins. Most people with acne have too much sebum or natural body oil in their pores and do not have enough antioxidants. Antioxidants help the body clear out the waste products that can damage healthy cells. Green Tea can help to clean the dirt that builds up in the open acne heads.
7) Coconut oil:
Coconut oil contains anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial compounds. Thus, coconut oil can kill acne causing bacteria and reduce redness and pimple swelling. Coconut oil can speed up the healing of open acne lesions.
8) Stay hydrated:
Maintaining body hydration is extremely important as it makes it easier for the acne wound to heal and reduces the overall chances of outbreaks. When the skin is dry, it can easily cause itching or skin damage, causing pimples. Proper body hydration ensures the healthy new skin cell growth and the lesions healing process.
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9) Reduce Stress:
Stress increases the level of androgen hormones. Androgen stimulates hair follicles and oil glands in pores, thus increasing the risk pimples pop out.
10) Stop using oil-based cosmetics:
Oil-based products can block your skin pores causing acne lesions.
11) Do not scratch acne:
Touching, rubbing or squeezing the acne allows more bacteria to enter the skin layer, which can lead to severe infections. Squeezing a pimple causes bacteria and dirt to penetrate further into the skin, so the pimple can return in a worse form.
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Complications
Acne can cause scars, especially if it is a severe one. Sometimes the scars remain even after the pimple bump goes away. The lesions caused by acne are found in the deep layers of the skin. They heal quite differently, although some people have only small, flat scars that are rarely noticeable, while others have clearly noticeable ones on their faces. Acne scars can be divided into the following categories-
- Atrophic scars – If acne lesions are not properly healed, not enough connective tissue is produced. The scar then forms under the surrounding tissue, causing visible scars on the skin.
- Hypertrophic scars – These raised scars can form on your chest, back or shoulders, especially in people with severe acne. If the lesions produce too much connective tissue when they are healed then they develop. This type of acne scars is rare.
- keloid scar – Making too much connective tissue produces keloid. Unlike hypertrophic scars, however, they are larger than the original swollen area. It is a very rare type of acne scar.
Regular squeezing of blackhead and pustule can increase the chances of getting severe scars.
Conclusion
The above article included important information about the skin disease acne. This information is only for knowledge purposes. Please consult a specialist if the natural or home remedies don’t work for you. Thank You!
Sources: NCBI
FAQ
1) Is Acne a type of allergy?
A- No, acne is a disease that affects the skin oil glands.
2) Why do pimples occur?
A- Pimple is formed when dead skin cells are mixed with excess oil (sebum). This mixture enclosed the hole, causing swelling. This mixture can develop bacteria and convert into infections and pusses.
3) Does oily food make acne problems worse?
A. No, oily foods do not play any role in pimple or acne occurrence. However, it is better to avoid such foods if you see any negative impacts on your health.
4) Are Rosacea and Acne the same disease?
A- No, Rosacea is a pimple in the third part of your middle face with the presence of redness, flushing and clearly visible blood vessels. It usually affects people aged 30, 40 or over. Sometimes it may look like acne but there are no blackheads or whiteheads in Rosacea.
5) Do cosmetics products cause Acne?
A- If you suspect that your cosmetics have contributed to your scars then observe for a few weeks without makeup and notice the results. Direct skin contact with oily substances and in some cases, the cosmetic products applied directly to the skin can cause acne to stay for long.