Acne

What is acne?

Acne occurs when your oil glands overproduce the oil that usually makes your skin supple and soft. When you have too much oil production, the substance gets trapped and blocked in the oil ducts alongside dead skin. When bacteria enter, pimples, blackheads, and whiteheads develop. Extraordinary inflammation and deeper lesions called cysts can also occur. This combination of oil, dead skin cells and bacteria can be influenced by genetics, hormones, medications, and often is a combination of multiple factors. If left untreated, these lesions can leave behind redness, discoloration, and scarring.

What symptoms suggest I have acne?

Acne usually develops in the areas of the skin with the largest number of oil glands. These include the forehead, chin and jawline, shoulders, back, and chest. Your forehead alone has as many as 2,000 oil glands..

Acne symptoms and effects are:

• Blackheads (open comedones) - dark formations on the skin that are a mix of oil and cells in a large, open pore
• Whiteheads (closed comedones) - small white or flesh-colored bumps
• Pimples - small skin swellings that sometimes contain pus
• Cysts - closed sacs beneath the skin that contain fluid or semisolid substances

Although you may associate acne with teenagers and early adulthood, older adults can also develop acne. Women in their 30s and 40s often develop acne due to hormone fluctuations. Make an appointment at Absolute Dermatology & Skin Cancer Center; the team can help you achieve clear skin at any age.

Why should I seek treatment for acne?

You may have heard just to  let acne “run its course.” Doing so can lead to severe inflammation and scarring. Treatment minimizes the effects of pimples and cysts and prevents excessive scarring and pockmarks. 

Active acne is much easier to treat than its subsequent scars. With all of the advice online and the abundance of skin care products in stores, it can be overwhelming to develop a skin care routine that both suits your lifestyle and treats your acne. Seek care from Absolute Dermatology & Skin Cancer Center so you can avoid the struggle and cost of wasted products and time and the self-consciousness and discomfort from acne that can last a lifetime.

How is acne treated?

The most important part of any acne treatment is consistency. Working with your provider to develop a personalized skin care routine that you can stick with is crucial. This routine will include cleansers, moisturizers and, likely, prescription topical treatments. Additionally, oral prescription medications may be needed to help control your acne. Some examples of prescriptions for acne are:

• Topical retinoids or antibiotics
• Antibiotics to control inflammation 
• Isotretinoin, a prescription ingredient for severe, nodulocystic acne under the name brands Accutane®, Myorison™, Absorica®, and Claravis®
• Hormonal birth control

Large cysts may benefit from treatment with intralesional corticosteroid injections, which can cause lesions to shrink and even disappear entirely. Once your active acne is under control, you may also seek skin resurfacing treatments and microdermabrasion to help resolve the residual effects of discoloration and scars.

Chemical peels can also be used to treat both active acne and the discoloration it can leave behind. They can be a boost to the daily treatment routine developed by you and your provider.  

If you’re struggling with acne at any age, call Absolute Dermatology & Skin Cancer Center or send us a message on our contact page to work with one of our skilled team members to develop your personalized skin care routine.

References and Resources:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/acne/symptoms-causes/syc-20368047

https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/acne/skin-care/tips