Physical Effect of Acne

The effects of acne — both physical and emotional — can last much longer than your breakouts. Even after lesions have healed, they can leave behind permanent reminders. While it’s difficult to avoid acne scarring completely, understanding the inner workings of your skin can help you minimize long-term damage.

What causes acne scarring? In the simplest of terms, acne scars are visible reminders of injury and tissue repair. When tissue suffers an injury, the body rushes its “repair team” to the injury site. This specialized team includes white blood cells and an array of inflammatory molecules that work to fight infection and heal damaged tissue. Once the infection is gone, however, the tissue can’t always be restored to its former state.

Who is most susceptible to acne scars? How and why people end up with acne scarsis not completely understood. There is considerable variation between individuals, suggesting that some people are simply more prone to acne scarring than others. Acne Scar-susceptible people often find a genetic connection, as well — both the degree to which you scar and the kind of scar you get can "run in the family." There is also considerable variation in the “life history” of individual scars; some people bear acne scars for a lifetime with little change, while others watch their scars diminish with time. We do know that scarring occurs most frequently in patients with the most severe forms of inflammatory acne, involving deep nodular lesions.

How can I avoid acne scarring? Because we know so little about what causes one person to scar more easily than the next, the best way to avoid scarring is to prevent acne. It's important to treat the condition early in its course, and for as long as necessary. The more inflammation you can prevent, the less likely you are to scar. In the event that you do get acne lesions, it’s important to treat them with the proper medication rather than squeeze or pick at them. Handling the skin — squeezing with your fingernails, poking pimples with a pin, or whatever — significantly increases damage to surrounding tissue, and thereby increases the chance that the lesion will leave a permanent scar and acne scar treatment will be necessary.

Remember: A pimple that's bothering you today will go away soon if you let it be; if you pick at it, it could stick around forever. If you have a particularly troublesome lesion, see your dermatologist or aesthetician for safe, professional scar treatment or extraction.

Another thing to remember: A healthy body heals faster and more completely, so never underestimate the power of a healthy lifestyle. Eat a balanced diet, get plenty of rest and drink lots of water. If your work or play takes you out in the sun, protect yourself against harmful UVA and UVB rays with oil-free sunscreen; too much sun exposure can make scars stick around longer. Another habit that you know is bad — smoking — depletes your skin's valuable oxygen collagen reserves, causes free radical damage and deposits toxins, making it more vulnerable to aging and acne scarring.

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Types of acne scars

First, some good news about the healing process. As an acne blemish heals, the inflamed area flattens, leaving behind a reddish spot. Though it may look like an acne scar, it’s actually a macule — the final stage of an acne lesion. Macules may last for up to six months, but leave no permanent acne scar.

The same holds true for post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, a darkening of the skin at the site of a healing acne lesion. Most prevalent in African-American, Asian and Latino populations, these spots can last up to 18 months — but may disappear more quickly if you stay out of the sun. Both macules and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation are considered "pseudo-scarring" because they eventually disappear completely.

There are two kinds of true scars left behind by acne: acne scars caused by increased tissue formation, and acne scars caused by tissue loss. The former, called keloid or hypertropic scars, are less common and appear to be hereditary. These are found primarily in African-American, Asian and Latino patients. Keloid scarring occurs when the skin cells respond to injury by producing an excess of collagen, which forms into lumpy fibrous masses most frequently along the jaw line and on the back or chest. These acne scars appear firm and shiny, and may persist for years.

Acne scars caused by tissue loss are much more common, and may take many forms:

Soft acne scars have gentle sloping rolled edges that merge with the surrounding skin. They are usually small, circular or linear in shape, and soft to the touch.

Ice-pick acne scars. Most often found on the cheek, ice-pick scars are usually small but deep, with a jagged edge and steep sides. If they are soft to the touch, they may be improved by stretching the skin; hard ice-pick scars are difficult to treat.

Depressed fibrotic acne scars. Over time, ice-pick scars may evolve into depressed fibrotic scars. These also have sharp edges and steep sides, but are larger and firm at the base.

Atrophic macules, a form of acne scarring most common in Caucasians, are soft with a slightly wrinkled base. Blood vessels just below the surface of the scar may make them appear purplish when they are recent, but this discoloration may fade over time to a pale ivory. Atrophic macules are usually small when they occur on the face, but may be a centimeter or larger elsewhere on the body.

Follicular macular atrophy is more likely to occur on the chest or back of a person with acne. These small, soft white lesions resemble whiteheads that didn’t fully develop; they may persist for months or years.

Can my acne scars be treated?

The short answer is yes - acne scar treatment is available. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and macules can be improved with bleaching agents. Some superficial acne scarring can be treated with topical resurfacing agents, like Retinol, which is available in many over-the-counter forms, as well as in prescription medications such as Retin-A and Renova. Other forms of scarring can be improved with microdermabrasion (a minimum of 6–8 treatments are typically required) or dermatologic surgery. It may not be possible to restore your skin to its pre-acne appearance — but if your scars have a significant effect on your emotional well-being, it’s worth considering. There are a number of different scar treatments available; consult your dermatologist to find out if your particular situation may be improved, and how.

(Source: www.acne.com)

Causes of Acne

Acne affects almost everyone — more than 90% of all adolescents, nearly 50% of all adult women and 25% of all adults. Crossing gender lines as well as national borders, it's one of the most widespread medical conditions in the world. Yet there's still no cure.

But there is hope. While acne is not curable, it is treatable. We now know more about controlling this condition than ever before. The secret to managing acne is prevention — stopping this condition before it exhibits visual symptoms. Once you have found an acne treatment that helps you accomplish this, it's important to stick with it. Even after pimples disappear, you may need to continue treatment to keep new blemishes at bay. It's also crucial to begin treatment as soon as the first signs appear; the sooner you address your acne, the less likely you are to experience permanent damage to your skin. Of course, in order to stop acne, we must first find out how it starts.

What causes acne? One of the most important things you can learn about acne is this:

It's not your fault. Contrary to popular belief, acne is not caused by anything you're doing — what you eat, how often you wash your face or work out — but by a combination of factors at work far beneath the surface of your skin.

A healthy follicle

A blemish begins approximately 2–3 weeks before it appears on your skin's surface. It starts in your sebaceous hair follicles — the tiny holes commonly called pores. Deep within each follicle, your sebaceous glands are working to produce sebum, the oil that keeps your skin moist and pliable. As your skin renews itself, the old cells die, mix with your skin's natural oils, and are sloughed off. Under normal circumstances, these cells are shed gradually, making room for fresh new skin.

But sloughing is different for everyone. Some people shed cells evenly; some don't. Uneven shedding causes dead cells to become sticky, clumping together to form a plug — much like a cork in a bottle. This plug, or comedo, traps oil and bacteria inside the follicle.

A plugged follicle

The plug traps oil and bacteria within the follicle, which begins to swell as your skin continues its normal oil production. Your body then attacks the bacteria with a busy swarm of white blood cells. The whole process takes 2–3 weeks, culminating in a pimple.

An inflamed acne lesion 

Why me? There is no one simple "cause" of acne — the condition is influenced by many factors, many which are out of your control. The regularity with which you shed skin cells can change throughout your life. The rate at which you produce sebum is affected by your hormone balance, which is often in flux — especially for women. Research has also shown that genetics play a big part in the development and persistence of acne, so your family history is a valuable prediction tool as well when considering the various causes of acne.

One of the best weapons in the fight against acne, however, is knowledge; if you knowwhat causes acne, it's easier to formulate a good plan of attack. There are five primary culprits contributing to this process. Each of these factors may vary dramatically between individuals. While you don't have control over these factors, understanding them can help you in your search for the proper acne treatment.

Acne Causes - Culprit #1: Hormones. For the majority of acne sufferers, the trouble begins at puberty, when the body begins to produce hormones called androgens. These hormones cause the sebaceous glands to enlarge, which is a natural part of the body's development. In acne sufferers, however, the sebaceous glands are overstimulated by androgens, sometimes well into adulthood. Androgens are also responsible for acne flare-ups associated with the menstrual cycle and, on occasion, pregnancy.

Acne Causes - Culprit #2: Extra sebum. When the sebaceous gland is stimulated by androgens, it produces extra sebum. In its journey up the follicle toward the surface, the sebum mixes with common skin bacteria and dead skin cells that have been shed from the lining of the follicle. While this process is normal, the presence of extra sebum in the follicle increases the chances of clogging — and can cause acne.

Acne Causes - Culprit #3: Follicle fallout. Normally, dead cells within the follicle shed gradually and are expelled onto the skin’s surface. But in patients with overactive sebaceous glands — and in nearly everyone during puberty — these cells are shed more rapidly. Mixed with a surplus of sebum, the dead skin cells form a plug in the follicle, preventing the skin from finishing its natural process of renewal.

Acne Causes - Culprit #4: Bacteria. The bacterium Propionibacterium acnes, (P. acnes for short) is a regular resident of all skin types; it’s part of the skin’s natural sebum maintenance system. Once a follicle is plugged, however, P. acnes bacteria multiply rapidly, creating the chemical reaction we know as inflammation in the follicle and surrounding skin.

Acne Causes - Culprit #5: Inflammation. When your body encounters unwanted bacteria, it sends an army of white blood cells to attack the intruders. This process is called chemotaxis; or, simply put, the inflammatory response. This is what causes pimples to become red, swollen and painful. The inflammatory response is different for everyone, but studies have shown that it is especially strong in adult women.

What can I do? Fortunately, you have options! There are many kinds of acne treatments available today. But first, you should try to determine the type and severity of your condition. Acne, like a person, is highly individual — it can take many forms, and have a highly variable response to treatment. The more you know about yourspecific form of acne, the more likely you are to find a treatment that works for you. Learn more about the types of acne.

(Source: www.acne.com)