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The skin is not only your lifelong friend, but the largest and heaviest organ. Like other organs, he may get sick and need urgent help. What most often affects her is acne. Check if you know everything about it …
Acne has no age
Neither gender. It is democratic. It can touch a middle school student from the end of Poland and WAGs sitting in the “VIP” box at the stadium. What’s more, it affects the majority – 80 percent. of us struggle with it at different stages of life. It is assumed that the peak of the so-called juvenile acne occurs between the ages of 12 and 17. Adult acne, on the other hand, appears much later around the age of 25 and can last for many decades.
There is one more disease entity with a different pathogenesis than acne vulgaris – rosacea. The disease can have various stages: from transient erythema on the face, through dilated blood vessels or permanent erythema, to inflammatory changes in the form of papules and pimples, it mainly affects women between 30 and 50 years of age.
Acne doesn’t come from dirt
This is one of the common myths, extremely harmful to people struggling with acne. The true causes of disease development are complex and multi-factorial. In the case of acne vulgaris, hormonal disorders causing excessive work of the sebaceous glands, abnormal perifollicular keratosis and inflammation caused by the Propionibacterium acnes bacterium are of major importance. Genetic factors also play a role in the development of pathological changes.
However, the causes of rosacea are not known to this day – the most common indications are genetic predisposition, improper functioning of the immune system, increased reactivity of the blood vessels of the facial skin. Environmental factors (UV radiation, temperature changes, environmental pollution, smoking) are also taken into account. , incorrect care and diet.
The sun does not heal acne lesions
Contrary to appearances, sunbathing is not an effective way to treat acne vulgaris or rosacea. Why? The UV and UVB rays affecting the skin cause the blood vessels to widen, and thus – the erythema that accompanies rosacea expands. Equally incorrect is the belief that the sun helps heal papulopustular eruptions or purulent cysts characteristic of acne vulgaris.
In fact, on the contrary, it dries out the skin, and this makes the sebaceous glands work much more intensively after a while. As a result, more sebum is released, which is an excellent environment for the development of Propionibactrerium acnes bacteria, which favor the formation of further acne lesions. There is something else – the negative effect of excessive tanning of acne-prone skin is sun discoloration, which is not easy to remove.
Acne is a disease
Acne is not only an aesthetic problem, it is a chronic skin disease with uncontrolled exacerbations and unpredictable relapses. Common acne is characterized by the presence of inflammatory eruptions (closed and open comedones) and inflammatory eruptions (pustules, cysts, papules). The lesions are most often located in seborrheic sites, that is: on the face, trunk and chest.
On the other hand, rosacea is characterized by a characteristic reddening of the facial skin around the forehead, cheeks, nose and chin, as well as changes in the form of pimples and papules. The chance of avoiding the development of the disease and its exacerbations in both cases is early diagnosis and initiation of treatment. Treatment with Dr. Google (with advice from the web) is a road to nowhere – a conscious patient consults a dermatologist.
Squeezing pimples can exacerbate lesions
Dermatologists have been telling patients the same thing for decades: don’t nibble, touch or wring. Why? By squeezing out blemishes, we break the skin and can damage the infected hair follicle and, as a result, exacerbate inflammation. In addition, there are a lot of bacteria on our hands and just touching the face causes the germs to spread over the entire surface. Squeezing pimples also causes the formation of permanent and difficult to remove scars and discoloration.
Acne needs to be treated
There is no need to count that pimples and blackheads will disappear on their own. Acne is a serious disease that should be dealt with by a dermatologist. Treatment is a long-term process that requires patience and regularity, and apart from pharmacological therapy, proper daily skin care using dermocosmetics is extremely important. Acne medications can be topical (for external use only) or general.
Often it is necessary to introduce an antibiotic to help relieve inflammation. It is worth remembering that the disease cannot be neglected, even in the era of a pandemic, you can check the condition of your skin using teleportation. A dermatologist will tell you remotely how to take care of your skin and what medications to take (most often the patient receives an e-prescription).
Acne is “a disease of the soul”
There is no exaggeration in this. People suffering from acne literally try to “hide themselves”: paint over themselves, hide under a turtleneck sweater or a hoodie. They feel inferior, have more difficulty finding work and lack the courage to start relationships. This is confirmed by the research conducted so far, showing that patients with acne, both common and rosacea, are a group more predisposed to mood disorders, depression and suicidal thoughts than their peers.