Posts Tagged ‘acne vulgaris’
Causes of Acne, Types of Acne, and Treatments of Acne
Types of Acne: When excess sebum is produced by the oil gland, the dead skin cells around the pore may become more “sticky” and partially block the pore, restricting the flow of oil onto the skin surface. This results in solidification of the sebum which fills the hair duct forming a blackhead ( open comedo ) . The dark color of the blackhead is not due to dirt, but is dried oil and from a pigment (melanin) of the shed skin cells in the openings of the hair follicles.
If the partial blockage becomes complete, excess sebum can’t escape. The bacteria “Propionibacterium acnes” (short form P. acnes) that are normally present on the skin are trapped in the pore as well. They make an enzyme that breaks down sebum into a substance called “free fatty acid.” Free fatty acid is very irritating stuff, and can cause swelling, redness and pus formation. This is called a whitehead ( closed comedo ) .
Similar but a bit more serious formations are called pustules (pus-filled yellowish bumps), and nodules (firm, larger inflamed swellings below the skin).
Acne: Causes
Causes By Mayo Clinic staff
Three factors contribute to the formation of acne:
- Overproduction of oil (sebum)
- Irregular shedding of dead skin cells resulting in irritation of the hair follicles of your skin
- Buildup of bacteria
Acne occurs when the hair follicles become plugged with oil and dead skin cells. Each follicle is connected to sebaceous glands. These glands secrete an oily substance known as sebum to lubricate your hair and skin. Sebum normally travels up along the hair shafts and then out through the opening of the hair follicle onto the surface of your skin. When your body produces an excess amount of sebum and dead skin cells, the two can build up in the hair follicle and form together as a soft plug.
Cystic Acne
Cystic acne, or nodulocystic acne, is the most severe form of acne vulgaris. Deep, inflamed breakouts develop on the face and/or other areas of the body. The blemishes themselves can become large; some may measure up to several centimeters across.
Although many people use the term “cystic” to describe any type of severely inflamed acne, only those who develop cysts truly have cystic acne. Cysts are the most serious kind of acne blemish. They feel like soft, fluid-filled lumps under the skin’s surface. Cysts can be painful.
Nodulocystic acne sufferers develop nodules as well as cysts. Nodules are hard, painful lumps under the skin’s surface. Much larger than papules, nodules form deep within the skin and take a long time to heal. Some skin care experts believe acne cysts are not really cysts at all, but rather severely inflamed nodular breakouts.
Acne Prevention Vitamins
Acne is a common concern among adolescents and adults alike. No one is happy about looking in the mirror and seeing pimples and blackheads on their face glaring back at them. The ideal is to see a reflective smile along with a clear complexion and healthy glow in your cheeks.
In this article we will explore various vitamins and minerals to learn how they affect the health of your skin and hopefully help you break-free from unsightly blemishes and break-out into a beautiful radiant smile.
The Holistic Approach to Acne From a holistic point of view all illnesses are manifestations of our imbalances. In treating acne outbreaks the holistic practitioner would typically consider all emotional, physical, mental, or even spiritual imbalances. Any treatments offered would address the whole person, not just the physical body.
For example, Louise Hay, author of The New York Times best seller self-help book You Can Heal Your Life, teaches that acne is a manifestation of not loving or accepting yourself. Hays suggests this affirmation for those with acne: I am a Divine expression of life, I love and accept myself where I am right now..
AcneNet Article
AcneNet Spotlight Article Food Does Not Cause Acne
You may be asking yourself why a dermatologist-reviewed site from the American Academy of Dermatology (Academy) still says that diet does not cause acne. After all, havent research studies found that certain foods cause acne? If you have acne, you may even have noticed that when you eat certain foods you break out. With all this evidence, why does the Academy still say that food does not cause acne?
What the Research Really Shows While studies have been conducted, more research is needed to conclude that what we eat can cause or prevent acne. What these studies have found suggests that diet may play a role in acne. Here is what the research has shown so far.
Does light therapy work to clear acne?
Light therapy for acne
What it is: Light therapy attempts to help prevent papules and pustules, those everyday “zits” that many people get that are inflamed and red. Smaller acne lesions such as non-inflamed blackheads and whiteheads, as well as severe acne lesions such as cysts and nodules tend to respond more poorly. Light therapy, usually administered with at-home devices, must be performed normally twice per day, and uses blue and sometimes blue + red light. When blue light reaches the sebaceous (oil) glands in the skin, it can help excite porphyrins, which are microscopic compounds inside acne bacteria. These porphyrins then help kill the bacteria from the inside out. Red light, while it is less researched, may help reduce inflammation and improve healing. Tabletop light therapy devices normally require 10-15 minutes of treatment, with the person sitting very close to the device. Handheld devices, which some experts claim help with light penetration, require a person to hold the device directly on several areas of his/her face and ends up requiring 30 minutes to 1 hour of treatment time twice per day. Goggles are required with both types of devices, since blue light can harm the retina. People can normally use light therapy in conjunction with other acne therapies, with the exception of isotretinoin (Accutane/Roaccutane).
Does it work?: We don’t have enough data at this time to make conclusive statements about how well light therapy works. Studies have historically been small and results tend to vary widely. Study results present from “statistically insignificant” clearing all the way up to 81% clearance of acne. Literature points toward blue + red light showing slightly better results than blue alone at this time. Emerging research is pointing toward at best moderate and temporary improvement of acne. According to a meta-analysis published by the British Journal of Dermatology in 2009, “our review found only limited or no benefit is given by light therapies alone.”
Acne vulgaris
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Acne vulgaris Classification and external resources 
Acne of a 14-year-old male during puberty ICD-10 L70.0 ICD-9 706.1 DiseasesDB 10765 MedlinePlus 000873 eMedicine derm/2 MeSH D000152
Acne vulgaris (commonly called acne) is a common human skin disease, characterized by areas of skin with multiple noninflammatory follicular papules or comedones and by inflammatory papules, pustules, and nodules in its more severe forms. Acne vulgaris mostly affects the areas of skin with the densest population of sebaceous follicles; these areas include the face, the upper part of the chest, and the back. Severe acne is inflammatory, but acne can also manifest in noninflammatory forms.[1] Acne lesions are commonly referred to as pimples, blemishes, spots, zits, or simply acne. Acne lesions are caused by changes in pilosebaceous units, skin structures consisting of a hair follicle and its associated sebaceous gland, changes which require androgen stimulation.
Acne occurs most commonly during adolescence, affecting more than 96% of teenagers, and often continues into adulthood. In adolescence, acne is usually caused by an increase in male sex hormones, which people of both genders accrue during puberty.[2] For most people, acne diminishes over time and tends to disappear—or at the very least decrease—after one reaches one’s early twenties. There is, however, no way to predict how long it will take to disappear entirely, and some individuals will carry this condition well into their thirties, forties and beyond.[3]
Treat acne with coconut oil and nano
On Thursday April 15, bioengineering graduate student Dissaya “Nu” Pornpattananangkul will present her most recent work on this experimental acne-drug-delivery system at Research Expo, the annual research conference of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.
Common acne, also known as “acne vulgaris,” afflicts more than 85 percent of teenagers and over 40 million people in the United States; and current treatments have undesirable side effects including redness and burning. Lauric-acid-based treatments could avoid these side effects, the UC San Diego researchers say.
“It’s a good feeling to know that I have a chance to develop a drug that could help people with acne,” said Pornpattananangkul, who performs this research in the Nanomaterials and Nanomedicine Laboratory of UC San Diego NanoEngineering professor Liangfang Zhang from the Jacobs School of Engineering.
Acne Resource Center
Acne Rosacea
Middle aged adults often suffer from acne rosacea .This is characterized by flushing of the face and red nose caused by inflamed bumps. This infection takes place on chin and forehead. Because of the flushing face, it gives rise to wrong perceptions of the person being drunk, although this type of acne has absolutely nothing to do with drinking. In the severe form, Acne rosacea causes red nose or bulbous nose (rhinofima), especially in men. To read more about what is Rosacea, click here.
Infantile acne takes place in newborn babies, although not frequently. Sometimes it’s even present at the time of birth. It’s a mild form of acne and settles down in a few months. The reason is supposed to be fetal hormones, but sometimes excessive testosterone and follicle stimulating hormones are also found to be cause of infantile acne.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Acne – May 1, 2004
Diagnosis and Treatment of Acne
Am Fam Physician.2004May1;69(9):2123-2130.