The Full Story
Do you have pimples or Acne
Acne sounds very serious. It can be but acne is the big umbrella under which also falls the barred grain, blackhead and pimple. So prevention is indeed better than cure So doing Acne treatment preventively is a very good idea!
Who gets Acne?
Acne Vulgaris is the most common Acne. Vulgaris means youth but also occurs later in life.
Almost everyone gets it. 85% between the ages of 12 and 25 and after the age of 40, 1% of men and 5% of women still suffer from it. Besides being the most common skin problem, we should not underestimate the psychological burden.
How does acne occur?
Often caused by hormones, you produce more sebum. That in itself is not so bad, but if that same hormone also causes your top layer of skin to become tough, the sebum cannot find its way up. The blockage manifests superficially as black black blackheads (commedones) or with deeper blockages of the outlet (pore) and those are white commedones. At that point, nature causes inflammation to take place. The Propioni Acne Bacteria also gets involved and happily eats away at the sebaceous gland wall and breaks it down. Sebaceous Gland Follicle Inflammation. The many bacteria present in the sebaceous gland cause the sebum to be converted into free fatty acids that are very irritating. Eventually, these acids cause the sebaceous follicle to rupture and the pus to drain out.
What other causes are there, externally, for the development of Acne?
Medications such as Prednisone can cause Acne.
Furthermore, if a lot of pressure is applied, for example, by a helmet or a lot of leaning on the jaw, Acne can develop.
Compulsive scratching, especially by young girls and young women
We also frequently see that when having Acne Vulgaris and someone is constantly scratching at it that this maintains the Acne. (Scratching Acne...officially Acne excoriée)
What is Milia (barbed grains)
A millia is a barred grain. It is a white hard pinhead with no redness, warmth or swelling (the 3 characteristics of an inflammation). The lump is actually past the inflammation period. The body has encapsulated it. There is a tight skin membrane around it and the sebum bud has hardened. The gerstekorrel will rarely disappear on its own. The acne specialist can use a needle to open up the membrane and the gerstein grain can then come out.
In Acne Conglobata, the pus runs under the skin. If this inflammation takes a more severe form with fever and possibly blood poisoning, we call it Acne Fulminans.
Acne Inversa (the name used by dermatologists) is a severe chronic form of Acne that affects 1% of the population. Acne is located in the skin folds, armpits and groin of overweight people, usually women. Another name is Acne ectopia and "hidradenitis suppurativa. The latter name means festering sweat glands.
Acne keloidalis nuchae is not inflammation of the sebaceous gland but of the hair root. It leaves a trace of scar tissue. Usually occurs on the neck and also results in hair loss. It usually occurs in negroid men but also occurs in white men. It has nothing to do with ingrown hairs. Acne neonatorum is baby acne caused by hormones from the mother and usually goes away after a few months but treatment can speed it up.
Acne Scars
When acne has become severely inflamed, it can leave unsightly scars after healing. Acne scars are often more severe when the acne was treated too late or not properly.
You have an extra chance of severe scarring if you squeeze your pimples yourself!
Studies studying people with severe acne show that 40-95% of people get acne scars, but only 1 in 3 of them seek treatment for it. Many people with (severe) acne scars are ashamed of it and sometimes develop psychosocial problems.
Scars can look like pits or spots. The best treatment is Microneedling possibly in combination with a Glycolic Acid Peeling if spots are visible (Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation).
Conclusion about Acne
The conclusion is that almost everyone suffers from it but few book Acne treatment. Perhaps because of the word Acne...I don't have that.
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Good home care usually does wonders already. Use the Facewash and the ACNE product, both available in the webshop.