Acne refers to a skin condition in which the hair follicles and sebaceous glands swell and burst leaving dark spots of scars.
What causes acne?
It is caused by the secretion of the excess body fats. These are often contained in the skin and may lead to a swelling of the cells such as the hair follicle. The swellings may also be infected by propionibacteria and cause further complications. When burst by hand, other opportunist bacteria also find their way into the open skin pores leading for further damage of the skin.
Who does it affect?
It has been wrongly said that acne is a problem of the teenagers in their adolescents. To the contrary, most of those who have acne are adults aged between 20 and 40 years. It affects anyone, both men and women.
What are some of the myths?
One of the myths is what has been mentioned in the above paragraph. That it is only a teenager's problem. Other myths that have been passed down many generations are that acne is caused by eating greasy foods and lots of chocolate. These may have been wrongly informed by the desire for parents to keep their children off junk foods due to the obvious overweight problems. Another myth is that it can be cured by washing of face several times. This too is not really true though good hygiene may lead to reduced scars. Too much of face washing in uncoordinated manner may lead to scarring of the face.
Can acne be prevented?
Not much can be done to prevent acne because it is part of the natural functions of the skin. However, the breaking of the skin to form ugly scars can be prevented to by either using antibacterial treatments, use of sulfur or moistening of the skin. You can also stop formation of scars by not bursting the acne prematurely.
How can one treat acne scars?
Again like in the case of preventing acne, there are limited treatment options available. The most common treatments would be acne scar creams or a treatment procedure such as microdermabrasion. Use of medications such as triple antibiotic ointment can also help reduce the scar but care must be taken to avoid putting too much of it on one spot.
No comments:
Post a Comment