Cause Your Health Counts

It is obvious that acne is skin disease that many people encounter. In fact when we talk about acne we understand it in terms for plugged pores, pimples, deeper lumps. It is interesting that acne is not restricted to any age group. Even adults into their 40s can get it. Acne make us realize the vital importance of knowledge - how to take an appropriate care for our skin, hygiene issues and etc. Many psychological researches show that while not a life threatening condition, acne can be upsetting and disfiguring. It is on everyone responsibility to make the needful in order to protect its skin from the severe consequences. Young people must understand that acne can lead to serious and permanent scarring.

Up to the present we know various types of acne. The importance of acne as a skin disease is emphasized by the great number of words used to describe it. The words used to describe the lesions of acne are comedo (plural comedones), papule, pustule, nodule and cyst. Lesion is a physical change in body tissue caused by disease or injury. A lesion may be external (e.g., acne, skin cancer, psoriatic plaque, knife cut), or internal (e.g., lung cancer, atherosclerosis in a blood vessel, cirrhosis of the liver). Acne lesions range in severity from comedones (blackheads and whiteheads) to nodules and cysts. A comedo is a sebaceous follicle plugged with sebum, dead cells from inside the sebaceous follicle, tiny hairs, and sometimes bacteria. When a comedo is open, it is commonly called a blackhead because the surface of the plug in the follicle has a blackish appearance. A closed comedo is commonly called a whitehead; its appearance is that of a skin-colored or slightly inflamed “bump” in the skin. The whitehead differs in color from the blackhead because the opening of the plugged sebaceous follicle to the skin’s surface is closed or very narrow, in contrast to the distended follicular opening of the blackhead. In fact, neither blackheads nor whiteheads should be squeezed or picked open, unless extracted by a dermatologist under sterile conditions. Tissue injured by squeezing or picking can become infected by staphylococci, streptococci and other skin bacteria.

A papule is defined as a small, solid lesion slightly elevated above the surface of the skin. A papule is caused by localized cellular reaction to the process of acne. Pustule is a dome-shaped, fragile lesion containing pus that typically consists of a mixture of white blood cells, dead skin cells, and bacteria. A pustule that forms over a sebaceous follicle usually has a hair in the center. Acne pustules that heal without progressing to cystic form usually leave no scars.

The macule is the temporary red spot left by a healed acne lesion. It is flat, usually red or red-pink, with a well defined border. A macule may persist for days to weeks before disappearing. When a number of macules are present at one time they can contribute to the “inflamed face” appearance of acne.

What we know about nodule is that it is like a papule. The nodule is a solid, dome-shaped or irregularly-shaped lesion. Unlike a papule, a nodule is characterized by inflammation, extends into deeper layers of the skin and may cause tissue destruction that result in scarring. A nodule may be very painful. Nodular acne is a severe form of acne that may not respond to therapies other than isotretinoin.

The cyst is a sac-like lesion containing liquid or semi-liquid material consisting of white blood cells, dead cells, and bacteria. It is larger than a pustule, may be severely inflamed, extends into deeper layers of the skin, may be very painful, and can result in scarring. Cysts and nodules often occur together in a severe form of acne called nodulocystic. Systemic therapy with isotretinoin is sometimes the only effective treatment for nodulocystic acne. Some acne investigators believe that true cysts rarely occur in acne, and that (1) the lesions called cysts are usually severely inflamed nodules, and (2) the term nodulocystic should be abandoned. Regardless of terminology, this is a severe form of acne that is often resistant to treatment and likely to leave scars after healing.

We lay stress on acne because close to 100 % of people between the ages of twelve and seventeen have at least an occasional whitehead, blackhead or pimple. There are cases when acne is very serious and require specific treatment by a physician. However, in most cases, acne starts between the ages of ten and thirteen and usually lasts for five to ten years. It normally goes away on its own sometime in the early twenties. Still acne can persist into the late twenties or thirties or even beyond.

As we are acquainted with acne lesions are most common on the face, but they can also occur on the neck, chest, back, shoulders, scalp, and upper arms and legs. Nowadays we are witnesses to common notions that in some ways distort the truth about skin care and acne. In the rest of our article you will be acquainted to some popular myths. The best way to cope with your acne problem is to educate yourself!

Number 1. Some people claim that tanning clears up skin. There is no link between sun exposure and acne prevention. In fact sun’s rays can cause premature aging and skin cancer. We recommend you to protect your skin by using a sunscreen of at lest sun protection factor 15.

Number 2. Acne is caused by a poor hygiene. Many people believe that acne is caused by poor hygiene; therefore they tend to over-wash their skin. However, washing too frequently and too aggressively can strip the skin of its natural lipids, damaging the skin’s natural barrier function. All that we can achieve is that the follicle will produce excess sebum and possibly additional breakouts.

Number 3. There is a thought that chocolate and greasy foods cause acne. In fact, the common misconception is that eating junk food will lead to or worsen an acne condition. Contrarily late researches show that no specific food has been proven to cause acne. Every person has individual characteristics which make him/her notice their breakout worse after eating certain foods. Scientific studies have shown as well that diet has little to no effect on acne.

Number 4. It is intelligibly when people think that popping pimples will help them go away faster. It will make it seem less noticeable temporarily, but popping can cause in to stay around longer. By squeezing pimples and zits, you can actually push bacteria further into the skin; causing more swelling and redness — and sometimes causing a red or brown mark or scar to form. Sometimes marks can last for many months and true scars (dents and pits) will last forever.

Number 5. Some people are convinced that make up makes the skin dirty but it is not true. In fact, many cosmetic products on the market contain benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid, which help to fight acne.

Number 6. There is a opinion that acne is just a cosmetic disease. Heavy and oily make up may contribute to acne build up. However, cosmetics labeled non-comedogenic or non-acnegenic might actually contain benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid that may help to fight acne.