Acne is a powerful condition. Not only can it cause many discomforts and pains physically to an infected person, but it can also do quite a bit of damage on the overall self esteem of an individual as well. These two factors can cause untold problems for those who experience acne. While it is not something that you can do easily, acne can be treated and minimized in several ways.
What Causes Acne?
For many, it is something that just showed up one day. Acne is an inflammatory disease that affects the skin. There are several types of acne and you may experience one or more of them. The most common type is known as 'common acne' and is caused by the excessive secretion of oils from the glands. This along with the dead skin cells that seem to block the hair follicles causes acne. What happens is this. Your body produces these excessive oils. They tend to build up under the blocked pore. This environment can cause all sorts of things but the main occurrence is acne. The environment is simply perfect for bacteria to grow.
What causes the glands to produce these excessive oils can be anything from hormones to hereditary reasons. Acne tends to appear first during the age of puberty. From here, it will produce a significant amount of problem due to the increased hormone levels within the individual. This often passes or lessons as the person ages. But, for many, acne can last much longer, well into their 30's and 40's and even beyond that as well. And, acne is different for each person it effects. For some, it may be quite bad in that it may be considered severe. Others may only experience a few outbreaks during their lifetime.
What Can I Do About It?
Because acne is something that can do quite a bit of damage to the self esteem of a person, it is often important to get help for it. Acne can lead to depression and dangerous emotions that many teens do not know how to control. Here are some of the methods that are currently being used to treat various types of acne?
 Your first step is to see your dermatologist. He or she will help to determine what is causing the acne as well as if there are any treatments that are needed. In some cases, mostly mild ones, you will simply be told to use a specific soap for your face and to keep it as clean as possible. Avoiding makeup or other products on the skin as well. But, not everyone fairs this easily.
 For more severe cases, the dermatologist may prescribe an antibiotic to help kill off the bacteria that are in the skin causing these problems. This can be any of these: tetracycline, minocycline or even doxycycline; or, your doctor may have you use a product that is applied to the skin. Such products are benzoyl peroside and erythromycin. These products will help to treat the bacteria there, but will not get to the core of the problem of the excessive oils being made in the skin
 To do this, the doctor may have you take Vitamin A derivates such as the products isotretinoin for a few months time. This oral treatment will likely be one that will help. In fact about 80% of patients have this treatment help them to reduce the onslaught of acne. The product can work for an extensive period of time.
 Another method of handling severe cases of acne includes exfoliating the skin. There are a number of ways that you can do this. Mechanically or chemically are the two that you will choose from. This can be done through the use of abrasive materials such as liquid scrubs or an abrasive towel. On the chemical side, you can use salicylic acid and glycolic acid to peel off the layers of the skin that are packed with dead skin cells. Not only will this help in getting rid of the potential dead skin cell problems but it will also help to get rid of those cells already blocking the pores.
 Yet another option in the treatment of acne is hormonal treatments. By using contraceptive pills, many doctors have found that many females will have less occurrences of acne.
 Phototherapy is yet another treatment option. Through the use of lasers and LED's, patients can see improvements in the acne that they already have.
While there are many ways to get rid of acne, it is wise to count on your dermatologist and family doctor to decide which are the best methods for your needs. It is important to insure that your health be the first importance. Acne treatments are always improving as well, so look for new opportunities down the road.

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