Discovering Acne Treatments

- From Mild Inflammatory, To Severe Nodular And Cystic Acne 

Acne is never really a serious health threat, however if not given the proper treatment may result to serious scarring and may lead to disfiguring of several skin tissues, especially those that are in the upper layers.

Fundamentally, acne cannot be fully cured but several methods of treatment may be done.

For mild and severe cases, acne treatments focus on the following actions:

• Reduction of the productivity of the sebaceous glands which produces the oily substance called as sebum.
• Reduction of acne-infecting bacteria growth named as Propionibacterium acnes or P. acnes.
• Improving the manner of dead skin cells exfoliation so they won’t clog the pores of the skin.

Several things must be remembered in treating mild and severe cases of acne. At any rate, the acne must not be popped or squeezed as this may trigger the spread of infection to other parts of the skin. This may aggravates the skin condition and create a trauma whereas the bacteria may invade the affected areas, in return the immune system will release white blood cells, ultimately resulting to infection due to the reaction of the body to the activities of the bacteria and the white blood cells.

Many cases of mild acne may be treated with topical and home acne treatments that can be bought over the counter.  Topical medications are those that may be applied on the skins surface. Additionally, soap and water or antiseptic wash may aid in the treatment of the mild inflammatory acne, although it must be remembered that the maximum suggested washing should only be twice a day. Also, scrubbing must be very gentle to avoid further spread of the infection.

Other medications may include topical treatments for more severe forms of acne. These may be in the form of minocycline, doxycycline, tetracycline and erythromycine. All these must be taken under the strict administration of a physician to take into account the side effects compared to the benefits of these drugs.

Moreover, whilst antibiotics provide a systemic treatment, bacteria may develop resistance to them and lessen their effectiveness..

For women, oestrogen can be prescribed and antiandrogens for men. Estrogen may effectively neutralize or decrease the androgens involved in acne. These are generally found in oral contraceptives. Androgens can stimulate the production of too much sebum.

Isotretinoin is a drug that is taken orally, which helps some with their acne, although it does have side effects that may make it unsuitable. This drug works through reducing the size of the oil glands so less oil is produced; thus removing the breeding ground of bacteria. But this medication has some issues, such as causing serious birth defects for fetuses. Consequenctly, pregnant women or those who are expecting cannot use this drug. Doctors generally require women to take the pill when they are on it.

Other acne treatments for severe nodular or cystic acne may include the therapy known as intralesional corticosteroid therapy. This is a considerably painless procedure where diluted cortisone solution is injected on the cystic lesions, thus relieving of pain from inflammation.

 If you'd like more information on acne treatments that have been effective in even hard to shift cases, click here.