Adolescent Health

Acne is 1 of the most common issues in adolescent teens affecting nearly seventeen million men and women in the United States. Acne is nothing but a disorder involving sebaceous glands and hair follicles. Acne results from the clogging of sebaceous glands leading to the formation of pimples and cysts. The condition normally begins with the onset of puberty. Going by the facts, as teens attain puberty the androgens also referred to as male sex hormones are produced in high number leading to sebaceous glands becoming over active which results in sebum becoming produced in high proportions.

Sebum, which is nothing but oil is produced by sebaceous glands which travel to the skin surface by way of hair follicles. But, skin cells block the follicles which results in oil also becoming blocked. When these hair follicles are blocked it outcomes in the development of skin bacteria recognized as Propionibacterium Acnes inside the follicles which in turn outcomes in swelling of the skin called Acne. If the hair follicles are partially blocked it outcomes in blackheads. If the follicles are entirely blocked they result in whiteheads. But if these plugged follicles are not treated they ultimately burst causing the oil, bacteria and skin cells to spill all over the skin resulting in irritation and formation of pimples. Acne can be shallow as well as deep in numerous people depending on the nature of skin and quantity of oil produced.

There can be several causes why Acne forms. Apart from rising hormone levels due to puberty it can also be attributed to particular other factors like intake of drugs which include lithium, barbiturates and corticosteroids. Acne can also be caused due to excess grease and oil in the scalp, due to cooking oil and use of some cosmetics can actually alleviate the acne issue. Acne difficulty many times is inherited also. Acne issue is worsened if the pimples are squeezed or scrubbed too tough.

Acne can form at any location of the body but they most generally form in the areas where there sebaceous glands are present in high proportions like face, chest, shoulders, neck and upper back. The symptoms may differ from individual to individual but commonly noticed symptoms are: formation of blackheads, whiteheads, lesions filled with pus and which are extremely painful and lastly nodules. 1 may get confused sometimes as symptoms of acne may be like some other skin condition and it is constantly advised to consult a doctor in this scenario.

There are lots of treatments accessible these days to treat acne. The primary goal of the treatment is to minimize scars and far better appearance. There are several treatments and the physician decides which specific treatment you want based on: the extent of acne problem, age, medical history, overall wellness, tolerance to specific medications and procedures, expectations and last but not the least what patients prefer.

Treatment of acne is classified into topical and systemic drug therapies which are given based on extent of severity. In some instances the mixture of both the approaches may well be the way to go for acne treatment. Topical medication is absolutely nothing but creams, gels, lotions, solutions and so on. prescribed to patients for acne treatment. Some of the examples of topical medication are: Benzoyl Peroxide which kills the Propionibacterium Acnes bacteria, antibiotics helps in stopping or slowing down the growth of the bacteria and also reduces inflammation, Tretinoin assists in stopping the formation of new acne lesions and Adapalene reduces formation of comedo.

Systemic drug therapies involve prescription of systemic antibiotics primarily for the treatment of acne problem which is moderate to severe in nature. The examples of antibiotics prescribed are Doxycycline, erythromycin and tetracycline. In some situations an oral drug called Isotretinoin is prescribed for teenagers with severe acne difficulty which shrinks down the sebaceous glands that generate oil. The outcomes are fairly great and practically ninety percent of the adolescents have success with this oral drug. But the drug has some severe side-affects and thus it is really essential that one consults a doctor prior to use.