Say Goodbye to Acne

The first stage of acne is whiteheads and blackheads. The second stage of acne is called moderate acne. Moderate acne is also known as pimples or zits. Pimples are papules and pustules. Papules are solid mass of cells and pustules are infected lesions. Treatment of pimples may require a combination of medicines.

If you are doing self-treatment with OTC medication, choose them carefully. What worked for your friend may not work for you. Your skin is different and the cause of pimples may be different. Someone may get acne because of excess sebum, while other may get it because of use of comedogenic products.

It is preferable that instead of using OTC medication you consult a doctor. If you are doing self-medication of pimples, you need to know the following.

Topical medication for pimples-

The first choice for treatment of pimples is use of topical medication. Benzoyl Peroxide is one of the most popular medications. Other medications that are used to treat pimples topically are- Salicylic Acid, Resorcinol and Sulphur, Alcohol and Acetone, Azelaic Acid, Topical Antibiotics, Topical Retinoids and Nicotinamide. Topical antibiotics are also used to treat infection.

Physical and surgical procedures for pimple treatment-

Physical and surgical procedures such as chemical peeling, lasers, microdermabrasion, surgical extraction, and light therapy are used to treat pimples. Physical and surgical procedures are used when topical medication does not give expected results. Sometimes light is used to treat pimples on the back because it is a difficult to apply medication on back..

Oral medication for pimples-

Oral antibiotics, Isotretinoin and oral Nicotinamide are commonly used to treat infection in the acne. Amongst antibiotics, Tetracycline, Minocycline ,Doxycyline and Erythromycin are commonly used. Sulpha drugs may also be used to treat pimples.

Oral antibiotics kill the bacteria P. acnes in the pimples and reduce the infection and inflammation. Isotretinoin is prescribed in case of persistent acne and is one of the best medications of acne. Oral nicotinamide is a good anti-inflammatory agent for pimples but has no side effects of antibiotics.

Women may be prescribed Birth Control Pills and Spironolactone to treat hormonal disorders and reduce pimples.

This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advise and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from information obtained from this article.

By: CD Mohatta

There are many forms of acne treatments and they vary depending on the severity of your acne. The first stage of acne is called mild acne and it is characterized by about three dozen comedones or blackheads and scattered papules which are small pimples without the pus. You won’t be able to notice some of the symptoms unless you take a closer look. Acne treatments recommended by dermatologists for this acne stage include washing the affected areas twice a day with a mild cleanser and applying topical oil free, non-comedogenic, and non-acnegenic gels, solutions, creams, and lotions.

The second stage is the moderate acne and it is characterized by inflamed red lesions, numerous comedones or blackheads, as well as numerous pustules which are pimples filled with pus. Acne treatments recommended by dermatologists include prescription oral drugs such as minocyline, tetracyline, doxycyline, erythromycin, ibuprofen, and isotretinion. These acne treatments can also be partnered with application of topical medications and other anti-acne products.

Severe acne is the worst stage among the three because it is characterized with numerous blackheads, large pus-filled pustules, highly inflamed lesions, cystic acne, and large interconnected nodules that are very painful. This skin condition should be treated immediately to avoid further complications. The acne treatments recommended will be combinations of oral medications such as anti-inflammatory and antibiotics. Topical anti-acne products will no longer be as effective to severe acne cases. You should bear in mind that oral medication is the only effective means of treatment for this severe acne stage.

Our problems regarding our skin don’t stop when the acne is treated. It’s just the beginning of a new chapter in our fight against the remains of acne, the acne scars. There are typically two kinds of acne scars, one is the hypertrophic scars and the other one is the deep craters on the skin surface.

Hypertrophic scars are sometimes called keloids and they are characterized by their thick elevation above the normal skin surface. The craters on the skin surface come in three shapes, the ice-pick, box-car, and the rolling scar. Ice-pick acne scars are the most common and they’re shaped like deep pits in the skin. Box-car acne scars are somewhat similar to the chicken pox scars and they may either run deep within or just superficial on the skin surface. The rolling acne scars are not as deep as the other crater acne scars and they just form a wave-like appearance on the skin.

There are many acne treatments for removing scars. You can use commercially prepared exfoliating products to peel off the skin surface and reveal the fresher skin underneath. However, if your scars really run deep, you might need to undergo a dermatologist’s acne scar treatments. You can choose from punch techniques, laser resurfacing or laser treatment, dermabrasion, and chemical peeling.

The punch techniques aim to join together the loopholes of your skin by scarring your face once more. This is a painful process that needs a longer time period to heal but it is very effective in acne scar craters. Laser resurfacing, dermabrasion, and chemical peeling methods aim to remove the skin surface that manifests the acne scars using different materials and technology. However, these are not one-time treatments because you will need to undergo several sessions in order to achieve the desired results.

By: Julia Elorriaga

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