This is for people who have acne or who have had acne.
Acne is a skin disease that causes spots. Most people affected by acne are between the age of 12 and 25.1, teenagers and young adults. However, adults in their 30s and 40s can also suffer. There are many treatments available to help with this condition. Having a good knowledge of skin care can often help with acne relief.
What is acne?
Acne is a skin condition that typically comes with one or more of the following symptoms:
* blackheads (comedones)
* whiteheads
* red or yellow spots
* greasy skin
* scars
Acne typically shows on the skin of the face, back, neck, chest and arms and there are various levels of severity.
Acne can affect people of all races. Skin pigmentation is no factor in the creation of acne, but it does influence the impact the acne will have on the skin.
Acne is a very common thing and affects about 80% of people between 11 and 30 years old at some point.
The skin
The surface of the skin is present with many sebaceous glands just below the surface. These glands make an greasy substance called sebum that helps keep the skin smooth and supple.
Tiny holes allow the sebum to come to the skin surface. Hairs also grow through these pores.
What causes acne?
Acne is caused by the sebaceous glands being too active, they secrete too much oily substances onto the skin.
The first stage is for blackheads or whiteheads to appear on the skin.
For some people, their acne does not progress beyond this stage.
However in some people, the build-up of oil creates an ideal environment for a bacterium called Propionibacterium acnes to live and expand. It feeds off the sebum and creates substances that cause a reaction from your body’s immune system. This gets the skin inflammed creates the redness associated with spots.
Treatment
Skin care is very important, you want to keep acne-prone areas clean, so wash the affected or potentially affected area twice a day.1,6 The skin needs a certain amount of oil to maintain its natural condition, so it strongly advised to take a very soft soap.
There are no home-made treatments that will work immediately. It can take weeks, if not months, for significant results to be noticeable. But if treatment doesn’t work and shows no result after 2 months, you should see a specialist as you might have an acne that is more severe than most.
But overall, skin care plays a big role in the control and prevention of acne, therefore we should pay more attention to it.