ACNE

Acne is a skin disease that results from blockage of the follicular duct. Although acne is most common during puberty, it can occur at any age, from infancy to old age. Since acne affects people psychologically, it is almost one of the most common reasons of applying to clinics among skin diseases. It occurs most often on the face. It is especially pronounced on the forehead and cheeks. Secondly, it is observed on the back and chest.

What are the causes of acne?

• Hereditary predisposition
• Hormonal imbalance
• Excessively oily skin
• Stress
• Use of certain medicines
• Concealers or creams applied intensively on the face
• A hormone disorder called polycystic ovary syndrome in women, which is characterized by hair loss, increased hair growth and acne.

What are the formations of acne?

Acne is typified by the typical lesions of acne. This also determines which treatment will be used. Typical lesions are as follows:

• White and black spots (closed and open comedones)
• Papules (red bumps)
• Pustules (inflamed yellow bumps)
• Nodules (painful, firm large bumps)
• Cysts (filled an soft bumps)
• Scars (acne scars).

What should a person with acne pay attention to?

It has not been scientifically proven that foods (nuts, fatty foods, carbonated drinks, etc.) increase acne. However, if it is observed that acne lesions increase when eating these foods, these foods should be avoided.

The face should be carefully cleaned. Oil-based products should be avoided in home skin care. The face should not be washed with these products more than twice a day.

Blackheads should not be squeezed out by the person himself/herself. Unknowingly squeezed blackheads can later turn into red, bumpy acne. Skin care should be performed by a trained specialist.

Excessive makeup and the use of heavy concealer should be avoided. Oil-based makeup materials should also be avoided.
The treatment of acne is a lengthy process.

Although treatment lasts on average three to six months, skin care should be performed regularly even after acne is completely healed.

What are the treatment options?

Cream treatment

Treatment creams should be applied to the entire face, not just the acnes. Most therapeutic creams cause dryness and irritation on the skin. For this reason, the cream should be left on the skin for only a short time during the first few days of application, and this period should be gradually extended. The ingredients of the creams used for treatment can be listed as follows:

• Creams containing retinoic acid: Particularly effective in treating blackheads and whiteheads.
• Creams containing benzoyl peroxide: Effective for red bumps as well as blackheads and whiteheads.
• Creams containing antibiotics: Particularly effective for yellow inflamed pustules.
• Creams containing azelaic acid: Effective for blackheads, whiteheads and red bumps.
• Combined treatment: Treatment can be performed with several creams together.

Antibiotic treatment
It is not effective in treating blackheads and whiteheads. It does not need to be used for mild bumps. For severely reddened bumps and yellow inflamed pustules, it is the first choice. Some antibiotics are used as follows:
Tetracycline, doxycycline, erythromycin, clindamycin, co-trimoxazole.

Hormonal treatment
It is particularly used in the treatment of acne in people with a hormonal disorder called polycystic ovary syndrome.

Oral isotretinoin treatment
It is used in very advanced acne or in the treatment of acne that does not respond to all other treatments. It has some side effects. It is not used during pregnancy. It causes excessive dryness of the skin, eyes, and ears. It may cause joint and muscle pain. It may cause an increase in liver enzymes and mental problems. For this reason, this treatment should never be used outside the control of a doctor.

Other treatment options
There are also treatment methods that are used to support medical treatment of acne lesions or as maintenance therapy after medical treatment and are used only under clinical conditions. These treatment methods can speed up the acne healing process and increase patient comfort.

Comedones extraction
It is the professional cleaning for people with acne, mostly in the form of blackheads and whiteheads. If people squeeze out these acnes by themselves, acne may increase or scars may remain. For this reason, this procedure must be performed by trained people under clinical conditions.

Intralesional steroid injection

Intralesional steroid injection can provide short-term improvement, especially for acne with nodules and cysts. This treatment should never be performed alone, but should be combined with other treatments.