Introduction

Acne is nothing, but an inflammatory skin disease, which is characterized by pimples and flare-ups on face. It’s a common skin problem amongst most youngsters and even adults as well. Acne can flare up before menstruation, during pregnancy, and menopause. Acne is usually not conspicuous, although inflamed lesions may cause pain, tenderness, itching, or swelling. Its a common skin problem amongst most youngsters and even adults as well.

Types

Generally Acne can be categorised into two main sub category namely, Non-Inflamed Acne and Inflamed Acne

Non-Inflamed Acne:These are known as comedones. These can be soft, hard, open or even invisible to the naked eye if they’re below the skin.They may appear as bumpiness in skin and may be soft, hard , open or may be invisible to the naked eye.

Inflamed Acne: In these type papules are red, and inflamed spots may appear on the skin without pus or whiteheads.

Symptoms

The acne is sighted by the appearance of bumps on skin . Acne may may appear with redness, hardbumps or whiteheads. Acne can happen in any part of skin but it mainly appears on face, chest and back.

Causes

Causes of acne are difficult to pinpoint. There are many myths about what causes acne. The most common causes of acne include hormones, diet, stress, makeup, medicines etc. Most often, the events hormonal imbalance in your body causes acne, they can do damage to your skin. Heredity is also considered as a leading risk factor for acne.

Test

Acne may be physically diagnosed by a doctor looking at the face.Laboratory tests are not done unless the patient appears to have a hormonal disorder or other medical problem.

Treatments

Generally speaking, successful treatments show little improvement within the first two weeks, instead taking a period of approximately three months to improve and start flattening out.Many treatments that promise big improvements within two weeks are likely to be largely disappointing. In females, acne can be improved with hormonal treatments. If a pimple is large and/or does not seem to be affected by other treatments, a dermatologist may administer an injection of cortisone directly into it, which will usually reduce redness and inflammation almost immediately. Effective topical retinoids have been in use over 30 years but are available only on prescription so are not as widely used as the other topical treatments. Once the skin has leveled, treatments such as laser resurfacing, microdermabrasion or chemical peels can be used to smooth out the scarred tissue. Zinc oxide for acne is a modern discovery and also an addition to the many existing known treatments of acne.