Acne Vulgaris Treatments

by Frank Williams

There are several different forms of acne, depending on how or why the acne started and therefore, also there are several acne treatments and even different way of treating acne scars too, if there are any. Some of the forms of acne are: acne conglobata (chronic boils); acne fulminans (an extreme form of conglobata); acne cosmetica (caused by cosmetics); acne keloidalis nuchae (from shaving); acne medicamentosa (caused by starting or stopping a medication); acne rosacea (redness on the face); baby acne; hormonal acne; cloracne and the common variety: acne vulgaris (better known as 'puberty spots'). We will take a closer look at acne vulgaris and acne vulgaris treatments.

Acne vulgaris may be defined as: 'an inflammatory disease of the skin, caused by changes in the pilosebaceous units (skin structures consisting of a hair follicle and its associated sebaceous gland). Acne lesions are commonly referred to as pimples, spots or zits' (from Wikipedia).

Acne vulgaris is most often found in white Western teenagers, although it does occur in every country in the world, so there may be a genetic predisposition to it. It is possible that acne vulgaris could be an exceptional reaction to fairly normal levels of testosterone. For most afflicted, the condition lasts only until adulthood, probably only a few years or at the most ten. For other people, however, acne vulgaris may be a life-long problem. It usually affects the face, upper-chest, upper-arms and back. However, an occasional spot does not constitute acne.

Acne vulgaris manifests itself in many forms, including: white heads, caused by pores that are completely blocked, trapping sebum (oil), bacteria, and dead skin cells, causing a white appearance on the top; blackheads, caused by pores which are only partially blocked, allowing some of the trapped sebum, bacteria, and dead skin cells to slowly drain to the surface (the black colour is not caused by dirt, but is a reaction of the skin's own pigment, melanin, with the oxygen in the air); papules, which are inflamed, red, tender bumps with no head and pustules, which are similar to white heads, but are inflamed, and appear as red circles with a white or yellow centre.

white heads do not usually last long; blackheads do last a long time and pustules are what people call spots. Severe acne vulgaris is distinguished by nodules and cysts. A 'nodule' is a much larger and more painful sort of pustule and can sometimes last for months. Nodules are large, hard bumps under the skin's surface. They frequently result in scarring and should never be squeezed, which could cause them to last for months longer still.

A 'cyst' can look like a nodule, but it is pus-filled, and has been defined as having a diameter of at least 5mm and, again, can leave scars and cause pain. Squeezing an acne cyst may cause a deeper infection and more painful inflammation which will last very much longer than if it had been left alone.

Skin experts have ways of reducing swelling and preventing scarring with both nodules and cysts. It is a myth that sufferers of acne vulgaris are not meticulous about washing and also that there are many acne vulgaris treatments.

Indeed, it is a little-known fact that, over washing can irritate acne vulgaris. There are many, many fake 'cures' in the shops and many, many old wives' tales. However, any honest dermatologist would advise you that there are no sure-fire acne vulgaris treatments and that the patient should follow a religious regimen of cleaning until the acne vulgaris just 'goes away' on its own.