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Who gets acne: Acne is common. It affects most people during their teenage years. 80% of people have suffered from acne at some time in their lives. 5% of these people suffer from very severe acne.
Acne is a skin disease and it should be treated as one.
What causes acne: The exact cause of acne is unknown. Acne is not caused by dirty skin and acne is not a problem suffered only by teenagers.
Some people find that their acne seems to get worse when they eat certain foods like chocolates, fried food and chillies. If the patient finds that this is the case, avoid the foods that appear to make the acne worse.
One idea about the cause of acne is that as the changes due to puberty occur, the skin of an acne prone person reacts to these changes by making excess sebum. This extra sebum causes a plug to form, blocking the pore and resulting in the development of a pimple. When this occurs in several places at the same time, the result is acne.
Emotional stress, fatigue and cosmetics can make acne worse.
Acne most commonly first appears at the beginning of puberty when the production of hormones (called androgens) is increased. The sebaceous glands also become more active at this time. Many people outgrow acne when they reach adulthood, as the sebaceous glands settle into a normal cycle. Some people never outgrow acne and they may be bothered by it their whole lives.
Sometimes women tend to break out in a pattern that follows the course of their menstrual cycle.
Family history is a factor in determining if the patient will get acne. If one or both of the parents had acne, chances are that the patient may also get acne.
Outside factors can affect acne, either causing acne or making existing acne worse. Grease and oils or the use of some cosmetics and hair products can cause or irritate acne. Besides being irritants these products can act like sebum and block pores.
If the patient finds break out with acne around the hairline, at the temples and in front of the ears, the hair products may be to blame. For instance, the shampoo used, or the hair gel the patient used, or hairspray may be blocking the pores. Another area that can be affected by outside factors is the jawline. Breakouts in this area can be the result of resting the head in the hand or even resting the telephone on the shoulder for long periods of time.
Although acne is not caused by dirt, it is helpful to keep the face clean. Gentle cleansing twice daily can help by cutting down on the amount of common bacteria on the skin, and by reducing the amount of other materials on the skin that can also act like sebum and contribute to the blocking of the pores. This cleansing can be accomplished by washing the face twice daily with warm (not hot) water and a mild antibacterial soap. The fingers are actually the best washcloth can use. If the patient does use a facecloth, be gentle. Scrubbing irritates pimples already present and can increase inflammation, it can also contribute to the formation of cysts.
Types of Acne: This section provides some technical information about types of acne and it should be very useful for anyone wanting to learn more about acne. The patient could also visit the website at www.oratane.co.nz or www.oratane.com.hk
The technical term for a pimple is "comedone".
A "closed comedone" is one in which the contents of the pore have not escaped from the skin and are attacked by a bacteria. The bacteria is called Propionibacterium acnes, these bacteria are normally found on the skin. The result of the bacteria attacking the pore is inflammation.
A blackhead is a pimple that is open to the air. The pore opening has expanded, or dilated, to allow the plug of sebum and skin cells to move to the top of the pore. The exposure to the air causes a component of the contents of the pimple, called melanin, to turn dark.
A pustule, or whitehead, forms when the pore opening remains closed and bacteria accumulates, this is a closed comedone.
Cystic acne is the most severe type of acne. It occurs when material from the pimple escapes from the pore under the skin. Swelling and pain occur as the body's defence systems send bacteria-fighting white cells to the area in response. Cystic acne can result in scarring. A doctor's care is required to treat this type of acne. A doctor will treat the acne in order to reduce inflammation and to try to reduce the possibility of scarring.
Cystic acne can occur on its own, sometimes it can be the result of "picking" at existing pimples. The pressure of squeezing a pimple can cause the contents of the pimple to escape from the pore under the skin, resulting in a cyst.
Why has Oratane been prescribed: The doctor has probably prescribed Oratane for the patient because other treatments for acne have been unsuccessful.
The patient probably hasn't been prescribed Oratane earlier because it is considered to be a good idea to try other treatments, such as creams and antibiotics, for the acne first.
While taking Oratane, advise the patient to follow very carefully all the instructions given by the doctor. Advise the patient to also follow the advice given in this monograph, as it will help the patient to look after the skin during Oratane treatment.
