What is acne? What is the pathogenesis of acne?
Acne is a chronic inflammatory reaction of the follicular sebaceous glands, and this inflammation occurs when the follicular sebaceous glands become inflamed.
There are four pathogenic factors: 1) genetics; 2) increased secretion of androgens; 3) increased secretion of sebaceous glands; and the involvement of Propionibacterium acnes infection and inflammatory molecules around the follicular sebaceous glands, which eventually leads to a series of skin manifestations that we see clinically, from acne to papules, to pustules, and even to cystic scars.
What is the best time to treat acne?
Acne is more prevalent in young people and has a fixed incidence. Therefore, acne treatment is a long-term affair.
Some people start with acne and try to treat it, which is aggravated by a number of factors and may progress to inflammatory papules, pustules, cysts, and scars, so it is important to treat it at all stages. The earlier you treat it, the better the control can be relatively, and it may be cured at the acne stage. Some people are indifferent, thinking that it is just a disease of adolescence, and if they do not treat it and let it progress, they may develop a series of serious rashes later on, the most serious being the cysts and scars left behind. Therefore, our concerns are different at each age, and once we get to the point where we actually have pustules, papules, cysts, and scars it is more of a headache. When you are looking for a job, graduation assignment, or a relationship you will take this scar very seriously.
Therefore, I hope that acne treatment, whether as doctors or as patients, will be long-term, comprehensive, and individualized.
How to prevent acne and acne scars?
We should prevent the occurrence of scars before they appear.
For one thing, when a rash appears, patients should not pick, scratch, or scratch too much to avoid causing scars.
In addition, when treating, the doctor should know to what extent the scarring will be aggravated.
If the patient has a scarring body, it is relatively easy to leave some scars behind.
How to treat different degrees of acne and acne scars?
We should know that acne can be classified as first, second, third or fourth degree acne according to its severity.
First degree acne is mainly acne-based and treated with retinoic acid-based or even fruit acid resurfacing.
For second degree, it can also be retinoic acid based as well as fruit acid resurfacing based. If the pustular papules are severe, we add some topical antibiotics. If it is more severe, we can add topical antibiotics and internal medications (such as retinoids).
In the third degree, there is more emphasis on phototherapy, which is photodynamic therapy, which is a great improvement and control for severe pustular papular lesions.
When we get to the stage of cysts and scars, we can use injections with some local seals and local injections of antibiotics to reduce the inflammation and scar generation. But when it really comes to the stage of scar generation, or if the cystic scars are more obvious, we can also use a variety of laser and photon treatments. These scars are divided into atrophic scars and hyperplastic scars, as well as some red acne marks and severe hyperpigmentation.
What should I pay attention to in the comprehensive treatment of acne and acne scars?
In general, acne treatment should be individualized, and a comprehensive and individualized plan should be adopted, taking into account all factors in a comprehensive manner according to our clinical classification of one, two, three and four levels.
In the whole treatment process, we also need to emphasize the protection of the skin barrier. Although acne is an inflammation of the sebaceous glands of the hair follicles, many patients themselves and our medical staff and medical aesthetic workers do not protect the skin barrier of patients. As a result, after treatment, although the severe symptoms subside, the skin barrier is not protected and only half the effort is made. If we protect the skin barrier, we will get twice the result with half the effort.