I. What is acne
Acne, also known as pimples and acne, is a chronic inflammatory disease of the sebaceous glands of the hair follicles. Most believe that its cause is closely related to androgens, sebaceous glands and microorganisms in the hair follicles, as well as a certain genetic predisposition. Acne often afflicts adolescent men and women, and this trouble can sometimes last beyond the age of 35. A study in France showed that the incidence of acne in adult women was as high as 41%, and more and more adults are suffering from the “youthful” face.
Causes
Simply put, the cause of acne is the excessive secretion of oil by the sebaceous glands, which blocks the hair follicles and causes bacterial infection. When the follicles are blocked by sebaceous glands and skin cells, they form what is commonly known as “whitehead” acne, and when the surface is exposed to air and dust, the color turns black, resulting in so-called “blackhead” acne. Once these blocked follicle walls rupture at the surface of the skin, a papule is formed. The rupture in the lower layers of the skin is most likely to lead to cystic acne, which is characterized by scarring or indentations.
Specifically, these include the following four aspects.
1. Increased androgen secretion leads to hypertrophy of the sebaceous glands and excessive sebum secretion, which can cause increased synthesis and excretion of sebum by the sebaceous glands.
2, abnormal keratinization of keratin-forming cells in the follicular funnel, increased adhesion, and blockage of the opening.
3. Propionibacterium acnes proliferates in the follicular sebaceous glands and decomposes sebum.
4.Inflammation of the hair follicle sebaceous gland structure violently destroys the hair follicle.
III. Influencing factors
Acne is often influenced by a variety of factors after its formation.
1, endocrine: some female patients are aggravated before the onset of menstruation.
2, food: such as the consumption of peanuts, chocolate, fried food or vitamin B1, B2, B6, zinc and other deficiencies.
3, emotions: such as tension, anxiety, lack of sleep can aggravate.
4, climate: sun exposure, high humidity some patients will worsen.
5, cosmetics: Many adult women’s acne is related to the abuse of cosmetics.
6, Chemicals: Such as oral or topical use of paracortical hormones, certain cosmetics, industrial oils, PCBs, certain anti-tuberculosis drugs, etc., may cause acne.
7, Genetic factors: Cystic acne is related to genetics.
IV. Clinical manifestations and classification
The disease occurs on the face of young men and women, especially on the forehead, cheeks, chin and back of the chest. The affected area is oily, with enlarged pores and some dandruff. Most of them have no conscious symptoms.
Due to the difference of individual’s constitution, the onset of the disease may be mild or severe, and the duration may be long or short. In mild cases, there are only a few white (whiteheads) or black bumps (blackheads), such as the size of a pinpoint millet, which are not painful or itchy; in severe cases, there can be large red bumps, such as the size of red beans, with the largest being the size of a fava bean, which are very painful and tend to have pus and blood flowing out when washing the face. Commonly occurring areas include the cheeks, forehead, corners of the mouth, chin, neck, back, and forehead. Most people wait until puberty is over and the acne will naturally subside.
Depending on the manifestation of the skin aggregates are divided into the following common types: acne vulgaris, acne papulosa, acne pustulosa, acne sclerosis, acne cystica, acne atrophica, acne aggregata, necrotizing acne, and neonatal acne.
The severity of acne can be further divided according to whether the acne is predominantly pimples or pustules or cysts in different patients.
V. Treatment of acne (acne treatment)
Some people may say that when puberty is over, acne will naturally subside, so what is the use of treatment?
That’s because acne seriously affects the beauty of the face, and its impact on the appearance is not only limited to the onset of the disease, but may also be a lifelong regret due to the scars it leaves behind. This may also have a negative impact on the psychological development of the patient. Many children become withdrawn and have low self-esteem because of a few pimples on their face. The majority of acne patients do not leave obvious marks, but there are a few patients who fail to treat their condition in a timely and reasonable manner due to the severity of their condition, or whose condition is not serious but is not treated and cared for properly, thus causing damage to the skin organism and leaving some sequelae. The two most common sequelae of acne are scarring and pigmentation changes (i.e., permanent changes in skin color).
The main objectives of our acne treatment are: first, to improve the aesthetic and painful symptoms of the child at the onset of acne; and second, to avoid the scarring left by acne. There are two types of scarring left by acne: raised hyperplastic scarring and depressed atrophic scarring, and sometimes the two can exist together in a mixture. However, if the child is not properly squeezed repeatedly, it can often lead to the formation of small depressed scars. If the child does not pay attention to hygiene, it can also cause septic infection, which will most likely leave larger scars. Of course, the deeper the local inflammation, the more pronounced the scar will be after healing. Regardless of the type of scar, once formed, it is difficult to treat, and the methods generally used, such as grinding, are not very effective and the treatment process is very painful.
The specific treatment of acne is as follows.
1, pay attention to rest, adjust the diet and emotions based on the application of drug treatment.
2. Depending on the type and severity of acne, the treatment method varies greatly. According to the pathogenesis mentioned earlier, treatment drugs are often divided into hormones, anti-keratinizing drugs and anti-inflammatory drugs.
If there are only a few whiteheads or blackheads, retinoid creams such as Dewey Cream and Daphne can be used topically on acne with good results. If there are more large red bumps, smaller doses of oral antibiotics such as erythromycin and memantin are needed. If scars have formed and new bumps have appeared or there are large cysts, oral retinoids are needed, such as the commonly used vitamin capsules and Tylenol. Of course, the treatment of acne should be tailored to the specific situation of each child in order to achieve good results.
Sixth, acne prevention (as long as youth does not acne)
Although acne is also a symbol of youth, a face full of acne does bring more trouble. Many teenage friends are more concerned about how to take good care of their skin, prevent acne from occurring, and retain their youth without acne.
Individuals in daily life herbal medicine pay attention to the following points.
1, to develop good living habits
(1) Pay attention to personal cleanliness and hygiene, bathe regularly, change clothes regularly, keep the face and hands clean, so that facial sebum is discharged normally.
(2) Wash your face with lukewarm water, avoid using alkaline soap, and do not use cosmetics with more oil and irritation to avoid further filling of hair follicles and aggravation of acne.
(3) Do not squeeze, pinch, or pinch with your hands, as this can cause inflammatory bacteria to develop deeper and can also cause disfiguring scarring.
(4) After the occurrence of acne, you should go to the hospital to see a dermatologist as soon as possible, follow the doctor’s instructions, take the medicine and rub the medicine carefully.
(5) Do not purchase your own medication and take matters into your own hands. You should never use topical medication containing hormones because one of the adverse effects of hormones is that they cause acne and can make acne more serious.
(6) Oil-control and moisturizing skin care products can be used.
(7) The white-collar class should pay more attention to the regularity of life, to strengthen physical exercise, to pay attention to the timely whistling of fresh air, and not to use hands to touch the face. Do not wear heavy makeup, light makeup natural more appropriate.
(8) pay attention to sun protection, less exposure to the computer.
2, pay attention to diet
(1) eat less fat, fatty meat, sexual food, to reduce the intake of fat, to light diet is appropriate.
(2) Eat less stimulating food such as chili, wine, onion, garlic, etc., because these foods will stimulate sebum secretion. You should eat more vegetables, fruits and light foods.
3. Note that some drugs can aggravate acne
(1) Including some androgen preparations and corticosteroids.
(2) Other drugs include halogenated elements and phenytoin sodium, isoniazid, etc.
4. Maintain an optimistic mood and ensure adequate sleep
(1) Avoid emotional anxiety and tension, maintain an optimistic and happy mood, and recognize that this is a temporary physiological phenomenon.
(2) Study and work to pay attention to the combination of work and rest, do not long-term mental tension, to ensure that 7-8 hours of sleep every day.
(3) Keep the bowel movement smooth.