Unrelenting Acne and Its Treatments
Acne is one of the most universal forms of skin problems. Both men and women can suffer acne, but usually only during adolescence. However, there are some types of acne that are more severe than others and can cause serious damage to the skin.
If acne becomes severe, it can take a long time to cure. Some types of severe acne can also create deep abscesses and scars after the blemishes have healed.
The main form of severe acne vulgaris is called acne conglobata. In acne conglobata, infected nodules appear around comedones. The nodules become more inflamed and spread deep inside the skin surface. When these nodules burst, they leave deep scars. Blackheads are very common in this type of acne. It can appear on face, buttocks, trunk, etc. The treatment of acne conglobata is commonly performed with isotretinoin.
Other insidious types of acne are acne fulminans and gram-negative folliculitis. If acne suddenly flares up leaving inflammation, ulcers, and fever, it is known as acne fulminans. This is usually treated with steroids. Gram-negative folliculitis, on the other hand, is a severe form of folliculitis that harms the hair follicle and contaminates the pore. Isotretinoin is the therapy of choice in this case.
Any acne condition that keeps flaring up instead of subsiding can turn into a form of severe acne. One of the main consequences of severe acne can be deep acne scars as well as inflammation, redness and irritation. If you suffer from any form of severe acne, you should be under the care of a doctor.
How to Treat Severe Forms of Acne
When dealing with acne skin care, the best treatment methodology is to target as many of the causes as possible.
Excessive Sebum Production
Excessive sebum production begins in puberty due to hormonal changes. The rising levels of androgens, the major sebotrophic hormones, start to elevate sebum production. However, while androgenic stimulation is crucial in the pathogenesis of acne, the common acne sufferer does not have major endocrine alterations. Hormonal therapy is not indicated in the initial treatment of mild to moderate acne, although females who need oral contraception can be candidates for anti-androgen therapy early in the course of treatment.
Aberrant Desquamation of the Follicular Epithelium
In acne, keratinocytes hyperproliferate and gather inside the sebaceous follicle. As these aberrantly discarded cells gather in the sebaceous follicle, they lead to microcomedo formation. The microcomedo is the beginning stage of all acne lesions and is present in 80% of acne papules but is not evident to the naked eye. However, as the already blocked follicle begins to fill with lipids, bacteria and cell fragments, the microcomedo progresses to open or closed comedones (blackheads and whiteheads, respectively), both of which are non-inflammatory blemishes. If P. acnes grow, inflammatory elements are created and inflammatory papules and pustules appear.
Bacterial Proliferation
With acne problems, the microenvironment of the follicle is prone to the population of P. acnes. This leads to inflammation and the appearance of the visible papules and pustules with which acne patients typically present to dermatologists.
Inflammation
Inflammation in acne appears as a result of hormonal and cellular immune reactions to the growth P. acnes. It has been theorized that changes in sebum production or composition irritate infundibular keratinocytes causing the production of interleukin 1a (IL-1a). In addition, CD4 lymphocytes and neutrophils are carried to the follicle. Rupture of the follicular conduct leads to the extravasation of lipids, corneocytes and bacteria into the dermis, causing further inflammation.
Lesions caused by severe forms of acne can now be treated thanks to a biological skin care product that includes one the best healing ingredients that Mother Nature can offer.
- Grant Ferns
