ACNE IS A COMMON TERM

Acne is a skin disease that occurs in young adolescence age due to hormonal changes. It’s common among teenagers. It usually appears on the face and neck. Rarely in the back. It resembles red spots, inflammation, and sometimes hard enough painting.

Acne is a common skin condition in which under your skin, your pores are connected to glands that make an oily substance known as sebum. The glands and pores are connected by a canal known as a follicle that has a thin hair that grows out to the skin’s surface. When sebum and dead skin cells clump together, they form a plug in the follicle. Bacteria in the plug cause inflammation, leading to red pimples in acne.

MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY

According to medical terms, by WILLIAM SHIEL JR., MD, FACP, FACR, Acne is a localized skin inflammation as a result of over-secretion of the oil glands at the base of specialized hair follicles. Acne happens when oil (sebaceous) glands come to life around puberty when these glands are stimulated by male hormones that are produced in the adrenal glands of both boys and girls. The oil glands, which are located just beneath the skin, continuously produce and secrete oil through openings in the skin. The oil lubricates and protects the skin. Under certain circumstances, cells that are close to the openings of the oil glands block the openings. This causes a build-up of oil underneath the skin. Bacteria, which live in everyone’s skin but generally mind their own business, feast on this oil, multiply and cause the surrounding tissues to become inflamed if the follicle ruptures.

CAUSES

Common during puberty(adolescence), pregnancy, and the menstrual cycle. During all the above regimes, hormonal changes cause, auxiliary hair, mustache, etc amongst boys, and changes in the structure of the body in girls. A common change is an acne.

Increased oil production

Increase in the production of oil in the glands underneath the skin, if not oozes out as sweat or closed by the thin layer of skin. This process makes the oil gets clogged in the pores, and beta carotene available in the oil glands stagnates and changes into comedowns.

Hyper cornification

The formation of a horny layer of skin, or horny skin structures, such as hair, nails, or scales, from squamous epithelial cells. This thickening of epithelium doesn’t allow the skin debris, or beta carotene underneath the skin to come out easily which in turn forms red spots.

Sweat and Dirt accumulation

Cleansing the skin by proper scrubbing and massaging methods at regular intervals with cold or warm water aid in the removal of sweat and dirt on the surface of the skin. Every time visit the home or the workplace from outside washing away your face will reduce the accumulation of sweat and dirt.

Dandruff / Bacterial infection

Dandruff in hair gets contact with the face or back leading to bacterial infection in turn cause acne, using the same towels for wiping hair and body, and pillows that we use have the bacteria with it gets contact with the face and cause the same effect.

Drug allergy

Drugs or Medications prescribed for the other issues in the body might have an impact on the change of hormones like carotenoids make causing the oil glands to produce more oil which leads to acne.

Exposure to dust and humidity

Prevailing conditions of climate, humidity, and dust in the surroundings have a greater impact on the skin by overproduction of oil or accumulation of sweat which aids in acne

Reaction to all the above processes causes inflammation of the spot in the skin and redness to occur.

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE CAUSES

Genetics

A very common reason or factor for acne development is genetics. If one of your parents had severe cystic acne, you have a higher chance of getting it. Romm the parents, the acne properties can be imbibed to the children.

Hormonal changes

The usage of drugs/medicines for the other problems may lead you to hormonal imbalance which in turn leads to acne. Hormones called androgens play a major role. When you’re a teenager, your androgen levels go up. This leads to changes in your skin that can result in clogged pores and acne.

Occlusion in skin surface

Usage of thick oily products for makeover and skincare routine, close the pores artificially which in turn further damage the skin Eg: Foundations

Stress

Depression due to mental or physical disturbance will have a considerable impact on sleep. This sleeplessness in turn affects the improper secretion of hormones

Diet

Food plays a vital role in the stimulation and suppression of oil production in the skin. Take spicy, sweet, and tangy flavors in food is not good for those who are acne prone.

TYPES

Acne can be described in the following forms

• Non – inflammatory acne 
• Inflammatory Acne

Non-inflammatory Acne

The name itself suggests, there won’t be any inflammation in the skin when a clog or plug develops in the opening of hair follicles in your skin. Each follicle contains one hair and a sebaceous gland that produces oil. This oil, called sebum, helps keep your skin soft. Dead skin cells and oils collect in the opening to the skin follicle, producing a bump called a comedown. There are two kinds of it. They are

• Blackheads
• Whiteheads

Blackheads

When the skin over the bump opens, exposure to the air causes it to look black and the beta-carotene in the skin will turn black and pop out as blackheads.

Whiteheads

When the skin over the bump stays closed, the bump is called a whitehead. Suppose the beta-carotene is closed by a layer of skin then it is called the white head.

Inflammatory Acne

The skin debris gets contact with the bacteria from the surroundings gets infected and makes the skin inflamed causing redness in the spot, some times with pus also harden the surface, etc. They are further classified into 

• Papules
• Pustules
• Nodules
• Cysts

Papules

A type of bacteria called P. acnes resides on the surface of our skin, beneath which lie the sebaceous glands. These glands produce an oil called sebum that is vital to maintain healthy skin. Sometimes, these tiny pores get clogged with oil, dirt, and bacteria. When the body releases chemicals to fight the bacteria, it causes inflammation. This may result in the formation of a papule.

Pustules

Pustules are nothing but what we typically refer to as a pimple. They have a pus-filled yellow or white head and are usually bigger in size than papules. Formation of a papule, that may, later on, develop into a pustule or pimple. It occurs in the face, neck, back, and chest. They also may be found in clusters in the same area.

Nodules

Nodular acne occurs when a pore gets clogged by oil, dirt, and P. acnes bacteria. This bacteria lives on the surface of our skin. At times, it may get trapped in between dirt and oil, resulting in acne breakouts. One of the main characteristics of nodular acne is inflammation in the deeper layers of the skin. Squeezing or picking at the bump can worsen the symptoms of nodular acne. It resembles red, inflamed lesions on the surface of your skin, it doesn’t have a head. They are usually painful and big in size. It occurs on the face, neck, chest, and back. It can last for months together

Cysts

Cystic acne is most common in people with oily skin. Large pus-filled cysts, redness, inflammation in the deepest layer of the skin, painful and tenderness to touch are the characteristics of cystic acne. Cystic acne is pus-filled and usually shows up as red bumps with a white head. They’re also usually softer than nodules because they are pus-filled. It is common in teens, women, and anyone with hormonal imbalances. The condition can affect your face, chest, back, upper arms, and shoulders. It is prevalent in the lower half of women’s faces. Severe cystic acne is more common in men.

TREATMENT

With proper care, any disease can be treated and cured. It is also important, any disease diagnosed at the starting stage can be cured quickly and permanently. If not, it will retain for life long. This suits best with acne too.

The treatment can be effective and quick recovery can be achieved by treating the disease both internally and externally. The following questions have to be answered 

Is the metabolism right?

Is the passage of blood disturbed? / Is the blood circulation fit?

Is depuration of blood legitimate?

Is the defecation process through sweat glands appropriate?

Any malfunctions in the above processes can be cured by the following remedies.

Remedy 1: Black dry grapes/ Raisins

By proper digestion any disease can be treated quickly, the best treatment is Black Dry grapes/ Manuka with seeds. Soak the Black dry grapes of 5 nos in hot water. Leave it overnight, and have them in the next day morning either warm or cold. This will purify blood and aid in the proper circulation of blood. This water cleanses the blood and stomach. It helps in the detoxification of the stomach.

Remedy 2: Turmeric powder or raw turmeric tubers

Turmeric is anti-bacterial, anti-viral, antiseptic, antibiotic, etc. Add turmeric to all food preparations wherever possible. This helps in cleansing the stomach.

Remedy 3: Fenugreek seeds

Soak Fenugreek seeds ½ two in hot water. Allow it to leave overnight. The next day early morning have it either warm or cold. It aids in overall internal organ cleansing/ detoxification. It helps a lot for girls especially. 

Once the internal cleansing is done   we can move on to the external recovery which could have already shown positive results  in healthcare

Remedy 4: Long pepper powder

Long pepper in English, Thippili in Tamil, / Pippali / Pippalu in Telugu, Hippali in Kannada, and Pipil in Hindi. Mix Thippili powder ½ TSP with the required honey, and make it like a paste. Apply it on the face and leave it for 10 minutes. Wash it in normal water. Weekly twice will give good results. For sensitive skin, do a patch test and try it on the face. Since the flavor/odor is pungent, at first it seems heavy aroma but after 2 minutes will be normal.

It removes pimples, scars, marks, black dots, dryness in the skin, etc. It aids even the tone or complexion of the skin.

Remedy 5: Paneer rose water and red sandalwood powder

Gather the petals of the Damask rose and dry it in shade, grind it to powder. Take red sandalwood powder and mix equal proportions of both the powder. Add water or paneer water for normal to dry skin, leave it overnight and wash it off in the morning.

For oily skin, add the mix with honey. Apply it on the face for half an hour and wash it off.

This helps in reducing the hardness of skin over continuous application daily.

Remedy 6: Neem leaves to powder and Multani mitti( Fuller’s earth)

Shadow-dried Neem leaves, grounded to the powder form mixed with Multan mitti of equal proportions. Add water in drops to make it like the paste. Apply it to acne spots, and leave for 15 minutes. Wash the face with normal water. Apply it ( in the morning and at night time) twice a day.

This helps to remove pimples and detoxifies the skin and nourishes it eventually. With proper counseling and care, acne can be treated and cured easily with little effort. Acne is just  ‘passing clouds’ for the lovely Teenage people.