This common skin disorder, although not life threatening, can cause much distress to its sufferers especially teenagers. Fortunately, virtually every case of acne can be resolved but this often is a long process and requires much patience.

What is Acne?
Acne is a skin disorder resulting from the action of the skin’s oil glands (sebaceous glands) which leads to plugged pores and outbreaks of various lesions. Acne frequently occurs on the face, back, chest and shoulders.

What causes Acne?
The exact cause of acne is not known at this time, but clinical researchers believe it results from several related factors. The main factor is an increase in male hormones called androgens. These increase in both boys and girls during puberty and cause the sebaceous glands to enlarge and make more sebum.

Hormonal changes related to starting or stopping the oral contraceptive pill and pregnancy can also cause acne.

Heredity factors are also important in acne. If your parents suffered from acne you are at an increased risk of suffering from acne.

There is no scientific evidence that chocolate, peanuts, sugar or seafood cause acne. Individuals whose acne is made worse by these foods may want to avoid them.

Excess washing of the face does not prevent acne. In fact excessive washing can cause irritation of the skin and can cause acne to flare up. While it is good to avoid dirt from building up on the skin, there is no evidence that dirt cause acne.

Who gets Acne?
Nearly 85% of people between the ages 12 and 24 develop some form of acne. Acne can occur at all ages and in all races. The majority of individuals with acne tend to have their problems resolved by age 40, but a few individuals continue to suffer from acne even to the age of 50.

Acne and stress
Stress is commonly blamed for the development of acne. Stress is not a very important factor in acne. In fact, the acne it self may cause severe stress especially in teenagers. Stress can have an effect on hormone metabolism and theoretically this may indirectly affect acne. In the majority of cases stress is not an important cause for acne development.

Treatment
The main goals of acne treatment are to heal existing lesions, prevent new lesions, prevent scarring, and minimize the psychological stress and embarrassment caused by this disease.

There are a wide variety of treatment options now available for the treatment of acne.Your family doctor can discuss these with you. Patients with severe acne should be referred to a dermatologist. Individuals on treatment should remember that it takes up to eight weeks before they may see improvements in their acne. Some oral acne medications can cause birth defects in the developing fetus of a pregnant woman. It is important that women of childbearing age are not pregnant and do not get pregnant while on this medication. If in doubt contact your obstetrician.

Individuals with acne should gently wash their skin with a mild cleanser, once in the morning and evening and after heavy exercise.

Individuals should avoid squeezing, pinching or pricking pimples or blemishes as this can lead to scar development.

Conclusion
Acne is one of the most common disorders and although it does not result in death can cause severe distress and embarrassment. Teenagers in particular can undergo severe problems when they have acne. There are many myths around concerning acne.Individuals with acne should seek medical advice at all times. Acne tends to affect individuals between 12 and 30 years but can affect any age group. With effective treatment the majority of individuals with acne can be successfully treated today.

Ask Your Doctor is a health education column and is not a substitute for medical advice from your physician. Dr. Brett Hodge is an obstetrician/gynaecologist and family doctor who has over twenty years in clinical practice. Dr. Hodge has a medical practice in the Johnson Building in The Valley.

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