A Spot Of Bother: All About Acne

Rare (and extremely fortunate) is the individual who has not experienced acne in one form or another. All over the world, acne is one of the commonest skin disorders and it affects millions of people to a greater or lesser extent. In the US alone, nearly 80% of people in the 12-30 years age bracket have suffered or continue to suffer from this skin condition that ranges from irritating to painful. Though most prevalent among pubescent individuals, acne may also affect people aged 35 and above. But what can we do to combat the problem? To begin with, we need to know more about acne.

Cause:

The first thing to know about acne is that it is the result of the excess production within our bodies of an oily substance called sebum. Sebum comes from the sebaceous glands, which are regulated by certain hormones, notably the male hormone testosterone. So if your body reacts abnormally to these hormones, your sebaceous glands are likely to work overtime, producing excess sebum. 

Simultaneously, dead skin cells (or corneocytes), which at other times you would have shed as a matter of course, start to accumulate beneath the pores of your skin, clogging them by blocking the hair follicles. The common medical theory is that oil secretions build up beneath a blocked pore, allowing the bacteria Propionibacterium acnes and yeast Malassezia to thrive. Before these technicalities get out of hand, let’s just say that these plugged pores result in blackheads, whiteheads, pimples (can any article about acne do without this dreaded word?), zits, or spots, usually to be foun the face, neck, back, chest, or shoulders.

Effect:

The most damaging fact about acne is not that it is a serious threat to a sufferer’s physical health – it is not – but that it affects mental health. According to various independent studies, acne causes mild to acute depression depending on the intensity of its occurrence. At least one 2006 study about acne – “Acne, anxiety, depression and suicide in teenagers: a cross-sectional survey of New Zealand secondary school students” – conducted by D. Purvis, E. Robinson, S. Merry and P. Watson concluded that young people suffering from acne are more open to depression, anxiety and suicide attempts than non-sufferers.

The thing about acne is not merely that it looks repulsive in its active phase, but that it can cause permanent (and prominent) disfiguration even when no longer active. In other words, some acne scars never go away, heightening a sufferer’s emotional trauma.

So acne victims are prone to display such traits as reduced self-esteem and depression. Anyone who knows anything about acne will tell you that it usually appears during adolescence, when we are emotionally insecure anyway. Therefore, unless you take early steps to combat it, the acne demon may seriously blight your social and emotional well-being.

Treatment:

There are various modes of treatment available, depending on the severity of the problem. Most commonly, treatment of acne seeks to limit scarring, soothe the inflamed areas, prevent the formation of whiteheads and blackheads, and combat the social embarrassment that acne causes. While mild to moderate acne responds well to over-the-counter preparations like benzoyl peroxide, resorcinol, salicylic acid and sulfur, those with moderately severe to severe acne need to see a primary care physician or dermatologist who may then prescribe antibiotics.

The bottom line about acne is that it hurts the mind more than it does the body, but that it can be kept in check through a combination of factors, which we shall discuss in future articles.