Acne: Causes & Treatment

Acne breakout can ruin the look of healthy skin completely. Sometimes it gets very severe as the eruptions keep happening continually. Acne occurs when oil, dead skin or bacteria block the pores on your skin. Though it is not dangerous, acne can be embarrassing and can leave scars on your skin. Severe acne can also be quite painful. Pimples in the form of blackheads and whiteheads are the main symptoms of acne.

Causes of Acne:

1. Stress: Stress is a major cause that makes your skin prone to acne. When the body is stressed, it produces excessive testosterone (a sex hormone) resulting in excessive oil production. Stress also impairs the immune system of the body so that it becomes vulnerable to acne.
2. Cosmetics: Some cosmetics (usually oil based) tend to clog the pores of the skin which may result in acne. Using harsh cleansing agents can dry and irritate the skin. Also, gentle washing of the skin is recommended to avoid breakouts.
3. Certain medications and drugs: Consumption of specific over the counter medicines like the ones containing bromide and use of recreational drugs like marijuana and cocaine can lead to the occurrence of acne as side effects.
4. Genetics: Certain genetic factors may also be responsible for someone being more prone to acne than others.

Treatment for Acne:

Cosmetic dermatology procedures can successfully help you do away with acne scars. Blue-light therapy is a procedure in cosmetic dermatology which can work wonders for acne scars. A narrow- band, but high - intensity Blue-light is used to counter Porphyrins released by bacteria causing acne. Porphyrins easily absorb Blue-light and the light leads to radical damage of Porphyrins when used in certain wavelengths.

There are also certain topical creams available, which can improve mild scarring, most of the acne scars are either depressed or raised type and need a combination of surgical procedures and skin resurfacing.

The therapeutic options that are currently available to treat acne scars include subcision, dermabrasion, microdermabrasion, derma rollers, chemical peels, TCA cross, ablative lasers, fractional lasers and dermal fillers.