Acne

Understanding

Acne (acne) is a disorder of the skin associated with excessive production of oil (sebum). This causes inflammation and blockages in the skin pores.Inflammation is characterized by the appearance of small (sometimes pus) lumps on the skin. This skin disorder is usually found in parts of the body with the most oil glands, namely on the face, neck, upper chest, and back.

In adolescents, acne is more common in men than women. However, when entering young adulthood, acne is easier for women than men. Generally acne occurs at the age of 14-17 years in women, 16-19 years in men.Although it does not rule out the possibility that acne can also be present at a more mature age.

Basically acne is not a dangerous disease. This is a general condition that can happen to anyone. However, acne can leave scars (acne scars), namely scarring due to healing of imperfect acne. This often reduces the confidence of those who experience it.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of acne can be done by a doctor just by doing a physical examination / skin of the patient directly. Based on the results of the examination, the doctor will determine the severity of the acne (both in terms of number and level of inflammation). Usually no further examination is needed.

Symptoms

Basically acne has quite common symptoms, namely small lumps (papules) that appear on the skin. The lump is usually reddish or yellow (because it contains pus).

In addition, there are several other signs of acne. Like the sensation of heat / burning due to inflammation and the onset of itching. In addition there are also typical symptoms of acne in the form of blackheads.

Blackheads are small lumps that contain sebum blockages. If it's black it's called blackheads. Whereas the white ones are called white blackheads.White blackheads are in a deeper location than blackheads.

Treatment

Treatment that can be done to overcome acne must be adjusted to the severity. There are several things that can be done, namely by:

Reducing oil production

Fight bacterial infections

Speed ​​up skin cell turnover and reduce inflammation.

The drug contains sulfur, resorcinol or salicylic acid

Antibiotics

Besides that, you can also use Isotretinoin. But its use requires supervision from a doctor, because it can cause bad side effects. In addition, pregnant women are not recommended to consume isotretinoin, because it can cause disability in the fetus.

Other actions that can be taken to prevent zits from recurring are:

Maintain facial cleanliness. Make sure you clean your face twice a day.The goal is to remove dead skin cells and excessive oil on the surface of the skin. Remember to always clean your face after wearing cosmetics.

Avoid rubbing your face using cloth or gloves with a rough surface. Wipe your face using your hands slowly.

Use a non-comedogenic moisturizer that cannot cause acne. Choose a moisturizer according to your skin type.

Choose non-comedogenic cosmetics that do not close the pores on the skin. Thus you will avoid the problem of zits after using cosmetics.

Clean your cosmetic equipment using regular soap and warm water.

Take a shower immediately after you move. Sweat and excess oil on the face can trigger acne.

Avoid squeezing and holding pimples too often. This can trigger acne to increase.

Cause

There are many factors that can trigger acne formation. But generally acne can be triggered due to the following conditions:

Excess oil production. One important factor that causes acne is the increased production of the hormone testosterone, which is owned by both male and female bodies. The hormone testosterone triggers acne by stimulating the oil glands to produce excessive skin oil (sebum).

Hormonal cycle. Each person will certainly pass a period of changing hormonal cycles, especially when entering puberty. When this happens, hormone production can stimulate excess oil production. In addition, hormonal cycles also occur during women's menstruation.

Genetic factors. Hereditary factors can also be a cause of acne. That is, if one parent has an acne problem, then his child also has the risk of experiencing the same thing.

Bacteria. When excess oil produced by bacterial infected skin, acne can grow easily. Infection due to this bacterium is also what usually causes skin irritation.

Stressful. Life pressure, both because of work and family problems, can make a person become stressed. This will usually affect a person's lifestyle, including diet. As a result, acne becomes more easily triggered.

Use of cosmetics. The substance content in each cosmetics cannot always be tolerated by everyone's skin. Usually, types of cosmetics with elements of oil, coloring agents, and perfumes are easier to trigger the formation of acne.