Acne Treatment

Acne Treatment;

Acne commonly known as pimples or zits are common in teenage years but can often present into late twenties or early thirties when they become a huge nuisance.

The common presentations are that of red bumps which turn into yellow heads (pustules) that rupture leaving raw areas on face. In severe cases, there can be deep seated nodules that heal with scars. Scars remain for life though they often get better as time passes. To treat acne early is to prevent scars that are permanent.

Treatment of acne depends upon the stage and age of patient. Early in the disease, treatments are mainly geared towards killing the bacteria responsible for infection of the enlarged sebaceous glands in the skin. Later, there are treatments that improve function of sebaceous glands by unblocking them and regulating sebum production. Isotretinoin is the only drug that works on this pathway and hence makes a big difference in the outcome. But a full course of isotretinoin lasting few months can leave a person with dry lips, nose, eyes and skin. The benefits of such treatment far outweigh the side effects. An oily complexion in hot humid summers of Mumbai will start loving their skin when on isotretinoin.

Isotretinoin does have scar modifying effect too on acne scars. They look much reduced when the course is on. But after finishing the course these scars return to normal skin colour. Such scars can be treated with modern dermatosurgical methods like Subcision using Nokor needle, Fractional co2 laser resurfacing, Fat grafting including nanofat injections, scar excision, punch excision, etc. In extreme scarring full skin dermabrasion has been done by Dr Goyal with very good cosmetic results.

Adult Acne needs a mention here. These are acne that occur after the age of 25 years. The primary characteristic of such acne is that they present as red pimples that stay for very long, do not convert to yellow head and often heal with a pigmented scar. They are always secondary to hormonal upset because of stressful lifestyle measures.