Clear Skin Ahead: Holistic Approaches and Effective Strategies to Treat Acne

According to an Infratest survey, 93 per cent of all young people suffer from acne during puberty. The positive: Acne can be controlled or cured well these days. However, the success of an acne treatment depends mainly on how motivated the individual is. Acne is more common in teenage boys than in teenage girls. Why? During puberty, male sex hormones are increasingly produced – in boys but also girls. The male hormones cause excessive sebum production and faster growth of the horny cells in the sebum glands of the skin.

What is acne?

To treat acne, one should first understand what acne is. Acne (acne vulgaris) is a disease of the sebaceous glands. Each sebaceous gland has a duct that ends on the skin’s surface and through which the sebum can drain. In the upper part of the excretory duct, there are also horn-forming cells – so-called corneocytes. Increased sebum production, coupled with a cornification disorder, can clog the sebum openings during hormonal changes – the unloved blackheads (comedones) appear. In a further step, the accumulated sebaceous gland secretion – which forms an ideal breeding ground for bacteria – can lead to inflammation of the sebaceous glands. Then there are inflamed, reddened nodules (pimples) or oversized, reddened, painful Lumps (pustules). The inflammation is caused by propionic and staphylococci bacteria.

 

Take action against pimples and blackheads.

A distinction is made between open blackheads (blackheads), closed blackheads (whiteheads) and acne pimples (inflamed blackheads). In addition, a distinction is made between light, superficial acne and more severe, deep acne with inflamed nodules lying deep under the skin (acne conglobata). Acne conglobata can usually no longer be treated with locally applied agents. Deep acne often leads to scarring, while superficial acne can only be cured by incorrect treatment, e.g. B. “pushing around” leads to acne scars. Acne very often appears during puberty, but there are also acne patients who are 25 or 30 years old. Affected skin areas are mainly the face, chest, back or shoulders, as many sebaceous glands exist in these areas.

Triggers and causes of acne

• Predisposition to acne is passed from father and mother to children.
• Hormonal changes, especially during puberty, sometimes also during menstruation or pregnancy.
• Highly greasy cosmetics that irritate the skin to form blackheads.
• Certain medicines, such as cortisone (steroid acne).
• Long-term use of cosmetics, sunscreens or environmental toxins. B. Chemicals ( chloracne ).

 

There is no such thing as an anti-acne diet.

It was thought that the development of acne is due to improper diet. Controlled studies have since disproved this opinion. However, if acne gets worse after eating certain foods, you should avoid them in the future.

Acne treatment and skin care

• Use unique acne cosmetics. Skin cleansing and care with products specifically for acne-prone skin is essential.
• Very important: Do not press around on the skin, as this only worsens the inflammation and can cause unsightly scars. Pathogens can also spread more quickly in the damaged skin.
• Wash the skin at least once a day with the appropriate products.
• Blackheads can be softened with hot water compresses and carefully opened with a comedo squeezer.
• Application of antimicrobial cream or gel, e.g. B. with benzoyl peroxide. The active ingredient works against the bacteria that are jointly responsible for the development of acne.
• Soothing compresses or masks with chamomile or healing earth help with inflamed skin.

Regular treatment with effective remedies reduces the disease’s severity and prevents permanent scar formation. Acne does not go away overnight, but those who treat their acne regularly will be successful in the end!

When should you go to the doctor?

A doctor should always be consulted if the acne is very severe if there is severe inflammation and suppuration, or if there is no improvement after treatment. The doctor can prescribe antibiotics such as B. erythromycin, clindamycin, tetracycline or doxycycline, azelaic acid, retinoids, or combinations of active ingredients also treat severe acne well.