Acne on Face Causes and Treatment

Acne on the face is a very common problem which is faced by each and every man and woman at least once in their life. Some have mild acne others have a more severe form of them. The colour and severity of acne also vary. Some acne form a scar and others do not.

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Papules are the raised acne, which can be brownish, dark, or pinkish in colour. It is basically a collection of sebum (the oily secretion) under your skin. The treatment of such type of acne is to maintain a good proper hygiene. Wash your face as often as you can, probably 6-8 times a day. Use non medicated simple moisturizing soap. Medicated and germicidal soaps may actually aggravate the sebaceous acne. Because they tend to make the skin dry and dry skin stimulates more oil production in susceptible individuals. Some topical creams that contain benzoyl peroxide, vitamin A derivatives and sulfur may also help to reduce the problem of facial acne and can be used if maintain proper hygiene doesn’t work alone. In some cases, if nothing helps, and acne are more severe then topical and systemic antibiotics are advised. If they also fail to work or acnes are more severe then oral retinoids are considered.

If papules become infected then they become yellowish, These yellowish papules burst after some time to release the entrapped pus. These yellowish papules on the face may produce scar after healing. So they should be treated as soon they appear. The best way is to go to a skin specialist for an opinion. Your skin specialist may start an oral and topical antibiotic. Plus he may think of other treatments according to the severity of the acne. In more severe cases, retinoids in oral form are also given along with the antibiotics. Topical antibiotics in form of creams (If the infected area is less and wet) or lotions or ointments (if the infected area is large and dry) should be used. First, a trial of topical treatment should be given before starting the oral and systemic treatment as topical treatment is safer as compared to systemic (that is oral) treatment.

Maintain proper hygiene, it is very important. Washing your face with a safe non medicated cleanser 5-6 times a day keeps your skin pores open and prevents a collection of sebum below the skin and thus prevent the formation of acne.

Some medications also cause facial and back acne. Especially androgens and lithium. Hormonal disturbances in females also cause acne, such as polycystic ovarian disease, in which there are high levels androgens (male hormones) in females. In males during puberty when their testosterone level starts to rise, they develop acne. But these acne fade away with time on their own.