happy acne awareness month
Acne is a common skin condition affecting between 40 and 50 million people annually in the US. Despite being common there is no cure, however, it can be treated and for the most part, controlled. Even so, figuring out the proper treatment can take time and can be extremely frustrating and stressful! According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, those with acne can also develop: depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, poor self-image, and decreased quality of life.
What Causes Acne
Cell Accumulation
The most common reason acne occurs is retention hyperkeratosis meaning the skin is holding onto too many dead skin cells. Acneic skin produces on average four to five times more skin cells but possesses fewer cells responsible for releasing the enzyme that causes them to shed causing a “traffic jam” of cells in your pores.
Oil Production
Each pore has a hair and at the end of each hair is a tiny gland called the Sebaceous gland. This is the gland that produces the oil for your skin. When all the excessive skin cells cause a traffic jam and mix with the oil in your pore the combo creates an impaction plug and can become a non-inflamed lesion known as a whitehead (closed comedone) or blackhead (open comedone).
Bacteria
This is the part where science is still trying to figure things out. It’s thought that acne is caused by a strain of bacteria called C. acne bacteria, but as we are learning more about the skin’s microbiome, science has discovered that different strains of this same bacteria have positive effects on our skin. The strain that can cause acne (although findings show that this doesn’t occur with everyone) is in its glory in these little impactions. They are anaerobic meaning they survive without oxygen and feed on sebum or your skin’s oil. Because the plug seals off oxygen from getting into the pore and the plug is partially made from sebum these bacteria are sitting down to a Thanksgiving feast.
Inflammation
Now here’s where things get a little wild! You’ve got your pore sealed off with bacteria feasting inside and now this bacteria is producing its waste product. This waste product starts to irritate the pore’s lining causing inflammation. As this waste builds up and expands the pore the pore will rupture creating red, swollen, and pus-filled lesions.
Things that can cause these four things to occur range from genetics to changes in hormonal changes to eating a Western diet to stress. Cases differ depending on how these things add up in each person’s skin. Below you will find the types of lesions that occur with acne. We use these to grade each acne case which helps a bit in treating. For me, this is what I’m using when deciding if there is progress with treatment.
Types of Acne Lesions
Grades of Acne
Grade 1
This is the mildest stage of acne and is characterized by whiteheads and blackheads also known as comedones, as well as some papules and pustules.
Grade 2
This is the moderate stage of acne and is characterized by multiple papules and pustules. The skin may also be red or inflamed around the affected area.
Grade 3
This is the moderately severe stage of acne and is characterized by numerous papules and pustules, as well as an occasionally inflamed cyst or nodules. The skin may look red and irritated, and the back and chest may also be affected.
Grade 4
This is the severe stage of acne and is characterized by numerous large, painful, and inflamed pustules and nodules. Acne may be present on various parts of the body.
Because acne is so different from person to person I’m reluctant to give a general product or service recommendation, however, I will share the top mistakes I see that if avoided will benefit everyone.
The top two biggest mistakes I see those struggling with acne make are:
Picking.
Picking can cause more inflammation making healing take longer which can cause post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and scarring. Most commonly I see picking cause what we call a line of infection (ever feel like you take care of one pimple and more crop up after? This can be why). A line of infection is when the infection gets into the dermis spreading to a new area. This will look like you can play connect the dots on the skin.
Frequently changing products.
It seems people tend to do this out of frustration because they feel something isn’t working or they want to try something shiny and new (product subscription boxes and Instagram ads seem to be the biggest culprits of this) The skin likes consistency and like any part of the body will change with it. On average it takes about 4-6 weeks for any product to show results. Give it time and let your skin get used to things!
If you're in need of some further advice, follow the link here to book in for a free acne consultation today!
