Acne Scars Treatment Products

With all this talk about acne, we might as well try to define the condition a bit. Acne is the commonly used name for pores clogged by sebum (also known as whiteheads and blackheads), pimples, nodules or cysts that can appear on the face, neck, shoulders, chest, back, upper arms and upper legs.

Most teenagers and a good number of adults suffer from acne for more or less extended periods of time. The condition is not confined to any age group, race, or sex. It affects hundreds of millions of people across the world. The biggest problems with acne are the unpleasant look of pimples and the scars they may leave behind.

Types of Acne

Although pimples are by far the most common form of acne and the one most people are likely to encounter or suffer from, you should known that there are other forms as well. The simplest form is acne vulgaris, which features only comedones, the simplest of lesions.

Lesions are small patches of skin affected by acne, although the term “lesion” is not restricted to the changes produced by acne in skin tissues. Acne lesions are the external form of comedones, the sebaceous follicles plugged by excess sebum.

Comedones are known as blackheads and whiteheads, depending on whether the pore is open or not. Blackheads are pores whose distended openings are blocked by a mixture of keratin and sebum that is blackened at the surface. Whiteheads are closed pores filled with the secretion of the sebaceous gland that swells underneath the tissue.

Comendones are the usual target for picking and squeezing. However, opening a follicle in the less than sterile conditions of your home is likely to result in a slight infection. An open pore is an entry point for all kinds of bacteria.

Papules – The papule is a small, solid usually inflammatory elevation of the skin that does not contain pus. Very small papules can also appear in clusters, due to the tissue’s response to acne.

Pustules – Pustules are small inflamed elevations of the skin that are filled with pus. The pus is a combination of bacteria, white blood cells and dead skin cells. Pustules are usually formed around sebaceous follicles and hair.

Maculae – A macula is a red spot on the skin left behind by an acne lesion. Maculae are flat, red and stand out against the surrounding skin. A group of maculae gives the face an inflamed aspect.

Nodules – The nodule is a solid lesion, one of the most painful lesions caused by acne. Nodules tend to extend into the deeper layers of the skin and are known to lead to tissue destruction. They can be very painful to remove and leave scars behind. Nodular acne is a severe form of acne that is treated only with isotretinonin.

Cysts – Cysts are lesions shaped like capsules and contain liquid or semi-liquid pus similar to that found in pustules. However, cysts are larger than pustules and can be infected. Cysts are also extending deeper into the skin and leave scar tissue behind. Nodulocystic acne is probably the worst type of acne known to man. It is resistant to treatment and responds only to isotretinoin, the substance obtained from Vitamin A.

Believe it or not, nearly everybody in the world gets pimples. When the body shifts into higher gear and puberty begins at the age of 12, hormones start taking over. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman. It doesn’t matter where you come from and who your parents were. I have never heard of a person who had stayed blemish-free in all the years of his or her life. Whether it’s food or pollution, something is bound to upset your hormonal balance sooner or later.

More than 40 percent of all teens develop cases of acne severe enough to warrant medical treatment. Most cases are usually solved without the need for fancy treatments, although more than one trip to the doctor is required. However, modern medicine has produced a wide range of prescription and over-the-counter products to help people deal with their acne without unnecessary pain.

However, not all acne cases can be treated quite that easily. Acne comes and goes on its own, between the age of twelve and twenty-three, but some people develop severe forms of acne, while others get acne for the first time as adults. This is mostly the case for men. Because of the higher level of androgens in their systems, men are far more likely than women to suffer from acne. In women, acne is associated with their fertility cycle and the hormonal changes it entails.

While most cases of acne are confined to the facial skin, most of the people suffering from this condition experience at least the occasional blackhead or pimple down the arms, on the back, the chest or even on the buttocks.

The social impact of acne is huge. The unpleasant sight of pimples makes many people run to the near drugstore or pharmacy because of the perceived influence acne has in social relations. Every year, hundreds of millions of dollars are spent every year around the world on anti-acne products by people on five continents.

The teen years are a trying time for any person. Although the worries and cares of adulthood are still far into the future, the teen is not exactly a happy and relaxed person. The carelessness and ignorance of childhood makes room for rebellion and questions about one’s values and place in the world. Looking for their own road through life teens feel insecure and, often enough, misunderstood. Unfortunately, if the search for a place under the sun is not enough, teenagers also have to deal with other problems, such as acne. This unsightly condition is the bane of many teenagers because of the effects it has at psychological level.

It doesn’t take a lot to foster a negative self image in a teenager. Most of them are at least somewhat insecure about their outward appearance because of various real or imaginary blemishes. But a real condition that causes true discomfort and mars a young face is something else altogether. The fragile self image and self respect of teenagers are hard pressed to cope with the pressure exerted by the opinions of others and the comparisons with various role-models that teenagers find for themselves. In extreme cases, the negative self image turns into self hatred and the disfiguring condition is seen as a cruel instrument of self punishment for failing to rise up to some standard or other.

Teenagers live in small worlds. Parents, friends and the amorphous group of half-familiar school mates are the limits of their social lives. Naturally, teenagers tend to attach more importance to the praise or criticism coming from their friends or school mates, on grounds that parents love you anyway and are fatally biased. But, since teens can be very cruel to each other, the criticism of school mates is frequently unkind and meant to hurt. This serves to increase the feelings of anxiety, insecurity and self hatred, resulting in withdrawal from the social environment into a private world of pain and shame.

Teenagers are terribly earnest about outward appearances and criticism. They are still away from the age when human beings come to terms with themselves and are no longer much interested in what others say or think. Hiding one’s body or face and feeling ashamed just because somebody else said that this is the thing to do is a mistake and teenagers should be helped to see this. Acne can be defeated with persistence and by using the right products. However, the psychological effects of acne must also be fought, or else they may never go away. The teenager who hated himself for having pimples on his face will turn into the adult who hates himself for being a little overweight or not making as much money as some co-worker.

The feeling of discomfort and shame with oneself does not always go away in time. Sometimes it just finds a new problem to act as its power source. This is the lasting effect of acne: a poor self image, a lack of confidence and a feeling of being at a disadvantage when comparing oneself to other people. These moods and mindsets can ruin anybody’s social life and often times they also get in the way of professional development. Unfortunately, acne is not just skin deep.