Acne 101

How acne is caused

Your skin has pores and each pore leads to a hair follicle and gland. Your glands (sebaceous glands) produce oil (sebum), which helps waterproof your skin as well as remove old, dead skin cells, but when these glands produce too much oil, pores become blocked. This means that dirt and bacteria build up causing a blockage, and these blockages are often called plugs.

Acne usually occurs with the onset of puberty and can be triggered by hormonal changes, which cause your glands to produce more oil. Although it’s more of a hereditary condition, acne can also be caused by oily skincare products and make-up, excessive sweating and even very humid conditions – anything which leads to the blockage of your pores.

Some studies have shown that food doesn’t really cause acne, unless really greasy foods (or certain types of refined sugars) cause your skin to produce an excess amount of oil.

Types of acne

When the top of the plug is white, it’s called a whitehead or pimple. This is a less severe type of acne and is usually caused by a completely blocked pore.
When the top of the plug is black, it’s called a blackhead or comedones, and is caused by a partially blocked pore. Although people mistakenly assume blackheads are caused by being unhygienic, a blackhead is a simple discolouration or pigmentation of sebum when it oxidises.
A papule is an inflamed, tender and red bump on the skin, and contains no visible fluid.
A pustule contains cloudy fluid, which is whitish in colour with a reddish ring around it.
A more server type of acne is a nodule, which is much larger than your regular pimple. They are often painful and could last for months.
A cyst is similar to a nodule in that it’s painful and could last for months, but may contain puss as well.

Treatment

Acne can be treated with topical creams and gels, prescriptive medication or even cosmetic medical procedures. It’s always a good idea to visit a dermatologist or medical professional who can not only diagnose your type of acne but also treat it with the appropriate methods. Topical treatments usually contain benzoyl peroxide, alpha-hydroxy acid, salicylic acid and triclosan, among others. Procedures at medical spas that treat acne include dermabrasion, phototherapy and laser treatment, amongst others.

The Exfoliac range by Noreva is a results driven product range, which is a solution for an acne prone, combination and oily skin. The Exfoliac products are targeted in removing impurities, while acting on and working against blemishes, as well as moisturising and mattifying your skin. Some of the Exfoliac products contain alpha-hydroxy acids, but none contain parabens.

Tips

• Try to avoid touching your face too much, as you’re transferring dirt and oil from your hands to your face.
• Keep your hair out of your face, as your hair too could transfer dirt and oil.
• DO NOT SQUEEZE your pimples, not matter how tempting. You’ll only cause swelling and may even burst the capillaries in your skin, which will lead to bleeding and eventually scarring.
• See a dermatologist or doctor who can give you more information on your type of acne as well as the best way to treat it.

The Exfoliac range by Noreva is distributed by Cipla Medpro and is available at Dis-chem and independent pharmacies nationwide.

Image: Shutterstock.com

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