Acne vulgaris

Acne vulgaris

What is it and how does it happen?

Oily seborrhea is often the background for acne. Since they most often occur during puberty, they are called “juvenile acne.”

Sebum lingers in the excretory ducts of the sebaceous glands and can even clog them. At the same time, black dots called comedones appear on the surface of the skin. Decaying lard creates favorable conditions for the introduction of microorganisms. In this case, a small inflammatory nodule appears, in the center of which after some time an abscess forms, upon opening of which a small amount of pus is released. When the pus dries, a crust forms, and after it is rejected, a scar remains on the skin. The infiltrate after opening the abscess resolves extremely slowly.

Juvenile acne can come in several varieties. Thus, spherical acne may occur, which is characterized by large sizes and a pronounced infiltrate located deep in the thickness of the skin. Such acne can merge with each other, as if piling up on one another, forming extensive infiltrates with an uneven, bumpy surface - indurative acne. Abscesses can form in the central part of some acne elements, and then this process is called acne abscess. At the site of such manifestations, scars remain, often disfiguring the face.

Acne that appears against the background of oily seborrhea, as a rule, disappears by the age of 20-22. In the presence of acne against the background of thick seborrhea, the process usually ends by 26-28 years.

Men suffering from mixed seborrhea sometimes develop a peculiar form of scalp acne - abscessing and undermining folliculitis and perifolliculitis of the scalp. This disease begins with the appearance of pustules and small nodules on the scalp, near individual hairs. The nodules gradually increase and turn into large (the size of a cherry), hemispherical, nodular or elongated, ridge-like formations rising above the skin, interconnected in places. At first they have a dense consistency, and then gradually begin to soften. The skin over them has an ivory color or a stagnant bluish color. The hair in the affected areas falls out completely. Subsequently, the softened infiltrates in certain areas are opened with the release of a small amount of sanguineous-purulent fluid. Healing occurs slowly with scar formation. Large comedones are found on unaffected areas of the scalp.

Acne treatment

Acne treatment is quite complicated. In this case, antibiotics, vitamins, and in some cases hormonal drugs are used. Various alcohol rubbish, mixtures, and ointments are used locally to promote the resorption of infiltrates. Given such complexity of treatment, it can only be prescribed by a dermatologist.

It should be remembered that you should never “squeeze out” acne on your own, as this can lead to the spread of the process and the formation of rough scars in this place, which can disfigure the face.