Acne vulgaris is a common skin condition which affects almost 85% of all teenagers. It is caused primarily due to hormonal imbalance and inflammation by a bacteria called Propionibacterium acnes. Family / genetic history and diet are also believed to be causative factors behind acne.
There are several treatment options for acne. Severe acne is usually treated by antibiotics, benzoyl peroxide, or vitamin A derivatives. These treatments are aimed at killing the bacteria that infect the skin gland and cause acne. Hormonal treatment is also used in females to treat acne. These are aimed at restoring hormonal balance in the body. Severe acne in adults may be a sign of an underlying endocrine/hormonal disorder.
In the adolescence period, the body undergoes rapid growth and this leads to hormonal imbalance. During adolescence, both males and females have higher levels of male sex hormones. These hormones cause the sebaceous glands to excrete excessive oil, which causes the glands to get blocked leading to acne vulgaris. Hormonal treatment is aimed at restoring the hormonal balance back to normal levels which prevents acne from appearing.
Hormonal treatment is effective in females and is thus not used to treat acne in males. Before hormonal treatment is administered, a blood test is conducted to find out if the levels of androgens (i.e. male sex hormones) are abnormal. Hormone treatment using oestrogen and progesterone is moderately effective in treating acne. However, a combination of cyproterone, which is an anti-androgen and oestrogen is particularly very effective in controlling acne. Cyproterone reduces the levels of male sex hormones and thus is very effective in controlling acne. Other hormonal treatments like drospirenone and spironolactone have also been found to have positive effects in treating acne.
Acne vulgaris is also treated by using another hormone called cortisone. If the pimple is very large and other treatment options are ineffective against it, the dermatologist may inject cortisone directly into it. Cortisone reduces inflammation and redness in the surrounding areas immediately. The pimple gets flattened in a short period of time and this improves the healing process. It can also be effectively covered using makeup.
Cortisone treatment has few side effects and generally very effective. In some cases, temporary whitening of skin in the area of administration may be observed. A small depression may also be observed in the area of treatment. It may persist for sometime, but gradually it will disappear. Cortisone treatment doesn’t cause any form of scarring on the skin which may be observed after surgical procedures are employed to treat acne.
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