Acne Cure for Children

Posted on March 6, 2008 in Latest News

Acne is a chronic disorder of the hair follicles and sebaceous glands. In acne, the sebaceous glands are clogged, which leads to pimples and cysts. Although most kids outgrow acne by the time they reach their early twenties, self-conscious youngsters can worry a lot about their skin condition. For this reason alone, even a mild case of acne should get some helpful attention from parents, says Sidney Hurwitz, M.D., clinical professor of pediatrics and dermatology at the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.

How does acne develop?

The sebaceous glands produce oil (sebum) which normally travels via hair follicles to the skin surface. However, skin cells can plug the follicles, blocking the oil coming from the sebaceous glands. When follicles become plugged, skin bacteria (called Propionibacterium acnes, or P. acnes) begin to grow inside the follicles, causing inflammation. Acne progresses in the following manner:

Eventually, the plugged follicle bursts, spilling oil, skin cells, and the bacteria onto the skin surface. In turn, the skin becomes irritated and pimples or lesions begin to develop. The basic acne lesion is called a comedo.

When is your child prone?

Acne often starts as your child begins to go through puberty, when hormones cause their skin to get oily. This can lead to oil and bacteria clogging the pores of his skin, rendering rise to the typical whiteheads and blackheads of acne.

Treatment

The very first step to treating your children’s acne is to classify it. Is it mild, is at moderate, or is it severe?  The question is what type of acne does your child have?

Is it, Comedonal acne, with just blackheads and whiteheads?  Or does your child have inflammatory acne, with the presence of red papules and pustules, and this can either be with or without, comedones?  Or does your child have nodulecystic acne, with deeper nodules and cysts?

The Retin A drug with topical antibiotic is recommended by the doctors to treat acne. Those suffering from acne should take the dose as directed by the doctors such as 0.05% or 0.025% cream for decreasing irritation of the skin. Parents can apply small amounts of this drug on affected reas in children after cleaning the face with soap and water. Let leave it for a few minutes and wash it. Other medications for children include Tazorac, Differin and Azelex.

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