Posted on April 20, 2008 in Latest News
Acne occurs due to hormonal change in girls and boys when they pass from childhood to adolescence.
At the time of puberty, androgen in both young boys and girls causes the sebaceous glands to enlarge production primarily in the face, neck, back and chest.
Sebaceous glands produce sebum, an oily substance, and empty it into the hair follicles.
Eventually sebum reaches the surface of the skin and mixes with dead skin cells, white blood cells and bacteria to form whiteheads, blackheads, nodules and cysts.
Sebum stimulates the lining of the follicular walls which leads to hyperkeratinization. It is a high rate of cellular activity that allows an overproduction of keratin in the hair follicle. Keratin, if excess, can lead to retention of matter in the follicle. Keratin and sebum often mixes to promote the growth of bacteria in teenagers.
A bacteria called Propionibacterium acnes, or P. acnes is linked to the inflammation, redness and pain associated with acne breakouts.
Treatment of teenage acne:
Treatment of acne depends on the severity of the problem. If the patient has never been treated before and is relatively young then the treatment will start with a topical therapy or antibacterial preparation.
If topical therapy proves ineffective to the patient the doctor will go on to oral antibiotics.
Generally the prescriptions contain antibiotic drugs, oral contraceptives, vitamin A derivatives and anti-inflammatory medications.
Noncomedogenic cosmetics and toiletries are also used for the treatment of teenage acne.
Teenage acne is related to the level of Testosterone. It is one of the key hormones that are present in both adolescent males and females. The imbalance of Testosterone levels in adolescence causes high level of DHT production and in turn leads to the occurrence of acne.
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