Causes & Treatment

Acne is a common skin problem which mostly affects young people, typically girls between 14 and 17 and boys between 16 and 19 years old. So for most it is transitory in nature and with some simple skin care acne shouldn’t be too bothersome. But for some, acne can become very severe or become long standing well into adulthood or both!Acne can result in blackheads, white heads and larger spots and even boils. Severe acne which causes boils may require antibiotics to treat it. The mechanism by which acne is caused is very simple – but without understanding the acne mechanism you will be unsuccessful at curing it.

What causes acne?

In simple terms, acne is caused by a combination of factors which are the result of changes in hormone levels. Changes in the levels of male hormones – or androgens – during puberty disrupt the sebaceous glands in the skin causing an over production of sebum. But that isn’t the whole picture. After all some people have oily skin and don’t get acne!  The other factor which determines the formation of acne is the cellular turnover of the epidermis, that is the cellular renewal – or in other words, how quickly the cells in the epidermis are pushed to the surface and then shed. Again this is regulated by hormonal activity and the smooth operation of cellular renewal becomes disrupted as hormone levels change during puberty.The skin renewal cycle means that cells move up through the epidermis and are shed once they reach the top layer (the stratum corneum). As they move up through the epidermis cells change. They gradually lose moisture, become flatter and become more keratinised. (Keratin is the protein which makes up the outer epidermis and also the nails and hair).

Treatments available for Acne include:

• HydraFacial, Dermalux LED light
• Zo skin care
• Clearskin vacuum glass laser
• Dermapen
• Fractora (RF- radio frequency needling)
• Chemical peels
• Roaccutane