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Treatment of acne

Treatment of acne

Top Doctors
Top Doctors editorial
Top Doctors
Created by: Top Doctors editorial Sources: Top Doctors CO
Edited by: TOP DOCTORS® at 04/04/2023

Probably the acne is the most common dermatological consultation and one of the cutaneous disorders that involves greater dissatisfaction. Any patient Fortunately, with proper treatment, can be helped to do away with most injuries resulting from acne.

¿, At what age can suffer from acne

?

Acne can affect any age from infants to adults over 50 years. We must discard the idea that acne is a result of age (puberty ) and therefore necessarily anger after a time and does not require treatment. Treating acne problem from the start will avoid the appearance of scars, which, once established, are difficult to remove.

The success in the treatment of acne depends appropriate therapeutic selection function of each patient, the type of acne lesions and the duration of the same. We must assess factors such as age, work, presence of comorbidities and taking medication, the possibility of pregnancy and hygienic habits. In the dermatological visit we can establish a specific program of treatment for acne that can be further modified according to evolution.

¿What types of treatments are available against acne

?

In recent years have incorporated important new anti acne treatments in the management of patients, especially in those with severe acne and scar. Treatment of acne divide it in topical therapy, systemic therapy and physical therapy for acne and scarring.

The topical therapy is useful in:

  • Recent mild acne ( basically teens with little&ldquo,&ldquo pimples, and just&ldquo,&ldquo pus beans, that when they go non-scarring )
  • moderate acne in combination with oral therapy
  • as maintenance therapy after systemic treatment of acne

The most used topical agents are: benzoyl peroxide, topical retinoids, topical antibiotics, salicylic acid, azelaic acid and alpha hydroxiacidos. These can be used alone or in combination and at different concentrations. Sometimes they can be useful topical treatments&ldquo,&rdquo more intense;for the doctor's office ( Peels ).

The systemic therapy includes:

  • Oral Antibiotics: used especially in inflammatory acne. Fundamentally antibiotics of the tetracycline and macrolides are used. Currently no antibiotic treatments prescribed for long duration for persistent and / or severe cases have oral isotretinoin.
  • Hormone Therapy: oral contraceptives especially those that combine estrogen with progestin anti androgen are useful and sometimes even necessary in women whose acne has a clear relationship with hormonal changes or are associated with menstrual cycle irregularities.
  • oral isotretinoin: the“great anti acne agent”. Well used minimizes side effects and is very well tolerated. Currently we tend to use lower doses than previously used. His problem is that it is teratogenic and must avoid pregnancy during treatment and one month later.

Physical Therapy for acne and scarring: surgical removal of comedones ( blackheads ) micro cysts and cysts of acne

.

Photodynamic Therapy: it can be useful in the few cases of inflammatory acne when oral therapy is contraindicated

.

Scar Treatment. Lately fractional ablative laser that greatly improves acne scars significantly shortening recovery time is used.

 

Dermatology