Acne

The skin disease known as acne is brought on when your hair follicles clog up with oil and dead skin cells. The face, neck, chest, back, and shoulders are where acne most frequently develops. The persistence of acne can be both upsetting and bothersome. When one acne lesion starts to disappear, others suddenly appear. Acne lesions heal slowly.

The most frequent skin disorder among adolescents and young adults between the ages of 12 and 35 is acne.

Based on the quantity and types of lesions, acne is typically categorized as mild, moderate, or severe.

Pathophysiology:

The sebaceous glands are tiny and mostly inactive during childhood. These glands are regulated by the endocrine system, particularly by androgens. Sebaceous glands grow and exude natural oil called sebum throughout puberty as a result of androgen stimulating them. Sebum climbs to the top of hair follicles and oozes out onto the skin's surface. When an adolescent gets acne, androgenic stimulation causes the sebaceous glands to react more strongly, resulting in acne when excess sebum clogs the pilosebaceous ducts. Comedones are created when this substance builds up.

Causes:

• Hormonal activity such as menstrual cycle and puberty may contribute to the formation of acne.
• Genetics
• Abnormal sebum production
• Obstruction of the sebaceous duct
• Diet, a high glycemic load diet is associated with worsening acne.

Risk Factors:

Your body's hormonal shifts can cause or make acne worse. Such alterations are typical in:

• Teenagers
• Women and girls, two to seven days before their periods
• Pregnant women
• People who are using certain medications, including those containing corticosteroids, androgens or lithium

Symptoms:

Acne typically affects the skin on your face, neck, chest, back, and shoulders because these regions of your body have the most active oil glands. Acne may appear in the following ways:

• Non-inflammatory lesions:
  • When oil secretions, dead skin cells, and occasionally bacteria clog and block the openings of hair follicles, comedones (whiteheads and blackheads) form. Due to the dark color of the plugs in the hair follicles, comedones that are open at the skin's surface are known as blackheads. Comedones that have closed are known as whiteheads; they are slightly elevated, skin-colored lumps.
• Inflammatory lesions:
  • Small raised bumps called papules are signs of infection or inflammation in the hair follicles. Papules could be painful and red.
  • The red, tender bumps known as pustules (pimples) have white pus at their tips.
  • Nodules are huge, firm lumps that hurt when they are touched. They develop as a result of secretion buildup in the innermost parts of hair follicles.

Tests and diagnosis:

• History taking
• Physical examination
• Biopsy

Treatments and Drugs:

Acne remedies function by halting the formation of sebum, accelerating skin cell renewal, eradicating bacterial infections, calming inflammation, or a combination of all four. The majority of prescription acne medications take four to eight weeks to work, and your skin may grow worse before it gets better.

Types of acne treatments include:

• Over-the-counter topical treatments: 
  • Acne treatments may kill bacteria, dry out the oil, and encourage the exfoliation of dead skin cells. The active ingredients in over-the-counter (OTC) lotions are often mild and include benzoyl peroxide, sulfur, resorcinol, salicylic acid, or sulfur.
• Topical treatments available by prescription: 
  • If over-the-counter medications are ineffective for treating your acne, consult a dermatologist or physician to obtain a stronger prescription lotion.
• Antibiotics: 
  • You might require a brief course of prescription oral antibiotics to treat moderate to severe acne in order to reduce bacteria and combat inflammation. Antibiotic resistance in acne patients has considerably developed since oral antibiotics were initially used to treat the condition.
• Isotretinoin: 
  • Antibiotics might not be enough for deep cysts. A potent medicine called isotretinoin (Amnesteem, Claravis, Sotret) is offered for cystic acne that leaves scars or acne that doesn't respond to previous therapies. Only the most severe cases of acne should be treated with this medication.

Nursing Management:

• Monitoring and controlling the potential combination of skin treatments is a significant portion of the treatment of the acne patient.
• Patients are educated about proper skin care practices and potential issues related to the skin disorder as part of major nursing tasks.
• Health education on:
  • Nutrition
  • Hygiene
• Providing positive reassurance.

References

• acnxx.blogspot.com/
• aesteetemal.blogspot.com/2008/08/best-natural-acne-treatment-and-fast.html
• balibetterbreathing.com/acne-treatment/
• charlesowyh.soup.io/post/354706726/What-Can-I-Use-To-Treat-Acne
• globalnapi.com/SO/DiseasesAndConditionsDetails.aspx?DID=7
• honkonchina.com/d/Acne-15814.html
• longridgedermatology.com/index.php/acne-2/
• Mandal, G. (August 2013). A Textbook of Adult Health Nursing (2nd ed.). Dilllibazar kathmandu: Makalu publication house. Retrieved August 2013
• prezi.com/invqnwt5p4lb/food-and-acne/
• ru.scribd.com/presentation/296513935/Acne