How to treat acne

For many teenagers, the most embarrassing and painful thing is getting acne. Although acne is one of the main signs of adolescence, it often grows on the face and is red and swollen. This not only affects one's appearance and aesthetics to a certain extent, but also makes many teenagers feel inferior and ashamed to communicate with others. Therefore, many teenagers want to know how to treat acne. So how to treat acne?

In fact, the main cause of acne is closely related to excessive oil secretion of the skin and clogged pores. In addition, it is also related to daily eating habits and daily skin care. Only by learning how to clean your skin correctly and choosing some external medications can you be more effective in treating acne. So how to treat acne?

Acne is also known as acne. Acne is a chronic inflammatory skin disease of the pilosebaceous unit that mainly occurs in adolescents and has a great psychological and social impact on them, but it often subsides or heals naturally after puberty. The clinical manifestations are characterized by polymorphic skin lesions such as acne, papules, pustules, nodules, etc. that are prone to occur on the face.

How to treat acne

1. Daily care: Wash your face with warm water once or twice a day to clean your skin. Avoid squeezing or scratching skin lesions with your hands. Avoid using oily and powdery cosmetics and ointments and creams containing glucocorticoids.

2. Common methods of acne treatment

(1) Topical medications: Retinoic acid (retinoic acid cream, adapalene gel, tazarotene gel), benzoyl peroxide, antibiotics (clindamycin, erythromycin, chloramphenicol, etc.), azelaic acid, sulfur lotion, etc.

(2) The first choice of oral antibiotics is tetracycline (minocycline, doxycycline, etc.), followed by macrolides (erythromycin). Avoid antibiotics commonly used to treat systemic infections such as levofloxacin. The course of antibiotics is usually 6 to 12 weeks.

(3) Oral isotretinoin For severe acne, oral isotretinoin is the standard treatment and currently the most effective method for treating acne. The treatment course aims to achieve a minimum cumulative dose of 60 mg/kg.

(4) Anti-androgen therapy, such as the oral contraceptive cyproterone acetate combined tablets (trade name Diane-35), is suitable for female patients with moderate to severe acne accompanied by symptoms of excessive androgen levels (such as hirsutism, seborrhea, etc.) or polycystic ovary syndrome. Female patients with delayed-onset acne and acne that is significantly aggravated before menstruation may also consider using oral contraceptives.

(5) Oral glucocorticoids are mainly used for fulminant or aggregated acne, following the principle of short-term, low-dose, and combined with other methods.

(6) For patients who cannot tolerate or are unwilling to receive drug treatment, physical therapy such as photodynamic therapy (PDT), fruit acid therapy, laser therapy, etc. can also be considered.

Acne treatment in stages

(1) Level 1 is generally treated topically, with topical retinoic acid preparations being the first choice.

(2) Level 2: Combined use of topical retinoids and benzoyl peroxide or antibiotics, and oral antibiotics if necessary.

(3) Grade 3 often requires combined treatment, with oral antibiotics combined with topical benzoyl peroxide and/or retinoic acid drugs as the first choice. Antiandrogen therapy may also be considered for female patients where indicated.

(4) Grade 4 oral isotretinoin is the most effective treatment and can be used as first-line treatment. For patients with more inflammatory papules and pustules, systemic antibiotics combined with topical benzoyl peroxide can be used first, and then oral isotretinoin can be used for sequential treatment after the skin lesions have improved significantly.

4. Maintenance treatment of acne

Regardless of the treatment method used, maintenance treatment should be continued after the skin lesions have significantly subsided. Topical retinoic acid drugs are the first choice, and maintenance treatment should be continued for 6 to 12 months. Benzoyl peroxide can be used in combination if necessary.

After reading the above introduction on how to treat acne, I believe everyone has understood it clearly. Acne is actually one of the most serious adolescent diseases, but it can generally be cured through proper treatment and correct daily care. Therefore, if you have severe acne symptoms, you should go to the hospital for medical treatment in time, and pay attention to developing good eating habits and eat less greasy and fried foods, which will help alleviate the occurrence of the disease.