Types of Acne Treatment: Ranging with Severity of Symptoms

Acne is a medical condition which involves formation of pimples of different kinds, blackheads and whiteheads, cysts etc on the skin due to various reasons such as; clogging of skin pores due to excessive dead cell accumulation, excessive oil production that occurs due to a hormonal imbalance and genetic factors.

The unsightly scars and pimples formed are a source of skin problems and also psychological distress, and this problem is being battled by many today. Different types of acne treatment options are available for acne ranging from mild to severe cases. Depending on whether the acne breakout is severe or mild, different types of treatment may be prescribed.

For mild cases of acne, primary treatment would be proper maintenance of skin hygiene with regular washing and cleaning with a mild soap, while moderate to severe cases may require antibiotics and other products and dermatological procedures.

The acne treatment might be divided into various types-systemic treatment, topical treatment and treatment procedures. Systemic treatment is generally used to treat severe acne symptoms, which is done with the usage of internal medication like antibiotics and hormonal treatment which involves the usage of oral contraceptives and medication like Isotrenitoin. These serve to curb bacterial infection, excessive hormone production which causes increased oil secretion which clogs skin pores and exfoliates the skin.

The topical method is one type of acne treatment which involves creams, gels and lotions that contain Salicylic acid, Benzoyl Peroxide and sulphur, and topical Retinoids like Adapalene and Tretinoin, topical antibiotics like Erythromycin which alleviate acne symptoms by removing the dead cell accumulated in the pores, exfoliating the skin and killing bacteria. They also have preventive properties as these products lessen pore openings thereby preventing further accumulation of dead cells.

The third type of acne treatment is the set of procedures used to treat mild to severe acne manifestations. They include:

• Microdermabrasion: It involves exfoliation of skin by dead cell removal by spreading fine-crystals over the skin, performed by a dermatologist.
• Comedo extractions; wherein debris of dead cells and excessive oil accumulated in the pores are removed (extracted), performed by an aesthetician.
• Phototherapy; which uses laser technique to kill any infective bacteria in the pores and shrink the oil glands and reduce any inflammation caused by acne.
• Chemical Peels; which involve glycolic acids that exfoliate skin by removing accumulated dead skin cells and clearing clogged pores, promoting skin hygiene.
• Injections; corticosteroids are given in this process in severe acne manifestations like cysts, to reduce the scars and inflammation.