From Dr Gurinderjit Singh
June 30 — Madhu was very upset because just a week before her marriage a fresh crop of pimples (acne) had appeared on her face. They were likely to get worsened when she would undergo facial on her wedding day.
Ajit, a handsome model, was distressed to see a single pimple prop-up on his nose just a day before his photo session. That very pimple made his nose broad and spoiled his looks, resulting in the cancellation of his assignment.
A very few teenagers know that there is no so-called permanent treatment of pimples. The disease occurs worldwide affecting 90 per cent of the people at some time or the other. The time of its onset is puberty or a few months later. The incidence usually decreases after teenage and at times may persist into the thirties. Acne is commoner and more severe in males than in females as it is related to the androgen hormone activity. Acne are found to be more common in urban boys than in their rural counterparts.
Acne are seen on the regions of the body rich in sebaceous (oil) glands such as face, mid-chest, back, shoulders and upper arms. Black heads, white heads and even pustules keep appearing from time to time. The condition gets worsened in summer and hot humid environment. Pollution, dust and vehicular exhaust really play havoc.
Teenagers should get their acne treated by a skin specialist so that no permanent scars are left on the face. Ladies often notice pre-menstrual exacerbation of acne and great fluctuations exist even otherwise in the natural course of the disease. Agents applied locally usually control acne, but oral antibiotics may be required when it is severe.
Modes of therapy will be determined not only by the severity of the disease but also by the needs of the patient, as cosmetic disfigurement is a major problem. Diet has no role in acne, though various things (chocolate, fried items, nonvegetarian food) have wrongly been blamed for their occurrence.
Frequent washing of face during daytime and the use of deep pore cleansing milk followed by an astringent is helpful at night. Moisturisers, cold creams, oils and heavy cosmetics should be avoided. Emotional stress should be eliminated as far as possible. All erroneous notions about the disease such as futility of treatment or its relation to diet or bowel disturbances should be dispelled.
Scars, if left on the face, because of inadequate or improper treatment can be managed by dermabrasion (planing of skin surface by a diamond fraise) or collagen implant (raising depressed scar by infecting collagen below it) or punch replacement (replacing the scar tissue by fresh tissue).
