Although it does not threaten your health, we know very well how unpleasant acne can be and how much it can affect your self-confidence, image and integrity. Especially because it is so common during puberty, when anxiety and confidence are not at their best anyway.

The good news is that these pimples are treatable. Although it is a long journey that requires many changes in lifestyle and skin care ritual, the improvements are visible. You just need the right information and a doctor's guidance.

You will make the appointment with the dermatologist, but we are here for the information part. Let's tell you what you should know about acne types and their treatment!

What is acne?

Known under the medical term acne vulgaris, acne is a common skin condition that consists of the appearance of various types of pimples when pores become clogged with dead cells and sebum. Acne skin takes on an inflamed appearance that is considered unsightly.

These cysts are filled with pus and can be white, black or otherwise, painful or not. Acne most often affects the skin of the face, but it can also spread to the shoulders, back and chest.

Types of acne

Depending on the factors that cause it and how it manifests itself, acne is classified into several types. Below we tell you what four of the most common forms are.

Hormonal acne

It is acne that occurs due to the production of hormones, especially in teenagers. Hormonal acne also affects adults who experience clogged pores due to excessive sebum production.

Fungal acne

This type of acne has an inflamed appearance and can be itchy. It occurs when a certain type of yeast accumulates in the pores of the skin, and requires treatment to relieve symptoms. Fungal acne is also known as pityrosporum folliculitis.

Cystic acne

This type of acne causes pus-filled pimples and nodules deep in the skin. Often these pimples are painful, accompanied by swelling and redness. It is one of the types of acne that leaves scars and can permanently damage the skin.

Nodular acne

It is one of the severe forms of acne, which is manifested by the appearance of regular pimples on the surface of the skin, but also with soft nodular swellings under the skin. Like cystic acne, the nodular form can leave permanent scars and marks.

Who does acne affect?

Anyone can be affected by acne and may notice one or more pimples at some point in life.

There are many risk factors that influence the production of sebum and implicitly the appearance of pimples, starting from the level of stress and long-term diet, to the ritual of skin care, the drugs used, hormonal fluctuations and other health problems. Even if they are not direct causes of acne, they can make it worse when it already exists.

Acne is very common among teenagers and young adults when significant hormonal changes occur. But adults of any age can develop acne at some point.

According to statistics, adult women are more prone to acne than men. Especially since hormones fluctuate more throughout your menstrual cycle, which makes acne worse before and during your period.

And genetics play an important role. People who have other family members who suffer from acne are more prone.

How common is acne?

People of all ages and races, from all over the world, experience acne. Young people and teenagers are the most affected. At the age of puberty, boys are more prone. In adulthood, women are more prone.

To give you an idea, about 80% of people between the ages of 11 and 30 have some form of acne, at least a mild one.

Causes acne

Let's first explain how acne, this inflammatory skin disorder, occurs.

Your skin contains sebaceous glands (which produce sebum/oil) that are connected to your hair follicles. Normally in healthy skin, sebum produced by these glands, along with hairs and keratinocytes (a type of skin cell), is removed to the surface of the skin through openings in the follicles. I mean through the pores. On the contrary, with acne skin, they are not eliminated but remain blocked at the pore level.

This creates a mixture of sebum and dead cells that allow bacteria that normally reside on the surface of the skin to clog and inflame the follicles. This is how redness, swelling and pain appear, and how pimples develop.

Now that we have established how it is formed step by step, let's see what are actually the direct causes of clogged pores and acne:

• Excessive sebum production: Normally, sebum is secreted as a protective barrier for your skin; but in excess, it clogs pores and causes inflammation.

• Accumulation of bacteria: small amounts of bacteria normally live on the surface of the skin; but when they accumulate excessively, they can clog your pores.

• Dead cells: the skin is constantly shedding dead cells and creating new ones; when they are removed, they can get stuck in the hair follicles and thus clog them.

In addition to the direct causes of acne, there are certain triggers that may not cause any reaction on healthy skin, but make acne-prone skin worse if it is already affected. These factors include:

• Skin care products that contain toxic substances or are oily and heavy

• A work environment where the skin is constantly in contact with oily substances and fats (eg in a restaurant)

• A humid or polluted environment

• Tight clothing, especially helmets, hats, hats and other accessories worn on the head

• Side effects of certain medications

• A high level of stress, because the secretion of cortisol increases

• Squeezing pimples, which leads to the spread of acne bacteria in the pores of the skin

• A high consumption of dairy and sugar

Symptoms of acne

Acne can manifest itself in several forms, which we tell you about below, and can be accompanied by sensations of stinging, itching and even pain. We list all these signs and symptoms of acne in the following list:

• Pustules: they are what are popularly known as pimples, that is, those swellings filled with pus

• Papules : look like small bumps, usually darker than your skin tone, or red to purple in color

• Blackheads: They look exactly as the name says, i.e. clogged pores with a black tip, just like blackheads. They are black not because they are a form of dirt, but because the sebum changes color on contact with air

• Whiteheads: Similar to blackheads, but with a white tip

• Cysts: swellings under the skin, painful and filled with pus

• Lumps: Larger, painful bumps under the skin

• Irritated skin: itching, stinging, swelling, redness and pain

• Emotional stress: depending on the severity and how much it affects self-image.

How is acne diagnosed?

No special tests are needed to confirm the presence of acne. With a simple close examination, your doctor can confirm that your skin is suffering from acne.

In addition to evaluating the symptoms, for a more accurate diagnosis, the specialist can also ask you additional questions about your lifestyle, i.e. if you take certain medications, if you are in a stressful period of your life, if you have family members who suffer from acne and if you notice more aggressive breakouts before your period. This way the risk factors will be identified and you will be able to receive the right recommendations.

Even if no other tests are needed to make a diagnosis, a dermatologist specializes in treating skin conditions and may recommend other investigations to find the underlying cause of acne.

It is particularly important that these causes are correctly identified, especially in adults, because they can indicate certain hormonal imbalances or other problems. So don't hesitate to visit the dermatology office if you have acne-prone skin.

Acne treatment

A general practitioner can also diagnose acne, but it is more recommended to seek the advice of a dermatologist to choose the right treatment, especially if you do not notice improvements with the treatments you have already followed at home or under the guidance of your family doctor.

A dermatologist can give you specific recommendations depending on the severity of acne, respectively:

• Mild acne (grade 1), if the number of pimples is reduced, mainly white and black dots
• Moderate or pustular acne (grade 2), when you have several pustules and papules on the face
• Moderately severe or nodulocystic acne (grade 3), when in addition to multiple pustules and papules, inflamed nodules appear that extend to the chest and back.
• Severe nodulocystic acne (grade 4), if the skin shows a multitude of pustules and nodules, accompanied by pain and inflammation.

There are many ways to treat acne, not only depending on the cause and severity, but also depending on the age. From oral medications to topical solutions and therapies, all treatments aim to heal existing skin imperfections and prevent new pimples from forming. We talk below about the most used and effective such solutions.

How to treat acne at home

In the first phase when acne appears, especially if it is a mild form and if it appears during puberty when it is normal, treatment is usually attempted at home, through a care routine that is as appropriate as possible. The skincare ritual thus involves cleaning the skin daily with water and products as natural as possible for your skin type and avoiding acne triggers. Avoid products that contain alcohol, perfumes, oils or other chemicals that could clog skin pores, making acne worse.

Depending on each person's needs, dermatologists may recommend topical treatments with:

• Acne Patches: They are a quick and handy solution when you want to get rid of pimples quickly, without scarring and without squeezing. Enroush Pimple and Acne Patches , for example, contain a unique complex of active ingredients (Salicylic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinamide and Oligopeptide-76) that are released deep into the skin through innovative micro-dart technology, eliminating pimples in just 6 hours. They are dermatologically tested and approved, gentle even on sensitive skin, and have the advantage of easy application. You just stick them on and peel them off, without the need to massage the skin or use other techniques.

• Benzoyl peroxide: Available at the pharmacy as a cleanser or gel that penetrates the skin, it aims to remove bacteria from the surface of the skin. It is recommended in weak concentrations and formulas that can be rinsed off with water, so as not to irritate the skin.

• Salicylic acid: likewise, you can find it at the pharmacy in the form of lotions or cleaning solutions (cleansers), and its purpose is to remove the top layer of skin cells by dissolving them. Thus acne is treated by preventing the clogging of pores with dead cells.

• Azelaic acid: aims to reduce inflammation and swelling of the skin because it destroys microorganisms on the surface. It is a type of natural acid obtained from rye, barley or wheat.

• Retinoids: These are over-the-counter vitamin A derivatives that eliminate whiteheads and blackheads and prevent pore clogging. But they do not have a fast or local action. Retinoids are applied all over the affected skin for several months to achieve visible results.

• Antibiotics: Often recommended in combination with benzoyl peroxide to effectively fight bacteria on the skin's surface that cause and worsen pimples.

Oral acne medications

There are also treatments that treat the problem not only on the surface, but also in the body. We are referring here to medicines in the form of pills that are taken orally, which can include:

• Antibiotics: When bacteria cause acne, moderate or severe acne can be treated with antibiotics such as tetracycline, minocycline or doxycycline. Antibiotics work by destroying bacteria, preventing them from multiplying and preventing them from entering the body.

• Isotretinoin: is an oral retinoid that shrinks the size of the sebaceous glands, which means it also reduces sebum production and implicitly prevents pore clogging, preventing acne from forming.

• Birth control pills: There are certain birth control pills that have proven effective in treating acne in women because they restore the balance of the menstrual cycle by containing estrogen and progesterone (a natural steroid that regulates menstruation). Contraceptives are also used to treat many other conditions besides their contraceptive purpose, and we talked about all of these things in detail HERE .

Hormonal therapy: consists of taking contraceptive pills with low doses of estrogen and progesterone, or spironolactone, a medicine that counteracts the effect of certain hormones on the sebaceous glands; it is especially recommended if the eruptions worsen with menstruation or excess hormones are the cause.

Additional acne medications

Additional treatments are recommended when local and oral treatments do not work, or if you are left with prominent marks and scars after treatment. In this sense, the dermatologist can recommend you:

• Laser therapy: Light is used to heal acne scars by delivering heat to the scarred collagen under the skin. Your body will respond with a natural healing process, creating new healthy collagen particles to support skin repair.

• Chemical peeling: it is a procedure by which special substances are used to remove the upper layer of the skin through chemical exfoliation, which will grow a new layer that is smoother and with a significantly reduced number of scars. This treatment also works on wrinkles and fine lines, but has the disadvantage of a long recovery period, during which the skin is more vulnerable to viral, bacterial or fungal infections.

How you can prevent acne

It is difficult to prevent acne, especially if the problems are hormonal in nature. But you can certainly reduce its effects by making periodic visits to the dermatologist, following his recommendations and implementing habits that are as healthy as possible for your skin:

• Cleanse your face daily with lukewarm water and a natural cleanser.
• Use skin care products without alcohol, oils or fragrances with allergens.
• Don't forget to remove your makeup every night to prevent clogged pores. No matter how tired you are, remember that it only takes a few minutes to remove your makeup properly, but it can make a huge difference to the health of your skin.
• Avoid running your hands over your face throughout the day, but also the contact of your hair with your facial skin.
• Don't squeeze pimples because you can spread acne bacteria further into your skin pores, making acne worse. When you want to get rid of pimples quickly, opt for effective solutions such as Enroush acne patches that contain a unique mix of ingredients and act in depth.

Give your skin a gentle care ritual, with ingredients as natural as possible, so that you emphasize your natural beauty and protect your skin's health. Acne doesn't have to get in the way of your self-confidence, and today there are plenty of solutions to keep it under control!