A survey of acne treatment remedies and how these work

THE PATHOLOGICAL PROCESS BY ACNE AND TREATMENT MECHANISMS USED BY ACNE MEDICINS

Acne is a process with several components occuring in the hair follicles that come in a specific order. The skin can however will often have follicles in all the stages simulatnously. The stages are:

- Excessive production of sebum in the glands around the hair follicles.

- Clogging of the pores by a blending of sebum and dead skin cells.

- Gathering of sebum in the clogged heir follicles.

- Inflammation caused by irritation from the accumulated substances and chemicals producd by brekdown of these.

- Infection in the propped hair follicles and added inflammation caused by the infection, transforming the follicle to a typical pimple.

- Destruction of skin tissue due to infection and inflammation.

- Rupture of the infected hair follicle or pimple.

- Healing of the damages.

- Scarring due to damages that are not completely healed.

Remedies to treat acne can be pharmacological preparations based on syntetic effectors, they can be wholly naturally composed or a blending of these two cathegories of ingredients. The basic prunciples used in these remdeies are:

- Dissolving and cleaning away the comedones, that are the fatty props that barr for the outlet of sebum from the hair follicles and make the sebum gather.

- To kill bacteria that infect the propped heir follicles.

- To help the natural cleansing processes in the skin to work more efficiently.

- To normalize physiological processes in the body that caused excessive production of sebum.

-To partially block stages in the production of sebum in the skin.

- To reduce inflammation in the skin caused by acne.

- To stimulatie the skin to heal from damages caused by acne.

Acne treatments drugs can exert one or more of these effects and components in the drugs can each provide one or more of the effects. It is not allways clear exactly what action that the different components have. Sometimes one only knows that a component helps to heal acne. Treatment remedies for acne can both be topical to apply on the skin and systemic to be taken by mouth.

ACNE CLEANSERS

There are several types of rinsing products to choose from.

The simplest of these are acne treatment bars to be used by the daily wash. These bars contain substances soluted in the soap that can help to dissolve the plugs in the pores and substances that fight bacteria.

Then you have rinsing solutions, usually called acne wash or acne cleansers, especially made to dissolve the comedones in your pores, and to make the environment in your skin unfriendly to bacteria causing infection. Some of these products are meant to rinse your skin with one or more times a day after the regular wash and then to be flushed away. Others are meant to remain on your skin until the next regular wash.

If your skin is heavily clogged by comedones or the acne process has produced heavy amounts of fatty deposits on your skin you can occasionally use stronger rinsing media, called acne peels or acne shrubs. With these media you can dissolve and shrub away the stuff clogging the pores, and also take away excessive horny layers and hard fatty deposits that make your skin surface irregular. These media contain strong dissolving substances and mineral powders with an abrasive effect, and should be used cautiously so that you do not hurt your skin.


ACNE TREATMENT GELS OR CREAMS

After the wash or rinsing, you can apply some treatment product that shall remain on your skin during the day or during the night. Many of these products are also good as foundation for make-up. The products have varying physical consistency and are often called acne lotions, acne creams or acne gels. The products have these effects:

- Making your skin soft and elastic.

- Protecting your skin against the environment.

- Acting further to dissolve the clogging of your pores.

- Alleviating inflammation and soothing itching or burning sensations.

- Killing the bacteria causing infection or making an environment hostile for the bacteria.

- Stimulating the skin to clean itself from within.

- Stimulating the skin to heal.

- To be used as a isolating layer between the skin itself and cosmetics


ORAL DRUGS OR SUPPLEMENTS

You can also find drugs to be taken by mouth against acne. Many of these drugs kill the bacteria infecting the skin by acne. Others are designed to give a broader range of effects, like:

- Making your skin produce more fluid sebum so that the comedones dissolve from within.

- Stimulating the immune system to fight bacteria and to clear out impurities in the skin tissues.

- Stimulating your skin to heal.

- Giving your skin building nutrients necessary to heal.


NATURAL INGREDIENTS USED IN ACNE TREATMENT PRODUCTS

In modern acne treatment drugs natural ingredients are extensively used because many of these often give less side effects than syntetic pharmacological substances.

- Aloe Vera extract, Viola tricolor extract and Rose hip oil, are often used in oral and topical products to reduce inflammation and to stimulate healing.

- Azelaic acid: The substance is a carboxylic acid found in some corn species and also produced by yeasts normally found on the skin. This substance stimulates the division and renewing of cells in the follicles and the skin. Thereby it causes the comedones to be pushed out. It also works against the bacteria infecting the skin by acne and reduces inflammation. It can however produce skin irritation in strong solutions. It is used in topical products.

- Bioflavonoids: These are antioxidant substances produced by plants that protect against tissue damage. Many of these give fruits or other plant parts bright colors. Bioflavonoids are often included in oral acne treatment drugs to counteract tissue damage and ease healing.

- Echinache extraxt: Extract of the herb Echinachea is a mild ingredient often used in topical products to dissolve the comedones and to counteract bacterial growth.

- Gum guggul extract: Gum guggul is the resin from the indian Commiphora mukul tree. Gum guggul extract used in oral products have an anti-biotic effect against the bacteria infecting the skin by acne and alleviates inflammation. It also seems to reduce pus formation and tissue destruction by severe acne.

- Methylsulphonyl methane: This substance furnishes sulphur in a form usable in the rebuilding of skin damage. It is often combined with molybdenium to ease the use of this sulphur. It is mostly used in oral products.

- Plant oils: Evening primrose oil, olive oil, flax seed oil, borage oil, soy oil and wheat germ oil are used in oral and topical products for several purposes. They contain essential fatty acids and vitamins that stimulate healing. The oils can also help to dissolve the comedones. They are also used to give topical products the right consistency.

- Lecithine: Lecithine is a blending of phospholipids. These phsopholipids are very important building blocks of the cells in the body and also contain smaller elements used as effector tools and hormons in many processes. Lecithine is used in oral products to stimulate rinsing processes in the skin and to stimulate skin reduilding after damage.

- Salicylic acid: This substance is an antibacterial effector found widespread in the nature. It is used in topical products to dissolve comedones in the pores and to help fight bacteria. Salicylic acid is perhaps the most frequently used ingredient in topical acne products.

- Sulphur: Sulphur is used in topical cleansing products to dissolve comedones, dry up the skin and to rub away irregularities. It can sometimes cause too much peeling and can irritate the skin. Sulphur works partially by a mechanical rubbing action, since it is a crystallic substance and partially by the dissolving and anticeptic actions of sulphur oxides and sulpuric acids that sulphur allways contains in small amounts.

- Tea tree oil: This is an oil containing essential fatty acids obtained by steam distillation of leaves of the Australian plant Melaleuca alternifolia. The oil helps to dissolve the comedones and works against bacteria and fungi. Tea tree oil has very few side effects.

- Vitamins and minerals: Both oral and topical acne treatment drugs often contain vitamins, vitamin-like susbstances or minerals, as vitamin A, C, B1, B2, B3, B6, C, D, E, folic acid, beta-carotene, copper, zink and selenium. These substances are working tools in the body, and they may effectivize cleaning processes, the immune defence and the regeneration from damages exerted by acne. In addition many of these substances are anti-oxidants that protect the skin against damages. Vitamin E and A also help to reduce inflammation. Zinc seems to be the most effective mineral for acne treatment.


SYNTHETIC COMPONENTS USED IN ACNE TREATMENT DRUGS

Pharmacologically synthetic substances are traditionally used in acne medicines. These are very effective, but carry a heavier risk for side effects. Drugs containing these substances are often bound to prescription.

Antibiotics: Antibiotics are used both in topical and oral products to treat the infection that is a component of acne. Topical antibiotcs have fewer side effects than oral ones. Antibiotics used against acne are tetracycline variants, erythromycin, clindamycin, stivamycin, sulfacetamide and trimethaprim.

Bezoyl peroxide: The substance is mostly used in topical acne products to kill bacteria and dissolve comedones. Benzoyl peroxide often produce dryness and irritation in the skin. These side effects may however go away after some times use.

Resorcinol: Resorcinol is used in topical products to kill bacteria and to dissolve comedones and other deposits. It is also effective against itching. It can cause too much peeling and can irritate the skin.

Vitamin-A-like compunds (retinoids) - Tretinoin, isotretinoin (Accutane), tazarotene, adapalene and others: These products stimulate the skin to clean away the comedones. Basically they stimulate the cells in the epidermis to divade faster and to scale off old cells faster. This increased cell proliferation exert a mechanical effect on the comedones so that they are pushed out. The components can also stimulate the skin to heal from damage. An uncautious use of the substances can however also irritate the skin and effect too extensive scaling off of cells in the epidermis and thereby hurt the skin.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This information is nutritional in nature and should not be construed as medical advice. This notice is required by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.