Acne is a condition that affects more than 90% of adolescent Australians aged between 16 and -18 years. This It can have damaging effects on their emotional state and self-esteem.
The pill, which is a combined oral contraceptive, has proved to help many girls and women female reduce the occurrence and severity of their acne.
GPs have found a common medication that helps many teenage girls reduce the occurrence of acne.
What causes acne?Causes
Acne occursoccurs when something goes wrong with the waxy oily substance that keeps the skin waterproof (sebum). This substance is produced in small sebaceous glands in the skin, which connect to hair follicles. The sebum moves from the sebaceous glands up to the skin in these pores.
A build upbuild-up of sebum can be caused by dead skin cells that block hair follicles. This is how acne appears, causing inflammation, pain, redness and swelling. Bacteria can also get trapped in the area, forming pus.
TeenagersTeenagers are more likely to experience acne as male sex hormones (androgens) are on the rise. These hormones affect males and females, as they accelerate the production of sebum.
Types of acne
- Blackheads -– a collection of dead cells that block the pores
- Whiteheads -– a sebum build-up causing a lump
- Papules -– sebum has broken into the under layers of the skin, causing inflammation and reddish painful lumps
- Pustules -– inflammation has turned into pus and broken through the skin to form a yellowish pimple
- Cysts and nodules -– are lumps deeper in the skin, caused by hardening of the tissue
- Open sores -– scratched pimples, exposing them to air
- Scars -– pockmarked, darkened areas of skin left after large pustules have healed.
To read more on the different types of acne, click here.
Treatment
Combined oral contraceptivesCombined oral contraceptives can help improve acne by increasing the female sex hormone oestrogen, which counteracts with the acne-producing effect of androgens.
Combination contraceptives on contain progestin, which is actively anti-androgenic.
Some of the most common acne-fighting combination pills are, Diane®, Brenda ® and Estelle ®.
The home doctor experts at House Call Doctor recommend speaking to a GP to that it is important to find the right treatment for the sufferer you. If combined oral contraceptives aren’t right, aA trusted GP can provide the right plan to help manage acne effectively and. In severe cases, a local GP can prescribe can provide a referral to a dermatologist.
