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Neonatal Dermatology Acne Treatment

Skin Health Acne

Acne 101

Summary & Participants

The first step to clearing up acne is getting the facts. Learn the facts about acne-prone skin and how best to treat it.

Medically Reviewed On: July 18, 2008

Webcast Transcript

ANNOUNCER: Putting your best face forward may be difficult if you have acne. The first step to clearing up your skin is getting the facts.

LAWRENCE F. EICHENFIELD, MD: Acne myths have been around for a long time. First of all, that acne is a disease of dirt. You know, if you really clean your face well, you won’t get acne. Unfortunately, it’s not true.

Another secondary myth from that is that blackheads, in fact, are dirty acne lesions. That’s not the case.

ANNOUNCER: Another myth is that food causes acne.

LAWRENCE F. EICHENFIELD, MD: Eating chocolate doesn’t seem to have any impact. It’s really, really rare that foods will trigger outbreaks of acne.

ANNOUNCER: So what is acne?

LAWRENCE F. EICHENFIELD, MD: Acne is predominantly a disease of the sebaceous glands, which are the glands that are present in our face, and to a degree on our shoulders, chest and back. The hormones stimulate glands in the skin to produce oil, or what we call sebum, and the sebum normally will come out to the surface of the skin. But it comes out through this canal, what’s called the follicle, and this canal is lined with cells. And what happens in acne is that the cells plug up the canal, and then there is a little backup from the canal and you get a swelling behind the obstruction. That swelling behind the obstruction is what a pimple is.

ANNOUNCER: Along with sebum and dead skin cells irritating the hair follicles of your skin, bacteria also play a role in creating pimples.

LAWRENCE F. EICHENFIELD, MD: In our skin we all have bacteria, and there is a certain bacteria that is sort of designed for that follicle being blocked. That bacteria we actually have named propriono bacterium acnes. These bacteria brew to a degree, and then the body tries to fight the bacteria and does that with what we call inflammation.

ANNOUNCER: There are several different types of acne lesions.

LAWRENCE F. EICHENFIELD, MD: The simplest acne lesion, which is a little obstruction of the little gland, is called a white head. Then there is something called a blackhead. And what happens with a blackhead is essentially that same obstruction, but there is a little opening in the top, and that opening gives a little black color, which isn’t dirt. It’s actually just a set of cells that are compacted there. And then we have things that have more puss or whiteness collected within them, and it’s called a pustule. Then we have inflammatory bumps which are red bumps. And then lastly we have much bigger lesions which collect in the skin. Those are called nodules or cysts.

ANNOUNCER: People of all races and ages get acne. However, it is most common in adolescents and young adults.

LAWRENCE F. EICHENFIELD, MD: We see acne in about 85 percent of teenagers and young adults. Acne can start as early as eight or nine-years-of-age. It generally peaks in mid-teenage years.

ANNOUNCER: While acne affects young women and men equally, women are more likely to have acne, due to hormonal changes associated with their menstrual cycle.

ANNOUNCER: If acne is troubling you there is help.

LAWRENCE F. EICHENFIELD, MD: If someone has a good relationship with their pediatrician or family physician and they can manage the acne, that's great. But if they find that they need expert consultation, dermatologists are available and are expert in the care of acne.