Skin Treatment
Treatment: The face must be kept clean, washed daily with soap and water and carefully dried. There are numerous special soaps designed to reduce the oiliness of skin. Scrubbing should be thorough but not to the point of abrasion, unless so directed by a physician.
Removal of pimples or blackheads by finger squeezing can only bruise the skin, making it more vulnerable for spreading infection than ever.
Ultraviolet lamps and sun lamps should be used only under a physician’s directions, because of the potentially harmful effects on certain skins if misused.
Tetracycline (250 mg daily before meals for a month or more) and other antibiotics can be very helpful. Hormone treatments are sometimes valuable but need very careful administration by the dermatologist and the gynecologist.
For home treatment there are a large number of lotions and ointments that can be bought over the counter, that cause a mild degree of peeling, loosening the hardened sebum. Benzoyl peroxide, sulfur compounds, Resorcinol, and vitamin A acid have been proven useful.
For best results, a dermatologist should be consulted in arriving at a good regimen, which most often will include medication available only by prescription and must often be reevaluated as the condition changes. As in all skin disorders, therapy must be individualized for each patient.
Prevention: Acne cannot be prevented, but constant, energetic treatment will noticeably reduce its severity. The use of greasy make-up on a skin condition can only worsen it.
Outlook: Usually the patient has one bad year. Inevitably, however, acne disappears. After twenty-five it is much less common.
