Acne and blackheads

Acne is a common skin condition that affects almost 90 percent of all teenagers due to the hormonal changes the body is subjected to during puberty. Acne, which used to be known as acne vulgaris, problems can persist into adulthood but acne is mainly a puberty related problem.Acne is not a new ailment and several pharaohs did for instance suffer from this skin problem. In ancient Rome they used sulphur in mineral water to treat acne and the use of suplhur as a treatment against acne survive well into the 19th century. Benzoyl peroxide was used as earlu as the 1920s but during the 1930s they tried a lot of other alternatives including radiation treatment and laxatives against acne. Once antibiotics started to get wide spread during the 50s doctors and patients started noticing that is had an effect on infected pimples as well. In time creams containing antibiotics were developed to treat acne. In the 1980s oral isotretinoin turned out to be an effective aid in the struggle against acne, but the compound turned out to be highly unsuitable for pregnant women since it lead to miscarriages and birth defects.Women who suffers from acne can sometimes be treated by a hormonal acne treatment. The estrogen / progestogen that is present in contraceptives can have some effect but serious problems usually require stronger hormon treatment. In cases where one or a few pimples grow especially big and do not respond to other acne medication, a doctor might inject hydrocortisone into it. Even a small shot of cortisone tend to reduce redness and inflammation right away, but cortisone does come with serious side effects, especially if used for any longer period of time.Camedones or blackheads as they are more commonly referred to today are a type of acne vulgaris where oil accumulate in the pores (sebaceous galnds). A common myth is that blackheads are caused by poor hygiene but this myth is not true. Excessive cleaning can actually worsen the problem by causing dry skin, this prompting the body to produce even more oils.Blackheads are usually unpleassant to look at but they are not dangerous, that said you might still want to know how to remove blackheads without causing damage to the surrounding skin. Strips or tape is a common readily available solutions to blackheads, they are addhessive strips places on the blackheads. The blackheads will be removed when the tape are removed as they stick to the tape. For individuals with a lot of blackhead related problems the strips can be impractical due to their temporary relief and in this cases salicylic acid might be a better solution.

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