Should You Get Medical Help For Your Acne?
Acne affects most people at some point in their life and it is one of the most common types of skin conditions. Acne can be mild, with only one or two spots, to severe, where large areas of skin are affected by spots, cysts and lesions. It can be an immensely distressing condition causing a great deal of emotional and psychological damage, particularly in teenagers, which is why it is important to seek medical help for your acne if you find that over the counter remedies are not working.
When should you get medical help for your acne?
Everyone gets spots occasionally, and for the majority of people, application of a topical cream of ointment is enough to dry the spot up and it disappears within a few days. It can be embarrassing, especially if a spot materializes the night before an important event, but not the end of the world. However, in more serious cases of acne, the condition can cause serious skin problems and lead to secondary infections and permanent scarring, so it is always a good idea to seek medical advice if you are concerned about your acne.
Years ago, acne was not taken so seriously and there were very few treatments that were readily available to treat the symptoms of the disorder. But today’s acne sufferers have access to a much wider range of treatments and nobody needs to suffer the effects of acne any longer than necessary.
Once the correct treatment has been identified, the outlook for acne sufferers is usually very good and most patients can expect to see a significant improvement within three months of starting a course of acne treatment. In the long term, some maintenance therapy may be required to keep the symptoms of acne under control, but the vast majority of people find that their symptoms slowly disappear as they get into their twenties.
At what point do I need to seek medical advice for my acne?
Mental health is a serious issue and many people suffering from chronic acne also suffer from associated feelings of low self esteem and depression, so if you are feeling so low that you don’t want to venture outside any more and you feel like nobody will ever want to be with you because of your bad skin, you have to accept that you cannot go it alone any more.
There is no specific point at which you should seek medical advice, but if your skin condition is making you feel depressed and is impacting on your life in a negative way, it is probably a good idea to pay a visit to your doctor for an assessment of how serious your acne is and what treatments he or she can recommend.
Doctors normally make an assessment on acne based on a visual examination of the extent of the condition and what types of lesion are present. Mild to moderate cases will be treated in the first instance with topical ointments and lotions containing ingredients such as benzoyl peroxide and antibiotics to treat the bacteria present on the skin. Severe cases of acne will probably be referred to a dermatologist for a secondary opinion to ensure a correct diagnosis and more effective treatment plan.
Can acne be a symptom of an underlying medical problem?
It is important to be aware that the symptoms of acne can sometimes be caused by conditions that require medical attention, so if you are experiencing any other symptoms as well as acne related skin problems, seek medical advice as soon as possible so you can receive a correct diagnosis and the appropriate treatment.
Polycystic ovary syndrome in girls can lead to the symptoms of acne by causing excessive levels of testosterone to be made in the ovaries or adrenal gland. Aside from acne, other symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome include excess body hair and thinning hair on the scalp.
What is cystic acne and does it require medical attention?
Cystic acne is an especially severe form of acne that definitely requires medical treatment. The correct name for the condition is nodulocystic acne and it is the most serious form of acne. Deep blemishes affect the face and/or body and cause severe inflammation. Cysts and nodules develop under the skin that are painful and take a long time to heal.
The type of deeply inflamed nodular cysts seen in cystic acne are far more serious than regular acne and can cause long term damage to healthy skin tissue, which can lead to extensive scarring. Because of this, it is very important that a sufferer seeks medical advice promptly—immediate aggressive cystic acne treatment can significantly reduce the likelihood of scarring and improve the quality of life for the affected person.
Due to the severity of cystic acne, over the counter treatments and home remedies are not effective and a doctor or dermatologist must treat the condition. It can take a while to find the right treatment plan for an individual patient, but there are effective systemic treatments available and you do not need to suffer from the effects of cystic acne.
What treatments are used for cystic acne?
Oral antibiotics are normally prescribed to treat any underlying bacterial infections. Powerful anti acne drugs such as isotretinoin might also be prescribed, although they are not suitable for all patients. Some female patients also find that a course of oral contraceptives can help reduce their symptoms of cystic acne.
