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There is a stigma attached to visiting a dermatologist. Because everybody is suggested that acne will eventually disappear. But if the following statements appear in your mind, it is time to pay a visit to a dermatologist:-

1) Your acne makes you feel diffident.

2) You are embarrassed by them.

3) Scars are appearing after acne lesions clear.

4) You’ve become a pessimist since you’ve had acne.

5) You have dark skin where darker patches appear when an acne lesion clears.

6) You have painful nodules and persistent blackheads and whiteheads.

7) You’ve tried and failed using all possible non-prescription medicines.

If you match any one of the following criteria then this is just the time for you to get a proper medical treatment done. Dermatologists will give a new feel to your skin by treating you of existing acne and preventing further breakouts and scarring. Apart from this, new confidence will be infused in you once you start getting treated for it.

Treatment at the earliest stage is best or people have to visit psychiatrists along with dermatologist.

There may be chances that you might suffer from acne due to a certain drug that you are taking. This happens more than often that acne pops up in people due to the side effect of a particular drug.

One of the drugs that is known to cause acne is Steroid.  This kind of acne can arises due to the intake of steroid pills or due to applying corticosteroid creams to your skin. You can easily tell that acne is caused due to steroids as it is a bit different from regular acne. It is inflammatory and also has blemishes. These are prescribed for rheumatic arthritis, rashes or kidney diseases. In case you are on these drugs try not to take tem on a long term basis. Also, avoid the usage of steroid based creams.

Another drug that causes a similar predicament is the testosterone pill. It is used by athletes to increase muscle mass. It causes a change in the body hormones leading to acne. Also, the drug called Danazol, prescribed to women with endometriosis acts in the same manner. Other such drugs are Lithium, Dilantin. Whenever you take a drug keep these drugs in mind and check the constituents of the drug carefully.

1. It is very commonly seen in people with acne prone skin that they scrub their face hard twice a day or keep cleansing them. It is a major misconception that poor hygiene is a reason for acne. It is not so. Although it is very healthy for the skin if we keep it clean and let mud and mire and dead skin accumulate on our skin, excess of everything is bad. And especially a skin that already is affected with acne gets even more irritated by this. So the best way to keep clean is to wash the face with mild soap only twice a day.

2. Acne, contrary to general belief does not depend on the diet of a person. Eating a balanced diet is always healthy. But if certain people show symptoms of acne with a certain food type, they should avoid that. Apart from that there are no specifications.

3. Many people believe that they should just let acne be. This is the biggest myth in this new age of cosmetics and advances in medical science. There are umpteen products to get it cleared so consult your dermatologist now instead of procrastinating and ignoring those ugly spots.

There are many such marks on the skin which may appear to be like scars but are not in reality. They may be pigmentation of some other kind but not acne scars.

Macules- they are reddish and flat spots that are formed when an acne lesion is in its last and the most inflamed stage. A macule stays on after the acne lesion has been treated or flattened. This macule marks the place of the lesion; it stays on for a few weeks to about 6 months and finally wears off, unlike a real scar, which does not disappear.

There are other forms of marks on the face like post pigmentation scars which is most common in people with a darker skin tone, but shows mostly in people with light skin. This happens when the affected area of skin heals and is left discolored. It requires prompt attention and visiting a dermatologist early is beneficial. It is most vulnerable in sun and may persist up to a year or 18 months. There is a treatment that can be done only under sterile medical conditions called chemical peeling which stimulates the process of treatment.

Thus, we now know that there are other marks also that can be mistaken for scars, which are actually marks which heal in time without a trace.

A circular sac like lesion which when plucked, oozes semi liquid material comprising white blood cell, dead cells and bacteria is called a cyst. Being larger than any of the above mentioned forms of acne, its effects are even greater. It is severely inflamed, extends to deeper into the skin, is terribly painful and leads to major scarring. Very often, nodules and cysts occur together and result in a severe form of acne which is called nodulocystic acne. Here too, isotretinoin ointments are the only effective treatment or systemic therapy. Some research workers in the field of acne are of the perception that true cysts rarely occur in acne, and what we generally call a cyst is actually a lesion which is a severely inflamed nodule. Thus they assert that the term nodulocystic should be abandoned. Nevertheless, resting the debate here, this is the most severe form of acne that is resistant to general treatment and leaves unpleasant scars after healing.

Acne has economic impact also. Americans spend about a hundred million dollars per year to treat them, including non-prescription medicines, special soaps, and cleansers.

Having spoken about various types of acne in detail, we will now read about who gets acne and how to treat them.