Acne

Pimples are the bane of many a teenager’s life, but true acne, which almost always begins at the painfully self-conscious period of puberty, is unsightly and can cause acute embarrassment at best, and very real distress and depression at worst. The good news for acne sufferers is that with today’s methods of treatment, bad scarring can almost always be avoided.

Most adolescent boys and many girls suffer from acne vulgaris to some degree. This is caused by a plug of skin cells obstructing the flow of Sebum (an oily substance secreted by the sebaceous glands) at the neck of the hair follicles. When sebum becomes trapped in a follicle, bacteria multiply and the follicle becomes inflamed, taking on the appearance of a spot.

It seems that acne blights teenage boys in particular because changes in levels of sebum secretions are linked to the increased levels of androgen (male sex hormones) produced at puberty. Acne can also run in families. The condition can be aggravated by some drugs, including steroids, barbiturates, and drugs used in the treatment of tuberculosis and epilepsy.

Acne occurs mainly on the face, in the centre of the chest, on the upper back, on the shoulders and around the neck. The most common acne spots are open comedones (blackheads), closed comedones (whiteheads), papules, pustules, nodules (firm swellings below the skin) and cysts (larger, fluid-filled swellings in the skin). Frustrating, as pimples heal, others tend to appear and the scars they leave often appear as small, depressed pits.

The increase in natural oils are produced from the scalp often leads to acne around the hairline. This condition is compounded by putting hot oils or pomades on the hair. In the same way, using cosmetics with oily bases leads to an increased tendency to acne. If you do suffer from acne, regular contact with mineral or cooking oils such as in a restaurant kitchen can make the condition worse, so pick your Saturday job with care.

THE ORTHODOX APPROACH

Over-the counter or prescribed topical treatments (applied to the skins) such as benzyl peroxide, retinoic acid, antibiotic lotions and creams containing sulphur act by unblocking pores and removing sebum, and promote healing. Ultra-violet light is also known to be beneficial, so get out in the sunshine or take occasional tanning bed. If topical treatment fails, long-term therapy (lasting at least three months) using oral antibiotics often helps.

In the case of severe acne, the use of retinoid drugs can improve the condition, but these will not usually be prescribed until other forms of treatment have failed, and must be used cautiously because they can lead to liver damage. They can also cause foetal malformation, so must not be given to a woman who might become pregnant.

Acne cysts can be treated by intralesional therapy (injection of drugs into the acne spot) which can help prevent scarring. For those who already carry severe acne scars, dermabrasion (removal of the top layer of affected skin under general aesthetic) is occasionally used to improve the appearance. However, you will still be left with a rough complexion and it is an extremely painful treatment that would only be considered as a last option in extreme cases.

Some beauty salons offer a cosmetic treatment for mild acne scarring whereby collagen is injected into small acne pits to plump them out. It is reported to give perceptible results but the effects are not permanent and the treatment has to be performed repeatedly.

THE HALE APPROACH

Acne, while socially debilitating and personally disfiguring, is rarely a life-threatening condition and treatment can therefore be sought from complementary practitioners as a first line. Orthodox treatments are rarely prescribed on the basis of looking for an underlying cause of the condition, and therefore tend to be effective when they are being used, but not always in the long term. Complementary treatments will examine your entire lifestyle and are far more likely to help find a cure.

However, if patients wish to address the hormonal imbalance which originally aggravated the condition, the homeopathy, acupuncture, Ayurveda and Irish herbs or nutritional therapy can be of great benefit. If the acne seems to be strongly related to a person’s mental state, hypnosis may be helpful.

NUTRITION

In the treatment of acne the aim of nutritional therapy is to balance the hormones that cause the sebaceous glands to produce too much sebum. To achieve this the nutritionist would employ detoxification, identification and treatment of any food allergies, and treatment of any underlying diseases that might be causing the acne. A total cure can be achieved after three to six sessions.  More about nutrition...

AYURVEDA

According to the principles of Ayurvedic medicine, acne is caused by stagnation of doshas (humors or channels) in the body. The main doshas involved are Vata (air – the driving force, controlling the nervous system and all the energies in the body) and Pita (fire – all digestive and metabolic processes, bile, enzymes etc.). In certain cases the third dosha, Kapha (phlegm, fat, water, lymphatic, and mucous membranes) may also need attention. “A complete cleansing is the way to improvement”, says one Ayurvedic practitioner. “Mainly panchakarma (revitalizing) therapy would be given for detoxification. A suitable diet would consist of mainly low-acidic foods, with no meat or dairy products. More about ayurveda...

HOMEOPATHY

Because a homeopathic remedy is a highly diluted form of a natural substance that, in a full-strength dose, would produce the symptoms of the illness in a healthy person, symptoms sometimes get worse before they improve. This means that an acne sufferer may see more pimples emerge before a homeopathic remedy produces a cure. Be patient.

Homeopaths treat each patient individually but, as a gross generalization, Kali biochromicum is recommended for chronic acne, and Sulphur for infected pustules that get worse after washing. When Sulphur aggravates, Hepar sulpha, Rhus tox and Ignatia often give good results. If the cause of the problem is an imbalance or sensitivity to the male hormone testosterone, remedies may be given to rebalance this. Psorinum is a good general remedy. More about homeopathy...

ACUPUNCTURE

According to Chinese medicine if the spleen is weak it produces phlegm and blocks proper liver function. A stressed liver produces excess heat. Heat and phlegm combine to cause congestion along the meridian that flows from the abdomen to the face, and this leads to skin trouble. Acupuncture tones the spleen and relaxes the liver, removing the phlegm and preventing a recurrence of the complaint. Once blood can travel freely, skin problems disappear. More about acupuncture...

HYPNOTHERAPY

Hypnotherapy relies on the therapeutic use of hypnosis to diagnose, treat and cure a condition. According to one Hypnotherapist our skins can be viewed as a projection screen on to which our emotions are thrown. When we are embarrassed, for example, we blush. The natural progression of this theory is to accept that skin conditions can sometimes be an expression of an underlying emotion problem or repressed emotions. “I take a thorough case history and listen carefully to the person”, says the Hypnotherapist. “With any talking therapy, the co-operations between the practitioner and patient must be there or else you will not advance. My work is only the offering of guidance – it is the client who leads me and not the other way round. My words are dictated by what they say to me. But I do encounter people with bad acne and they can be helped.  More about hypnotherapy...

SUPPORTIVE TREATMENTS

Healing/Chi Kung

Used in conjunction with other complementary therapies and a healthy diet, both these treatments – which are based on rebalancing the body’s energies – can be beneficial for acne. A healer channels energy from an outside force into the patient to rebalance the body. Chi Kung (a traditional Chinese therapy which uses seven basic exercises, often in conjunction with the eight fundamental T’ai Chi exercises) is especially useful for dealing with the causes and results of acne such as adolescent emotional problems, embarrassment over appearance, resentment, etc. Skin “chi breathing” helps alleviate superficial symptoms.

SELF-CARE

Flower Remedies

Although there are several flower essences from which to choose for skin conditions, Luffa (Pegasus) and Spinifex (Australian Bush) are particularly recommended for acne.

Nutrition

Obviously, you can continue to follow a diet prescribed by a nutritional therapist after your regular treatment has ended, and any improvement should be maintained. In general terms you should avoid refined carbohydrates, red meat, tannin, caffeine, inorganic iron (i.e. Iron supplements, because they are constipating and antagonistic to Vitamin E), female hormones found in milk, and extra iodine (found in some table salt). Eat a low-fat diet and use corn (maize) oil for cooking. The group of fatty acids known as Omega 6 have been shown to be beneficial in combating acne.

TIP

Wash affected skin twice daily to prevent spreading pimples – washing any more frequently will simply dry out the skin. Tempting though it may be, pimples should not under any circumstances be picked or squeezed. This only worsens the condition and can lead to scarring.