Posts Tagged “moderate acne”

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

After last weeks post that I wrote about the effectiveness in using progesterone to cure acne or at least control acne I have found a report by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists that seems to show that the active ingredient in birth control pills, progesterone, is in fact good for helping acne in your women.

To assess the efficacy of the combined oral contraceptive containing 3-mg drospirenone/20-microgram ethinyl estradiol (3-mg drospirenone/20-microgram ethinyl estradiol) administered as 24 consecutive days of active treatment after a 4-day hormone-free interval (24/4 regimen) compared with placebo for the treatment of moderate acne.

METHODS: Healthy females aged 14–45 years with moderate acne were randomized in this double-blind study to 3-mg drospirenone/20-microgram ethinyl estradiol or placebo for six cycles of 28 days. The primary outcome measures of acne lesion counts and Investigator Static Global Assessment scale ratings were assessed at baseline and during cycles 1, 3, and 6. Read the rest of this entry »

The unsightly appearance of acne lesions or pimples isn’t the only potential problem with the disease, unfortunately. In some cases, it’s possible for acne to leave permanent scars.

Some conditions may appear to be scars that are not. Macules and other bumps can occur even after acne is treated. Redness may persist for up to a year. But these aren’t true scars. They’re not permanent.

True scars are a permanent change to skin tissue produced by the healing process itself, chiefly creating fibrous tissue. As white blood cells attack bacteria they can produce changes in underlying skin cells in the surrounding area. This is one way scars become permanent.

They may also not be limited to areas under the surface.

So-called icepick scars are small pinholes that form in the surface of the skin. They look as if the skin has been poked with an icepick, hence the name. They’re typically too deep to be treated with simple dermabrasion or even laser resurfacing.

Boxcar scars are similar, except they tend to be flatter on the bottom, rather than narrowing to a point like icepick scars. Since they’re often shallower they can sometimes be treated with resurfacing techniques.

Keloid scars are firm and grow beyond the site of the injury. They’re characterized by an excess production of collagen. They often result in a shiny pink or red scar.

Prevention is the best option, of course. But when that’s not possible, there are a number of standard treatments. Read the rest of this entry »