Acne
Acne is a very common condition affecting men, women and teenagers. We offer a number of treatments to help treat acne and acne scarring.
At a glance
Acne is an extremely common skin condition that affects so many people at some stage in their lives. It is responsible for causing various types of spots on the face, neck, shoulders, chest and back. For most people, acne is a temporary skin concern that goes away on its own yet for others, acne will continue as a persistent, relentless problem into adult life. Acne and acne scarring can be a very distressing skin condition, but it does respond well to the right treatment. Our skin experts will put together a bespoke treatment plan including specialised home skincare and in clinic treatments to improve your skin's health.
Symptoms
Although they consist of the same attributes, acne symptoms can scope from mild to severe. Acne most commonly appears on the face, neck, chest, shoulders and back and there are a variety of types of acne spots:
Blackheads
These are black or yellow in colour but are small spots found on the skin. The black colour is as a result of melanin being oxidized and turning the clogged pore a black colour.
whiteheads
These are small, white, raised bumps on the skin that can often clear up within a few days.
Pustules
These are an inflammatory type of acne that usually appear as white bumps that contain fluid or pus, surrounded by red skin. These tend to be larger and are quite painful.
Nodules
These are hard, painful lesions that are deep under the skin, often lasting weeks or months. They tend not to develop a white head and remain as hard knots under the skin.
Cysts
These tend to be the largest in size, are deeper within the skin and are filled with pus. Cystic acne often looks like red boils on the skin, that are painful to touch.
Causes
Acne is caused by the blockage of hair follicles in the skin. There are the tiny holes in the skin where hairs grow from. Immediately beneath the skin are sebaceous glands which secrete an oily substance called sebum to lubricate the skin and hair.
In acne, the glands begin to produce too much sebum. The excess sebum mixes with dead skin cells and both substances form a plug in the follicle. If the plugged follicle is close to the surface of the skin, it bulges outwards, creating a whitehead. Alternatively, the plugged follicle can be open to the skin, creating a blackhead. Normally harmless bacteria that live on the skin can then contaminate and infect the plugged follicles, causing papules, pustules, nodules or cysts.