Who gets acne vulgaris?

Nearly all of us have acne at some time or another. It mainly affects adolescents (and can start as young as 8 years old), but acne may persist, begin or become more severe in adulthood.

What are the clinical features?

Acne most often affects the face, but it may spread to involve the neck, chest and back, and sometimes even more extensively over the body.

Several types of acne spots occur, often at the same time. They may be inflamed papules, pustules and nodules; or non-inflamed comedones and pseudocysts.

Post acne there can be:

• •Excoriations (picked or scratched spots)
• •Erythematous macules (red marks from recently healed spots, best seen in in fair skin)
• •Pigmented macules (dark marks from old spots, mostly affecting those with dark skin)
• •Scars or various types

Acne Vulgaris

Acne grading:

Acne may be classified as mild, moderate or severe. Comedones and inflammatory lesions are usually considered separately.

Treatment

Treatment for acne depends on the patient's age and sex, the extent and the severity of the acne, how long it has been present, and response to previous treatments.

• •Treatment for mild acne includes topical anti-acne preparations, lasers and lights
• •Treatment for moderate acne adds acne antibiotics such as tetracyclines and/or antiandrogens such as birth control pill
• •Treatment for severe acne may require a course of oral isotretinoin
• •We also have various chemical peel and laser treatments like carbon peels to give faster results