ACNE – everything you know about Pimples in teenagers

ACNE – everything you know about Pimples in teenagers

Acne is an inflammatory disease of the sebaceous glands (oil secreting glands in our skin) and the hair follicles, that occurs when hair follicles gets clogged with dead skin cells and oil (sebum).

Common sites- face, forehead, chest, upper back, arms and shoulders.
Age group- it can be seen in all age groups but most common in teenagers.

Clinical presentation

  • White head (closed clogged pore)
  • Blackhead (open clogged pore)
  • Small elevated lesion <10mm in diameter, red, tender eruption (papule)
  • Papules like eruptions filled with pus (pustules)
  • Large, solid, painful eruption beneath the surface of the skin (nodule)
  • Painful, pus filled lump beneath the surface of the skin (cystic lesion)

Causes-

hereditary, hormonal imbalance esp.during puberty, improper diet, poor hygiene, stress and drugs like corticosteroids, etc.

DO’s

  • Wash your face frequently with normal water atleast 3-5 times accordingly without making it dry.
  • Use gentle or natural cleanser (home made). Use mild anti-bacterial soap.
  • If inflammation is more, take facial steam for 10-15minutes, once in 15 days
  • Do regular exercise or yoga- for better circulation
  • Drink plenty of water/ fruit juices. Eat fresh and raw vegetables.
  •  Increase intake of fibre in your diet- whole wheat, bran, oats, barley, green leafy vegetables, beans, nuts.
  • Increase intake of zinc- mushroom, garlic, nuts, shellfish, eggs and sea food, milk and milk products
  • Consume diet rich in Vitamin A- orange & yellow vegetables and fruits, dark and green leafy vegetables broccoli, spinach, carrots, cod liver oil, eggs, milk and milk products
  • Consume food rich in Vitamin C- citrus fruits, green vegetables, orange, kiwi, lemon, guava, broccoli, cauliflower, capsicum, papaya, strawberries, amla, green chilly
  • Consume food rich in Vitamin E- nuts like almonds, peanuts, walnuts, and vegetable oil. Sunflower oil is very rich in vitamin E.

DON’Ts

  • Avoid fats, oily and highly seasoned food, chocolate, ice-cream, white bread, sweets, refined flour (maida)
  • Don’t scrub your skin as it aggravates acne
  • Don’t break your pimples as it leads to secondary infection
  • Don’t apply cosmetic regularly, or use non-greasy light makeup
  • Don’t sleep with your make up put on
  • Don’t over-expose skin to sun in summers, use hat or umbrella

FEW COMMONLY INDICATED HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES:

  • ARNICA- Acne with symmetrical distribution.
  • ARSENICUM BROMATUM-  acne rosacea, with violet papules on nose; worse in the spring. Acne in young people.
  • ASTERIAS RUBENS- Face red, disposition to pimples at adolescence. Pimples on side of nose, chin and mouth.
  • BOVISTA- Acne worse in summer; due to use of cosmetics.
  • CALCAREA SULPHURICA- Pimples and pustules on the face. Suppurative processes, after pus has found a vent. Mucous discharges are yellow, thick and lumpy.
  • HEPAR SULPH- Acne in youth. Suppurate with prickly pain. Papules prone to suppurate and extend. Cannot bear to be uncovered; wants to be wrapped up warmly.
  • KALI BROMATUM- Acne of face, pustules. Itching; worse on chest, shoulders and face. Fidgety hands.
  • MAGNESIA MURIATICA– Pimples aggravation before menses.
  • NUX VOMICA-  Acne from cheese in people with sedentary lifestyle seeks stimulants.
  • PULSATILLA- Acne at puberty. Patient is mild, gentle. Thirstless, peevish, chilly. Better in open air. Symptoms ever changing. Often indicated after abuse of iron tonics, and after badly-managed measles.
  • PSORINUM- humid eruptions on face. Extreme sensitiveness to cold, offensive discharges.
  • SULPHUR- Pimply eruption, pustules, rhagades, hang-nails.  Itching, burning; worse scratching and washing. Dry, scaly, unhealthy skin; every little injury suppurates.

This is the list of few commonly indicated remedies. Homoeopathic chestbox is full of medicines useful in cases of acne, what all needed is individualization and symptoms totality to reach to a final remedy, that’s why, it is always advisable to take the medicine after consulting a homoeopathic doctor.