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Acne is an inflammatory disease that affects 80% of the population at some point in their lives. Its cause is mainly genetic and hormonal but there are multiple factors that affect and worsen it, such as stress or a diet based on processed products.

An acne outbreak can manifest itself with different types of lesions, alone or in combination, and can affect different areas of the body, such as the décolleté, back or buttocks, not just the face.

The typical lesions of acne, which we all recognize, are red pimples or pimples with pus, but in reality acne presents other equally frequent manifestations, which are: blackheads (open comedones), white microcysts (closed comedones), red pimples (papules), white pimples (pustules) and deep lumps (cysts).

The duration of acne, as well as its age of onset is highly variable. As for the intensity of the acne, if there is a family history or if the acne appears before adolescence, it usually has a worse prognosis.

The medical importance of acne lies in the worsening of the quality of life during the outbreak (pain, inflammation…) as well as in the aesthetic sequelae they produce, since on many occasions, if not treated correctly, marks or scars will remain for life.

“For that reason, dermatologists recommend treating acne from the very beginning, even from childhood if necessary. This way, we can prevent the dreaded acne scars,” says the Dr. Virginia Sánchez.

When the acne presents mainly with open and/or closed comedones, it is retentional acne and can be treated with
physical and chemical exfoliating cosmetics
. Some acids such as glycolic acid, mandelic acid, azelaic acid or salicylic acid, as well as retinol and
retinol
are active ingredients that control and improve retentional acne.

For all types of acne, it is recommended that you use a moisturizing
moisturizing cleansing gel
gel cleanser and a
light moisturizing repairing moisturizer
cream.

In acne, astringent cosmetics that dry and irritate the skin (strong or drying soaps, alcoholic tonics, etc.) should be avoided. We must not forget that acne is an inflammatory disease so we must avoid any type of action that produces greater inflammation, such as the use of irritating cosmetics or cleaning with manual extraction.

Inflammatory acne presents a greater number of red pimple-like lesions with pus. In these cases, cosmetic treatment should be accompanied by oral medical treatment prescribed by a physician or dermatologist.

Acne under medical treatment requires different cosmetic care as it will be necessary to use moisturizing and soothing products to reduce the risk of flaking and inflammation of the skin.

In summary, acne is a complex disease with great interindividual variability, so a consultation with a dermatologist in time can avoid many unpleasant situations in the future for the affected person.