Factors affecting the effectiveness of acne treatment

Acne is common in both men and women, affecting all ages but is concentrated mainly in teenagers. Treating acne incorrectly such as squeezing acne yourself, using traditional medicine, tips or products of unknown origin and ingredients can cause serious complications such as chronic acne that is difficult to treat, infection, and post-acne scars. ..

Dr. Le Nguyen Thuy Vy, Dermatology – Skin Aesthetics Unit, Tam Anh General Clinic, District 7, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, points out a number of factors that cause difficulties and hinder the effectiveness of treatment. acne treatment.

Many causes of acne: There are many causes of acne, including increased sebum secretion, clogged hair follicles due to oil and dead cells, bacterial infections, improper skin care, hormonal changes, stress, genetics… Using inappropriate cosmetics, often staying up late, eating spicy, greasy, sweet foods… also increases the risk of acne outbreaks.

A person can get acne due to many reasons. Dr. Vy noted that it is necessary to determine the cause and severity of the disease to individualize treatment to achieve the best results.

Sensitive skin: People with sensitive skin types are often allergic to acne treatment products. Most active ingredients in topical acne treatments or acne skin care products have the potential to cause allergic contact dermatitis, making the skin susceptible to redness, itching, and burning. Therefore, people with acne need to be careful when choosing products and treatment methods.

Hormones: Hormonal acne appears due to changes in hormones in the body (puberty, menstrual cycle, pregnancy, polycystic ovary syndrome) that increase the function of sebaceous glands, causing follicle blockage. hair, bacteria grow causing inflammation and acne. Acne caused by hormonal disorders often requires longer treatment time.

Doctors may have to combine many methods at the same time such as hormone therapy, antibiotics, vitamin A derivatives, anti-inflammatories, and active ingredients that remove dead cells that clog pores to help the skin heal. airy. In some cases, additional combined treatments such as biological light, chemical skin regeneration, etc. may be prescribed.

Pregnancy: According to Dr. Vy, during pregnancy, treating acne is more difficult because many common acne medications such as retinoids and tetracyclines are not safe for pregnant women. These drugs have the risk of causing birth defects or other side effects on the fetus. At the same time, an increase in the hormone progesterone during pregnancy can increase the activity of the sebaceous glands, easily causing acne and making acne more difficult to control.

Needs a lot of time: Acne treatment usually has two phases. In the acute stage, it usually takes at least 2-3 months for doctors to treat the disease to reduce inflammation, prevent new acne from appearing, and improve the patient’s skin quality. The maintenance treatment phase then aims to reduce the possibility of acne recurrence. In case the patient has additional post-acne complications such as scarring, post-acne erythema, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, additional treatment will be given during this period.

Acne treatment requires patients to be patient and strictly follow the regimen. Patients should not stop treatment when their acne reduces, leading to multiple recurrences. They should choose a medical facility with specialized dermatology and individualize treatment depending on each person’s condition and cause of acne to be effective. best results.

According to Dr. Vy, there are many acne treatment methods, including classic topical applications (treatments and care products for acne-prone skin), oral medications, hormone therapy, and surgical procedures. such as acne removal, high technology such as electrophoresis, chemical peeling, LED phototherapy, IPL (high-intensity pulsed light), pico laser, micro-needling… Combining methods in one treatment course Helps reduce acne faster, reduces the risk of antibiotic resistance due to prolonged use of antibiotics, quickly improves conditions that often appear after illness such as post-acne erythema, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, reduces the risk of acne formation. scar.