Acne often sticks with young people and is deeply hated. What exactly causes this annoying acne? Acne is more common in young people. Nowadays, due to improved economic conditions, some people start to have acne at the age of 12 or 13, or even younger. Some people still have acne in their thirties or forties.
The main cause of acne is hormonal imbalance, which is often related to excessive secretion of androgen. Another factor is infection by acne bacteria. The third factor is related to excessive heat accumulation in the body. Nowadays, many people consume fatty and sweet foods daily, while lacking exercise, leading to excessive heat accumulation. These factors mainly target common acne.
From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, acne is mainly caused by damp-heat accumulating in the skin, spleen deficiency unable to transform dampness, liver dysfunction in dispersing and draining, and other reasons.
What is the difference between acne, pimples, and blackheads?
Acne, also known as "pimples", differs from blackheads.
Blackheads are generally small white or black protrusions (sometimes not very obvious if not carefully observed) with a large quantity. They can be divided into whiteheads and blackheads. Blackheads are mainly related to factors such as staying up late, alternating hot and cold weather, and the use of contraceptives.
Pimples, as the name suggests, are a disease that occurs more frequently during adolescence. It can appear as a single pimple or a cluster. Pimples are mainly caused by hormonal imbalance or poor sebum secretion.
How to differentiate between furuncles and acne?
Furuncles, also known as abscesses, mainly occur in hair follicles. They are a purulent infection of hair follicles and the surrounding deep tissues. Multiple adjacent hair follicles become infected and inflamed, forming boils. It is mainly caused by Staphylococcus aureus infection, due to poor skin hygiene, increased sebum production, trauma, and high levels of body hormones. Initially, there is local redness, swelling, and pain, followed by an expansion of the red and swollen area with obvious tenderness. Finally, an abscess forms, which may drain pus and reduce pain if it ruptures. Severe patients may experience general discomfort, chills, fever, and other symptoms.
Acne is a chronic skin disease that occurs in the hair follicles and sebaceous glands. It mainly occurs on the face, chest, and back. It is characterized by various forms of skin lesions such as blackheads, papules, pustules, and nodules. Some people only have acne on their back, but it is not common, so this situation does not require treatment. How severe does it have to be to be considered serious and require timely medical treatment?
To answer this question, we first need to understand the classification of acne. Acne can be roughly divided into 9 types:
Common acne, also known as "lung wind acne", appears red and grows on the face, chest, back, etc. They are the size of green beans or soybeans with a pointed tip. This type of acne can be further divided into whiteheads and blackheads, accounting for about 60% of all acne types.
Nodule acne feels like a hard lump when touched, with various shades of red and slight pain. It often does not heal easily.
Cystic acne is mostly blackheads, and small pustules may appear on the top of the skin rash. After rupture or absorption, temporary pigmentation or small depressed scars may remain. It is difficult to heal and can easily become infected if picked or pricked.
Pustular acne, as the name suggests, forms small pustules that are not large in size. This type of acne is most likely to cause disfigurement and is more common in the temples, forehead, and cheeks.
Scar acne mainly occurs from the lower jaw angle to the neck triangle area, lasts for several months, and is prone to scar formation.
Cluster acne is densely distributed in a certain area, mainly blackheads, and mostly occurs on both sides of the cheeks, resembling a honeycomb. It is easy to damage the appearance.
Eczema-like acne is not well treated with antibiotics or anti-inflammatory drugs, and it often requires the use of anti-allergic and dampness-reducing drugs for treatment.
Worm-like acne feels like worms moving under the skin and has a shape similar to wormholes. It is often related to genetic factors.
Aggregated acne mainly refers to the simultaneous presence of three or more of the above types of acne.
Furthermore, acne needs to be differentiated from demodex dermatitis, allergic dermatitis, rosacea, and disseminated lupus erythematosus on the face and body. Specifically, demodex dermatitis can be distinguished by finding demodex through laboratory tests, and the dermatitis occurs around the nose and in areas with abundant hair follicles. Rosacea occurs on the wings of the nose and areas with dilated blood vessels. Disseminated lupus erythematosus belongs to a type of skin tuberculosis and has an appearance similar to acne in the early stage. If the treatment is ineffective and lasts for a long time, it can easily cause disfigurement.
Therefore, for unclear diagnoses, that is, other than common acne (due to its mild symptoms), the remaining 40% or so of acne should be treated promptly and a dermatologist with rich experience should be consulted.
When going to the hospital, how do doctors generally treat acne?
Before discussing treatment, let's talk about the understanding of acne in traditional Chinese medicine. Phlegm-dampness, blood stasis, spleen deficiency, liver depression, heat toxicity, and lung heat are the pathological mechanisms that cause acne, but specific treatment requires syndrome differentiation. The focus is on the treatment of the first three types of acne.
For common acne, commonly used Western medicine includes antibiotics such as clindamycin and erythromycin. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment mainly uses methods to clear heat, detoxify, and promote diuresis. Commonly used prescriptions include Xianfang Huoming Yin and Pipa Qingfei Yin. Commonly used Chinese herbs include Forsythia, Scutellaria baicalensis, Honeysuckle, Dandelion, and Houttuynia cordata. If there is constipation, you can add Gypsum Fibrosum and Zhebei Muxiang. You can choose 5g of Hang Ju flower, 5g of Honeysuckle flower, and 10g of Dandelion to make tea. It has a slightly bitter taste and has the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying.
Treatment for nodule acne involves clearing heat, promoting blood circulation, and resolving stasis. Treatment slightly varies between men and women. Commonly used herbs include Forsythia, Saposhnikovia divaricata, Houttuynia cordata, Scutellaria baicalensis, Leonurus japonicus, Curcuma zedoaria, Gardenia jasminoides, Prunus persica, and Ligusticum chuanxiong. In women, Chai Hu and Angelica sinensis are often added.
Treatment for cystic acne involves strengthening the spleen, resolving phlegm, and promoting diuresis. Commonly used herbs include Zhebei Muxiang, Hedyotis diffusa, Solanum melongena, Coix lacryma-jobi, Atractylodes macrocephala, Poria cocos, and Poria cocos peel.
For the latter two types of acne, you can choose 30g of coix lacryma-jobi, 30g of Zhebei Muxiang, and 10g of lotus seeds to cook porridge for consumption. Alternatively, take 50g of bitter gourd, 50g of celery, 50g of bitter chrysanthemum, 30g of coix lacryma-jobi, and an appropriate amount of rice or millet to cook porridge. For people with damp-heat toxins, it is not suitable to consume too much.
Furthermore, for local treatment of acne, different methods can be used depending on the type of acne. After cleaning the face, you can use face masks with heat-clearing and detoxifying, blood-activating and stasis-resolving, dampness-relieving, or scar-preventing effects (it is recommended to receive treatment from a specialist and use masks prepared by the hospital).
Since acne is so common, what should be noted in daily life?
The prevention of acne mainly involves the following three aspects:
Firstly, reduce the intake of calorie-rich foods, especially sweets (because sweets are more likely to accumulate heat than chili peppers, causing greasiness and dampness), and reduce the consumption of beverages.
Secondly, increase exercise. The ideal amount of daily exercise should reach the point of slight sweating throughout the body or being able to walk more than 10 kilometers. During the Anti-Japanese War and the three years of natural disasters, the incidence of acne was very low. This indirectly proves that reducing calorie intake and exercising have a relieving effect on acne.
Finally, wash the face with alkaline soap two or three times a day. If the face is red, apply cool water after cleaning, and try to avoid applying medication and using skin care products excessively.
