Acne Frequently Asked Questions FAQ

  1. Who Gets Acne?
    Being the king of all skin disorders, most people will get acne ranging from mild to moderate. Some cases will be severe. What you might not know is that teens aren't the only ones who get acne. Acne is diagnosed in anywhere from pregnant women, infants to the elderly, but as teenagers are full of new hormones, it is most commonly seen in teenagers.

  2. What Causes Acne?
    Acne is a disorder of the pilosebaceous unit, made of the sebaceous gland, hair follicle and the hair itself. Found everywhere on the body except palms, soles of feet, top of feet and lower lip, these glands are in greatest numbers on the face, upper neck and chest. The gland responsible for keeping skin and hair moisturized -- sebum -- is produced by the sebaceous glands and during a person's adolescence (until about 20 years of age), these glands enlarge and produce far more sebum due to increased hormonal flows (called androgens).

  3. When Do People Usually Get Acne?
    Acne can make an entrance at birth, or when you're retired, but it typically arrives at around puberty. At this point, it's usually not too bad and will last for an average of five years, but can persist for up to 20 years. About a quarter of teens with acne will still have it when they reach age 25. What's alarming is that it's becoming increasingly common for women, aged 20 to 45 (see: Adult Acne) to develop acne and the reason is unknown.

  4. Where Does Acne Develop?
    As aforementioned, acne usually appears anywhere your sebaceous glands sit. Sebaceous glands naturally produce oil for the skin to keep it from getting dry. Nearly 100% of the population will have or have had acne on their facial, or chest/back areas. Less common is acne that shows up on the extremeties (arms and thighs).

  5. How Does Acne Affect You?
    When it comes to acne, the question isn't how does it affect you?, it's -- how does it NOT affect you?. Aside from the physical discomfort it brings, acne can be damaging emotionally as well. It's not uncommon for those suffering from acne to lose self confidence and they may even become depressed. Packaged on top of the mood changes and social anxiety that already exist as a teenager and this leads to a number of problems, from bad performance in school to poor socialization to a difficult time with at home. It doesn't end there either. With acne comes scarring and these blemishes are not entirely correctable, even with today's technology. This alone can have a strong negative affect on self image.

  6. What Will My Doctor Prescribe Me?
    Most likely, your doctor will recommend that you take antibiotics. For some, this can be effective treatment. For others, antibiotic treatments will dry out the skin, leading to irritation. Long-term use of antibiotics will give the P. acnes bacteria a chance to become resistance to the antibiotics.

    Retinoids, such as tretinoin (AKA Retin-A, Avita, Altinac cream) and adapalene (AKA Differin), are other medicines for treating acne. They are usually rubbed onto the skin once a day. Be sure not to get them near your eyes, mouth and the area under your nose.

    If you use a retinoid, you must avoid the sun or use a strong sunscreen because this medicine increases your risk of getting a very bad sunburn. Girls who are pregnant or may become pregnant should not use a retinoid called tazarotene (AKA Tazorac) because it can cause birth defects.