Is acne a disease?

Is acne a skin disease?

Yes. 'Disease', 'disorder' and 'condition' are all terms used for acne, which is quite a vocabulary bill for one subject. Calling acne a condition does not demote it to a cosmetic inconvenience. Acne can leave permanent scars and affect mental health, so treatment is about more than making spots less visible. Acne vulgaris is the medical name for the common form of acne. It can include both inflamed spots and blocked pores without visible inflammation. Having blackheads rather than painful cysts does not put someone outside the acne category.345

What happens in acne?

A hair follicle becomes blocked with sebum, the oil that helps stop skin drying out, and dead skin cells. Bacteria that normally live on skin can grow inside the blocked follicle and contribute to inflammation, meaning swelling, redness, heat and pain. If the follicle wall breaks down, its contents spill into nearby skin and create more inflammation. Acne develops through a combination of factors rather than one fully understood cause. Hormones, family history and certain medicines can contribute. Hormonal changes during pregnancy can also trigger acne.26

Is acne caused by dirt, and can you catch it?

Acne is not contagious, and blackheads and pimples are not caused by dirt. A blackhead looks dark because air changes the colour of the oil at its exposed surface. Scrubbing harder does not solve the blockage and can make acne worse. Stress does not cause acne, but it can worsen it. Food is not a simple explanation either: some studies suggest certain foods worsen acne, while the role of diet in causing acne remains under investigation.1346

Does acne go away on its own?

Acne is often a chronic condition, meaning it can persist over time. It is most common in teenagers and young adults, but people of all ages can develop it. Many people improve as they get older; some continue to have acne in their forties and fifties. Individual spots and the disease have different timelines. Most individual acne lesions last less than two weeks, while deeper bumps can persist for months. New spots can keep forming even after older ones heal.256

What should you do about acne?

• Wash with a gentle cleanser twice a day and remove makeup at the end of the day.
• Choose skincare and makeup labelled noncomedogenic, meaning formulated not to clog pores.
• Avoid picking, squeezing and scrubbing. These can worsen acne or cause scars.
• For mild acne, ask a pharmacist about treatments applied to skin, such as benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid.
• Give the same acne treatment six to eight weeks to show improvement rather than changing products after a few days.

When does acne need medical treatment?

See a doctor if treatment you have tried is not helping, spots are numerous, deep or painful, scars are developing, or acne is affecting your mental health. Hot, swollen skin with redness can signal infection and also needs medical assessment. Severe acne usually needs prescription treatment rather than shop bought products. Options include medicines applied to skin, oral antibiotics, hormonal treatments and isotretinoin. Treatment choice depends on severity, age, previous treatment and other medical factors. Severe acne treatment can take two to three months to show improvement. Do not try to drain a cyst at home. Seek urgent assessment if severe acne comes with fever, joint or bone pain, or ulcerated or extensive skin lesions.2457