health & fitness
attacking your acne
Accurate acne knowledge can help you deal with those annoying pimple problems BY JULIE JONES
It happens far too frequently. I wake up in the morning, trod sleepy-eyed to the bathroom and groan as I notice the freakishly huge pimple that sprouted during the seven hours I'd slept. How an enormous, pus-filled mountain magically materialized in the middle of my face, I'll never know. But I do know it happens all too frequently, even with my strictly-followed facial regimen. So I do my best to hide the inflamed legions with cover-up, but I still walk into class feeling as if everyone's eyes are locked on my unnatural, pre-pubescent, pepperoni pizza face.
Fortunately, I'm not alone in my facial disfigurement. Lee Bittenbender of the Dermatology Center of Lawrence, 930 Iowa St., says 80 percent of those between the ages of 11 and 50 have acne. Affecting 17 million people, acne is the most common skin disorder. "I think it's important that people know, number one, that acne is very common, but it's not something you have to live with," Bittenbender says. "I would encourage people to get treatment and avoid all the myths that get propagated."
Causes of Acne
the culprit. The two biggest factors causing those agonizing pimples are genetics, hormones or a combination of the two.
If you're one of the unlucky 80 percent, don't worry - your habits are more than likely not
Genetic causes are just what they sound like, heredi-
Lindsey Riechers/Kansan
during adolescence," Bittenbender says. "They allow genetic tendencies to become manifested and expressed." Hormonal abnormalities, such as high testosterone levels in women, have symptoms that include increased facial hair,
acne breakouts and an increased sexual drive. Pregnancy can also cause hormones to go out of whack.
Sometimes certain medications, such as seizure drugs and lithium, aggravate acne. Cortizone creams and pills used to treat rashes, such as poison ivy, can also cause breakouts.
Acne Treatments The most common treatments are a combina-
For severe or persistent acne, Accutane is prescribed. "It's what I call the good news, bad news drug," Bittenbender says. "The good news is the long-term remission. Patients continue to do well without the drug, sometimes forever. The bad
news is, it's expensive." Bittenbender stresses the importance of patients realizing that Accutane is not a cure, but it is the best drug on the market for severe acne.
Accutane is accompanied by some heavy-duty side effects. The most common, and most annoying side effect is dry skin and chapped lips. The dry skin symptoms can be minimized with the aid of Vitamin E and lotions. Unfortunately, not much can be done for the snake-skinlike peeling of the lips except for the application of chapstick, chapstick and more chapstick.
Monthly blood tests are required because 25 percent of patients will have an increase in triglyceride levels. If levels become too high, inflammation of the pancreas can occur. However, Bittenbender has never seen that dangerous of levels occur.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Accutane causes severe birth defects. Female patients must take two pregnancy tests before starting the drug, followed by monthly pregnancy tests during treatment. If sexually active, women are required to use birth control along with another form of contraceptive for the entire length of their treatment and for one month after.
Medications are not the only side-effect-causing deterrent. Scarring is another huge problem associated with those pesty zits, affecting 95 percent of acne patients, says Bittenbender. One suitable alleviant is microderm abrasion a series of exfoliating treatments. The procedures help to even out skin tones and decreases redness, making it ideal for those with scars or sun-damaged skin.
thursday, october 30. 2003
jayplay
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