For a number of reasons, the sebaceous (oil) glands at the base of the hair follicles in the skin can become blocked, resulting in acne - an unsightly skin disorder that includes pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, and, if the oil glands become inflamed, pustules and cysts. The most common form, Acne vulgaris, affects the areas of the body with high concentrations of sebaceous glands: the face, neck, upper chest, shoulders, and upper back. A tendency toward acne may be hereditary and the condition is linked to hormonal activity - some women are prone to outbreaks in the days before their periods, for example, and outbreaks commonly occur at puberty, affecting as many as seven out of ten adolescents.

Mr Stefan Chmelik on Acne, Rosacea and hormonal acne:

There are several distinct forms of acne, and each has a different cause and treatment. This is quite different to conventional medicine, where antibiotics, Roaccutane or hormones are the only treatment options.

Herbal medicine is without doubt the treatment of choice for this as well as most other skin conditions. Herbs can be given as capsules for those that do not like the taste. Also helpful with some types of acne are acupuncture, diet and nutritional supplements.

Although some types of acne are easier to treat than others, almost no one should have to live with this difficult problem, as Chinese Medicine is so effective.

Dr Brian Kaplan on Acne:

Acne, although not technically a serious disease - it seldom leads to loss of physical function - is nevertheless capable of making people's lives miserable.

Many young people with acne are most anxious to get effective treatment as the condition is capable of undermining their self confidence and make them feel unattractive to the opposite sex.

Before looking at an holistic approach to acne I'd like to share with you my views of how acne is often treated with conventional medicine.

Oral antibiotics:

Drugs such as Minocin are often prescribed in a low dose on a daily basis. In some cases they have little effect but in others they do lead to a reduction in the outbreaks of acne - occasionally dramatically. The problem (in my opinion) with the use of antibiotics for acne is that the acne tends to return as soon as you stop taking the antibiotics. So even if you respond well to antibiotic treatment a year or more along the line, you will need to ask yourself and your doctor how long you intend to remain on them. Although these antibiotics are low dose, they are still capable of disturbing the natural flora and fauna of the bowel and other parts of the body, which may not be to the liking of people with a naturopathic view of general health.

Topical antibiotics and other creams:

Although these can be used to treat individual pimples or 'zits' I do not have much faith in topical treatments for acne. This is because they can only treat the eruptions that have already occurred and cannot even attempt to prevent further eruptions of pimples.

Isoretinin (also known as Roacutane):

This powerful Vitamin A derivative is a very powerful and often very effective treatment for severe acne. The drug is potentially toxic but can produce dramatic reduction and even elimination of acne. It is also extremely dangerous to take this drug at any stage of pregnancy as it can and does produce severe foetal abnormalities. It can only be prescribed by dermatologists and you need to have blood tests before commencing a course of it. If you are female you will need to convince the dermatologist and sign a document showing that you are aware of the potential side effects and are using effective contraception.

Brian's approach to treating Acne:

I take a full history from all people with acne and use two methods of treatment:

Homeopathy: Some case respond well to homeopathy and some do not respond at all. I do not believe in trying one remedy after another to treat this condition. In general I will see you two to three times with approximately 2 months between appointments. If you are going to be one of the people who respond well, we will be aware of this in that time frame. If you do not respond well, I will discuss other options with you. (see below)
Diet and Supplements: There is no real evidence that what you eat (even chocolates and sweets which were once thought to aggravate or cause acne) has any effect on acne. Still I like to put patients on a generally healthy diet and add a few supplements with a reputation in helping acne.

IF 1 AND 2 DO NOT WORK:

If after a few months we do not see a significant improvement with 1 and 2, we will have a frank discussion about what to do next. I never prescribe antibiotics for acne for reasons discussed above. For severe acne, I will often recommend to arrange a referral to a dermatologist for possible treatment with Isoretinin. It all depends on the individual case and I always hope that you will be one of the patients who does respond to plans 1 & 2 above and that referral to a dermatologist will be unnecessary.

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