Spots, why do you get them?

Some people are not bothered by spots, others feel very upset by having relatively few. It doesn’t matter what other people think about your skin, what counts is how you perceive your skin.

By the time you come to university, a lot of people expect to have grown out of acne. Unfortunately, acne can persist well into young adulthood and in some cases it does not even develop until the twenties, or even later.

Quite apart from being unsightly, spots are uncomfortable, painful and can lead to scarring of your skin.

What is acne and why does it flare up?

Acne is a condition that affects the sebaceous glands (grease glands) mainly on the face, neck, chest and back. Sebaceous glands are the tiny pores in the skin that produce oil to protect the skin. The activity of the sebaceous glands is influenced by the male hormone testosterone (women also have small amounts of this hormone).

The sebaceous glands sometimes produce too much oil and this leads to a blockage at the tip of the gland. The result is a white bump (whitehead) or a black bump (blackhead). These are called comedones. Blocked glands are much more likely to get inflamed when attacked by bacteria which live harmlessly on the skin

How to counter acne

Medication

You can try over the counter treatments for acne before seeking help. These medications, Oxy 10 for example, contain a chemical called benzoyl peroxide which has a mild antibacterial effect and a peeling action.

If these treatments fail, however, there are other alternatives.

Antibiotics can be prescribed by your doctor and administered topically (i.e. lotion or cream onto the skin) or orally. If your acne covers a wide area, such as the neck and back, it can be difficult to apply the topical treatments and an oral method may be more read more