Finding The Answer To Acne

Illawarra Mercury

Wednesday July 18, 2007

ILSA CUNNINGHAM

When Renee Royall was a teenager she was bullied mercilessly because of her acne.

At 13 she developed a scattering of small pimples on her face, and before long this became cystic acne.

These were not your typical pimples - they were red swollen lumps, a couple of centimetres in diameter with a white head - and they popped up all over Royall's face, neck, back, chest and upper arms.

Sick of getting bullied as an early teen, the-now 26-year-old Royall saw a doctor and tried a series of treatments; over the counter, natural and prescribed.

First it was Minomycin, then Retin-A gel, birth control pills and Roaccutane.

Each time she'd notice an improvement for a short time, and then the pimples would flare up again.

By Years 11 and 12, things had improved a little.

"They were the only two years that I enjoyed (of school) because it had cleared up and I didn't get hassled," Royall recalls.

The acne respite was shortlived however.

The pimples returned, but after several bouts of Roaccutane her skin eventually improved.

Now the Mercury administrative assistant's face is almost clear, with the help of Minomycin.

Wollongong dermatologist Rob Salmon says there are numerous ways to treat pimples, depending on their severity.

Dr Salmon says tea-tree oil can make a small difference but is not as effective as other treatments.

Skin antiseptics like Dettol and benzoyl peroxide, and antibiotics like Clindamycin and Erythromycin are useful for mild to moderate acne.

Women can use some types of the contraceptive pill, and for severe cases Roaccutane is usually effective, but many of the treatments have side effects, Dr Salmon warns.

He recommends consulting a doctor if you are troubled by acne as it is treatable.

But what causes pimples and is there any way to avoid them?

Some people swear chocolate will see them reaching for the tea-tree oil, while others complain a greasy pizza will provoke a break-out.

Dr Salmon says pimples can be triggered by a few things, but the most recent research suggests eating high Glycemic Index (GI) foods from birth to teenage years, is a contributing factor.

High GI foods such as processed foods, potatoes and white bread, contain carbohydrates that break down rapidly during digestion, quickly increasing glucose levels.

"To minimise pimples you need a decent long-term diet," Dr Salmon says. "That means a balanced diet that's a low GI diet."

You'll find a good serve of low GI foods among most fruit and vegetables and wholegrain foods.

But what about people who claim to break out after eating chocolate?

Dr Salmon says there is no scientific evidence to suggest chocolate is the cause, rather the overall diet could be at fault.

One thing that can trigger break-outs however, is stress - such as that caused by school exams.

Dr Salmon has observed among his patients over the years, that those studying for their Higher School Certificate had worse pimples at the time. Then, once the exams were over, their acne became less severe.

It's also common among women to experience a pre-menstrual flare-up, as hormone levels are fluctuating and more sex hormones are released that drive the oil glands.

The bacteria on the skin that live off the oil produced have a field day, and pimples form.

It may seem like no matter what you do you still get pimples.

Dr Salmon says there is an explanation for this - genetics.

If your parents had bad pimples, then you're likely to suffer too.Using skin antiseptics like Dettol in the treatment of acne is not recommended (Zest, July 18) by Dr Rob Salmon and can cause a chemical burn or contact allergic reactions.