What are the causes of late acne?
Currently, the causes of the late onset of acne are not yet well defined . On the other hand, certain factors favoring the appearance of the disease are clearly identified.
- Cosmetics : Concerned about their appearance, women are big consumers of "beauty products" not always adapted to maintaining a skin balance, because too aggressive, too fat or too covering ... The fact of changing often would also also be a factor facilitating the occurrence of acne lesions ...
- Stress : Highly stressed women suffer especially from acne.
- Hormones : Women with acne, even serious, do not systematically have signs of associated virilism, which tends to show that it is not an increase in circulating androgen levels that would be involved, but rather a hypersensitivity of androgen receptors in the sebaceous follicle, accompanied by abnormalities of the enzymes involved in the metabolism of these male hormones.
In contrast, some factors known to be predictive of severe acne in adolescents such as family history , or pre-pubertal acne do not seem to be involved. Similarly, diet whose role is discussed in juvenile acne, would have no influence on the occurrence of late acne ...
How does acne manifest?
Generally, specialists agree that acne is manifested in two ways .
- Acne with hyperseborrhea (excess localized sebum) and predominant retentional lesions , often located in the chin.
- Acne rather inflammatory and not necessarily accompanied by hyperseborrhoea. The lesions are absent , but there are deep nodules, or even inflammatory cysts frequently located in the chin and mandibular regions.
Although female late acne is mainly present on the face, there are also back injuries in 10% of women. As in adolescents, it is very important to treat late acne because it is often a source of scarring.
The recommended treatments in case of late acne
4 preferential treatments are usually prescribed to women.
- Cyclins : oral antibiotics, they are effective but often followed by relapse at a standstill, especially when there is significant seborrhea.
- Istrétinoïne : it allows a high rate of remission in women. It will be prescribed only in case of failure of a properly conducted treatment of at least 3 months combining an oral antibiotic and a topical anti-acne. Its prescription is highly regulated, and must be done in particular in respect of the "pregnancy prevention program".
- Hormonal treatment : interesting especially when there are premenstrual flares. Anti-androgenic drugs may be useful since even in the case of androgen levels of the receptors. But these treatments are only suspensive and in front of a severe acne of the woman, they are often insufficient. Regarding hormonal levels, we must also ensure that the woman does not use contraception that is responsible for the appearance of acne. Indeed, the 1st and 2nd genertion pills, rich in progestins derived from testosterone, aggravate acne.
- Zinc : it is especially prescribed in case of inflammatory lesions and in summer relay cyclines.
