BMJ 2002;325:475-479 ( 31 August )

Clinical review

    Acne vulgaris
    Commentary: A UK primary care perspective on treating acne

Acne vulgaris

Guy F Webster, professor. 

Department of Dermatology, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA

Guy.Webster@mail.tju.edu

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Acne may be common, but it causes considerable distress and doctors should treat it effectively, not trivialise it

Acne vulgaris is common and affects nearly all adolescents and adults at some time in their lives. Although overall health is not impaired, acne is not a trivial disease; it can produce cutaneous and emotional scars that last a lifetime. 1 2 Numerous psychological problems stem from acne, even resulting in decreased employability in adulthood.3 Fortunately, acne is eminently treatable, and this review provides an outline of current treatments.
Summary points

Acne is a multifactorial disease which, although not life threatening, has profound effects on patients
The microcomedo is the primary lesion in acne
Reduction of comedones and Propionibacterium acnes is the main aim of treatment
Most effective acne regimens treat inflammatory and comedonal acne lesions with a combination of antibacterial and retinoid drugs




    Sources and selection criteria

A literature review augmented my extensive experience of the topic. I used Entrez PubMed for all literature searches.


    Pathogenesis

Acne has a complex aetiology, involving abnormal keratinisation, hormonal function, bacterial growth, and immune hypersensitivity. 1 2 The disease is limited to pilosebaceous follicles of the head and upper trunk because the sebaceous glands in these regions are particularly active. The primary acne lesion is the "blackhead" (microcomedo), an . . . [Full text of this article]
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This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Chen, C. L., Kuppermann, M., Caughey, A. B., Zane, L. T. (2008). A Community-Based Study of Acne-Related Health Preferences in Adolescents. Arch Dermatol 144: 988-994 [Abstract] [Full text]  
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