Acne is a chronic skin condition often affecting the
face, neck, chest, and back. Acne can
also affect the upper arms, shoulders, and other body parts. The skin’s sebaceous glands produce an oily
substance called sebum. This oil
lubricates and protects your skin. When
pores get clogged with oil or dead skin cells (which naturally shed from your
body), dirt and bacteria may mix with this material inside the pore to form a
plug or “microcomedo”. Microcomedos can block the pore’s opening,
causing a pimple to form. Pimples are made up of skin cells and debris.
Acne occurs around the face, chest, back, buttocks,
and neck areas, where it’s visible to everyone who sees them.
What Causes Acne?
The exact reason for acne is still unknown, but several
factors probably play a role, including:
- Bacteria called Propionibacterium
acnes that live in the skin and hair follicle ducts. - Hormones produced in the skin, as many
acne sufferers have higher testosterone levels than normal. - Most people with acne have one or both of
two genes known to increase sebum production, a protein that helps keep your
skin oiled. If you’ve one or both of
these genes, you are more likely to get acne as an adult than someone who
doesn’t have them. - -First gene is called the androgen receptor
- -Second is a gene that regulates the levels
of male hormones in women. - If a clogged hair follicle is not cleaned
regularly, bacteria can grow inside it and cause inflammation.
Acne often begins as harmless blackheads or
whiteheads. As the condition progresses,
many pimples form, and scarring may happen.
How Does Acne Affect Your Skin?
When the oil gland in your skin produces more oil than
your skin needs, it may make more sebum than it needs, causing acne. The extra sebum becomes trapped in pores and
may start to block the opening of the hair follicle inside the pore (this
condition is called a “pimple”), causing an infected area to become
inflamed and filled with pus.
The yellowish pus color is due to a chemical reaction
between the white blood cells trying to kill the bacteria found inside your
pores and the puss. This bacterial
infection can cause acne. To explain why
this happens, we need to look at what is inside each pore in your skin:
- Sebaceous glands (oil glands) sit at the
base of each hair follicle. These glands produce sebum, an oily substance your
body needs to moisturize and protect your skin. - Dead skin cells (called sebum) collect in
the oil gland and make a plug up inside the hair follicle, blocking the opening
to the pore. This causes an infection. - White blood cells help protect your body
from infection by killing bacteria, germs, and other germs that may have
entered your body. If there are many
white blood cells (called neutrophils), you will have an infected area that
appears red because the white blood tissue is bright red. - That red color comes from an enzyme that
the white blood cells produce called myeloperoxidase, a powerful disinfectant. Pus is also made up of a chemical reaction
between the immune system and bacteria.
Current Treatments for Acne
Oral antibiotics (such as tetracycline or minocycline)
eliminate the bacteria that are causing acne. These treatments can be expensive
and may not work well. Oral antibiotics
do not cure your acne, but they can help keep it under control when you stop
taking them. Antibiotics such as
doxycycline and erythromycin may be prescribed for acne in children.
Topical medicines can be used alone for mild acne or
in combination with oral antibiotics for more severe cases. Depending on the
type of acne, these may include Salicylic acid or Benzoyl Peroxide, which help
dry up the oil. Azelaic acid is another skin-drying agent that effectively
controls mild to moderate inflammatory acne.
Another form of treatment is laser therapy. The light
beams break down the clogged pores and kill the bacteria causing acne. This
type of treatment is usually very safe and effective but isn’t without risk.
Blood vessel (capillary) damage can occur during the treatment, and possible
side effects include:
- Sun sensitivity
- Swelling
- Infection at the site of the laser
treatment - Scarring (these are usually minor)
There is also the possibility of a second treatment
causing permanent damage.
In some instances, a dermatologist may use
prescription retinoids to improve the appearance of acne scars. Non-steroidal topical antibiotics can be used
to treat acne by fighting off the individual acne bacteria causing those
pimples and whiteheads.
Acne can also be treated with topical or oral
steroids. These medicines are usually
reserved for severe persistent acne cases, but they may help reduce the
severity or keep it under control when you stop using them. These medicines must be combined with other
treatments prescribed by your doctors, such as topical or oral antibiotics,
azelaic acid, and retinoids.
Topical antibiotics (such as clindamycin or
erythromycin) are used alone to clear up mild to moderate acne. Oral antibiotics are combined with topical
antibiotics to treat moderate and severe cases. These medicines work by unclogging the pores
of your skin and killing the bacteria that cause inflammation.
Medicines that contain antibiotics, such as
erythromycin, for oral acne, are used to treat a broad range of different types
of acne. For example, erythromycin is
used to treat blackheads and whiteheads. The antibiotics can be prescribed individually
or in combination with other treatments.
Using CBD To Treat Acne
The product “clinical cannabis” (also called
hemp oil) is derived from the hemp plant. These oil-like products are often
used topically or orally to treat acne, inflammation, other skin disorders, or
pain and nausea.
These oils can be made from cannabis plants or hemp
plants (these are the same species of cannabis).
Dermatologists and skincare product developers have
combined cannabidiol with regular moisturizers and acne treatments to deliver
effective yet milder skincare treatment. One particular method currently used to
control, maintain and treat acne and other skin diseases is the use of sub-micronized,
bioavailable CBD oil or CBD cream.
Although the role of CBD in acne has not yet been
clearly defined, studies
suggest that its potential benefits for skin health include:
- The potential to reach areas of low
circulation and vasodilate blood vessels. - The ability to reduce inflammation and
auto-immune processes. - The possibility of reducing sebum
production. - The potential to reduce the effects of
stress on skin cells.
Many people with acne struggle with ones they don’t see.
When dead skin cells build up, it causes blemishes that are not due to the
over-production of oil glands. Over
time, this build-up can become a blemish. When using CBD oil, CBD cream, or CBD oil
products and you are experiencing acne that is not associated with excessive
oil production, your skin may begin to heal.
Several finings have examined the potential
therapeutic benefits of topical cannabidiol for dermatological conditions. Early research has shown that topical CBD can
effectively treat acne, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, post-inflammatory
hyperpigmentation, and inflammatory skin diseases such as eczema. The anti-inflammatory properties of cannabidiol
may also be beneficial in depressing skin cell proliferation and inhibiting
tumor growth.
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