Any manifestation of a rash on the skin of the face indicates that a disorder is occurring in the body. Most often, there is a malfunction in the functioning of internal organs, which leads to disruption in the functioning of the sebaceous glands. Often the occurrence of steroid acne is associated with taking hormonal drugs that contain steroids.
Penetrating into the human body with drugs, they disrupt fat metabolism. As a result, the sebaceous secretion begins to thicken, forming a plug. What is steroid acne, what causes its formation, and how to deal with this pathology?
Peculiarities
Steroid acne has its own specific feature. They appear on the skin suddenly. At first, you can see a slight redness, which then turns into purulent boils. Such manifestations are dangerous in their consequences. Steroid acne often leaves pigment spots or scars. This type of rash is characterized by monotony.
The location of steroid acne can vary; they do not only occur on the face.
They can be found on:
- shoulders;
- neck;
- upper chest.
The appearance of the rash occurs as follows:
- A person gets a pimple. As a result of the disruption of sebum metabolism in the body, the secretion thickens and a small nodule forms.
- The seal clogs the pores, preventing secretions from coming out.
- The volume of secret fat production begins to increase. This causes the pores to expand greatly.
- Bacteria begin to appear in the skin glands, which lead to the development of an inflammatory process.
- Accumulated sebum under the skin begins to form a blackhead.
Very important! You cannot squeeze out acne on your own. Violation of the integrity of the skin will lead to the infection spreading further. As a result, the area of infection will increase.
What it is
Blackheads are the ducts of the sebaceous glands clogged with sebum.
If they do not have time to cleanse themselves naturally and are not helped by cosmetics, dense plugs form at the outlet openings. Favorable conditions are created inside for the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms. If a person is healthy and has a strong immune system, then for some time it will successfully cope with this. But with severe or prolonged contamination of the pores or weakening of natural defenses, inflammatory processes quickly develop, redness appears, and purulent bags can form.
Symptoms and diagnosis
The treatment of steroid acne cannot be trusted to cosmetologists. The problem with this type of rash lies in internal diseases of the body. First of all, the cause of the occurrence must be established, which will be dealt with.
For diagnosis, doctors prescribe:
- blood test for biochemistry;
- general blood test and to determine hormone levels;
- examination of the skin for the presence of mites.
Only after an accurate diagnosis has been made and the causes of the pathology have been established can treatment be prescribed. Additionally, consultation with other specialists, such as an endocrinologist, may be required. Most often, this specialist advises if the rash appears from hormonal ointments or medications containing hormones.
Summing up
If you do not stop taking anabolic steroids or other drugs that provoked the appearance of steroid acne, it will not be easy to get rid of them, since the main cause of the rash has not been eliminated. This is especially important to understand for athletes, who are often not aware of how these substances affect the body. Anabolic steroids are addictive, they “sag” the heart, overload the liver, and provoke problems with the joints, not just the skin.
I will be grateful if you share your experience in dealing with steroid acne, as well as reviews of the drugs listed above or other drugs in the comments. It is possible that this will help solve the problem for one of the site visitors.
Drug treatment of steroid acne
Most often, doctors prescribe drugs from the retinoid group to treat steroid acne. They are available in the form of a gel or capsules. The gel is used for external use and is applied to the affected areas of the skin.
Important! Drugs in this group can only be taken after a doctor's prescription. Most of them are contraindicated for pregnant and lactating women.
Products with an antibacterial effect must be used. This includes Zinerit, which contains erythromycin and zinc. The product is available in powder form, and the dosage should be selected strictly in accordance with the recommendations of doctors. The use of Zinerit may cause side effects, which include burning and itching.
To degrease the skin and reduce sebum levels, patients are prescribed Baziron AS.
Twice a day, the affected areas are wiped with a solution of salicylic acid.
In cases where local therapy does not produce any results, doctors prescribe oral medications.
Causes of acne
The list of medications that can cause acne includes the following groups:
- progestins or gestagens;
- androgens or testosterone;
- local and systemic corticosteroids;
- anabolic steroid.
The development of steroid acne and the deterioration of the quality of the skin when taking hormonal substances is caused by hypertrophy of the sebaceous glands, a decrease in the level of immunity and a counter-insular effect. Also, acne from steroids often appears in those patients who use hormonal drugs for bronchial asthma, leukemia, glomerulonephritis, or in the presence of one of the skin pathologies.
Traditional methods
Traditional methods of combating steroid acne are very effective.
For treatment at home you can use:
- Tea tree oil has a good disinfectant effect. It can be used as an additive to any cream, ointment, or gel that will be used to treat the rash.
- Cranberry juice helps get rid of acne. It is squeezed onto a gauze bandage and applied to the site of inflammation.
- You can soothe and dry the skin a little with the help of calendula tincture. She needs to wipe her skin several times a day.
- Celandine is used as a compress. Dry herbs should be brewed in boiling water and a napkin soaked in the broth should be applied to the area of the rash.
- You can fight acne by using green tea. But it should not be packaged, but loose, and not contain additives. It is brewed, the steamed leaves are placed on a napkin and applied to the place where the pimples are located.
- A mask made from cosmetic clay has a good effect. It is diluted with warm water until a mushy state forms. Add a drop of tea tree oil and rosemary to the resulting mixture. The mask is applied to the skin and should be washed off after complete drying.
- You can relieve irritation and soothe inflamed skin with chamomile infusion. To prepare the product you need to take half a liter of water and 50 grams. Dry chamomile. It needs to be boiled for 10 minutes and used for washing. This product will not only cleanse the skin, but also give it a healthy tone.
- Spots and scars left by steroid acne can be treated with aloe. To prepare the product, you need to place the cut leaves in the refrigerator for 10 days. After this period is completed, they need to be crushed and mixed with water in a ratio of 1 to 5. The resulting mixture should be left for at least an hour, then boiled over low heat for 3-5 minutes. The resulting product is used to lubricate areas of inflammation or make compresses.
Traditional methods of treatment are very popular as they are considered the safest.
Read full information on acne vulgaris in ICD 10. If juvenile acne with pustules appears, methods for effectively treating them with iodine are in the article.
Prevention
No one can guarantee that acne will not appear during or after a course of steroids. Therefore, there are no reliable preventive measures. The following help reduce the likelihood of severe rashes, slow their spread and prevent the appearance of ulcers:
- Properly selected diet . It is necessary to reduce the amount consumed or completely eliminate: sugar, alcohol, coffee, chocolate, fast food, baked goods, confectionery, canned food and semi-finished products.
- Compliance with drinking regime . You should drink at least 1.5 liters of pure still water per day. This activates metabolism, promotes the elimination of toxins, and helps regulate hormonal balance.
- Regular cleansing . Peels, masks, use of properly selected skin care cosmetics. In this case, blackheads should not be squeezed out. If there are too many of them, you can go for professional cleaning.
- Decorative cosmetics . If you have severe acne, it is advisable to avoid it altogether. Makeup bases or foundations with silicone are especially harmful. They clog pores and contribute to an increase in acne. If you cannot do without makeup, you should remove it immediately after returning home.
- Protective creams . With constant exposure to ultraviolet light, the likelihood that pigment spots will remain after steroid acne significantly increases. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun, avoid tanning and visiting a solarium, and before going outside on a bright day, be sure to apply a cream with UV protection.
I will not hesitate to remind you once again about the need to observe basic hygiene rules. You cannot use other people's towels or touch your face with dirty hands. Bed linen will have to be changed at least once every 7-10 days.
Do not forget to periodically wipe the screen of your mobile phone with antiseptic wipes if you put it to your face while talking.
Physiotherapy
Physical therapy is very often used for skin diseases.
The most commonly used methods are:
- phototherapy;
- treatment using magnets;
- laser therapy;
- cryotherapy.
The principle of operation of all methods is the same. Under the influence, the cells are saturated with oxygen, and metabolism improves.
This leads to the fact that local immunity is restored, the protective cells of the skin begin to work actively. Harmful microorganisms are suppressed, and as a result, the inflammatory process is reduced.
But such therapies are not suitable for everyone. They have many contraindications, for example, they cannot be used in patients with vascular diseases or acute infectious pathologies. Before prescribing such procedures, the patient must undergo a complete examination.
What causes acne* in bodybuilders?
To achieve high athletic performance, bodybuilders often take anabolic steroids. Sometimes, in an attempt to accelerate the increase in muscle mass, athletes independently increase their dose. However, not many people know that uncontrolled use of anabolic steroids can provoke diseases of internal organs and various dermatoses.
One of the types of skin diseases is bodybuilding acne. The reason for its appearance is also the use of testosterone derivatives to increase weight and increase muscle mass.
Anabolic steroids in therapeutic doses can be taken 5-25 g per day, parenterally - 40-50 mg per week. To achieve muscle hypertrophy and increase strength, athletes increase the dosage of steroid drugs, taking them simultaneously parenterally and orally.
Why do pimples break out*? Bodybuilder's acne is androgen-induced. Taking steroids leads to an increase in sebum production. In men during puberty, the sebaceous glands do not reach their maximum size, but under the influence of androgens they can increase. Increased sebum secretion leads to seborrhea. Due to hormonal dysregulation, men may experience feminizing effects such as gynecomastia, azo- and oligospermia.
Blood transfusion
Often, specialists in the treatment of steroid acne resort to blood transfusions. It becomes necessary in cases where other methods do not bring results.
This method helps the body activate all its forces for independent recovery. As a result, he becomes able to overcome the inflammatory process on his own. Blood transfusion helps improve immunity.
The patient must undergo a minimum of 10 procedures. Antibiotics are often added to the blood for steroid rash. This allows you to quickly restore the condition of the skin. The method of transfusion should be chosen exclusively by the attending physician.
Stages of disease development
There are five stages of the disease, each of which is characterized by a certain level of development of the pathology and its severity.
So, the main stages of steroid acne include:
- the appearance of a closed acne on the nose, forehead or chin. Education is not characterized by the development of inflammation;
- the appearance of open and closed nodules on the skin, as well as the formation of a small number of pustules, which, in fact, represent the primary element of the inflammatory rash;
- pustular formations and keratinized nodules are scattered throughout the epidermis;
- the appearance of acne on the skin is accompanied by hormonal changes in the body;
- The fifth stage is characterized by a multiplicity of rashes, the formation of pustules and cysts. In advanced cases, it is possible to develop a dermatological disease such as follicular dermatitis.
Diet
A balanced, rational diet plays a major role in the treatment of steroid-type acne. No medicine will have an effect if a person does not follow a diet.
A healthy diet helps to quickly cleanse the body of waste and toxins and normalizes metabolism in the body. The basis of nutrition should be protein and a large amount of plant foods.
Vegetables and fruits in large quantities should be present in a person’s diet every day. You need to eat fermented milk products every day. Once a week, the menu should include fish and lean meats.
It is strictly forbidden to eat smoked or fried foods. It is recommended to exclude animal products from the diet. They lead to slagging in the body.
Alcohol has a negative effect on the skin. It should be excluded even in small quantities.
Useful advice from girls from various forums
In discussions of girls who faced this aesthetic problem, one can notice that the rashes left them immediately after stopping the drug that affects hormonal levels. Most often, hormonal contraceptives became such causative agents of negative processes in the body. But in some cases, steroids were prescribed to treat a condition and cannot be completely stopped. In such cases, girls are advised to try changing the brand of the drug used, switching to a full or partial analogue. In a number of situations, this approach to solving the problem has become effective.
Photos before and after
Acne on the face of an adult - causes and treatment
Despite the fact that acne is more common in adolescence, it also occurs in later life. Acne in adults occurs for various reasons and can often be a signal of problems with internal organs. Accordingly, treatment requires preliminary comprehensive diagnosis.
- Causes of acne in adults
- Varieties
- Symptoms and signs (photos)
- Treatment
- Systemic medications
- Ointments and creams
- Masks
- Folk remedies
- Apparatus therapy
- How to prevent a relapse?
The prerequisites for late acne include:
