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Throughout the month of Ramadan, Yabiladi offers you daily health advice. For this twenty-third capsule in our “Allô Doc” series, we will discuss with Dr. Abir Alafifi the causes, treatments and prevention of acne.
Acne occurs in young people but also in less young people. Abir Alafifi, specialist in aesthetic medicine explains the process leading to the appearance of these red pimples.
“The sebaceous glands secrete sebum, a fat that helps prevent the dehydration of our epidermis. If these glands produce more sebum than necessary, this fat is stored and stored under the skin, causing the pores to close and causing what are commonly called blackheads to appear, which is really only sebum that has oxidized with the air,” she explains.
But storage is not the only culprit for the appearance of acne. Indeed, the practitioner explains that under the skin, another bacterium called Propionibacterium acnes, appears and infects the follicles, after which red pimples burst.
It should be noted that acne does not only appear in adolescents. Other categories can be affected, in particular women in their thirties who suffer from hormonal imbalance, continues Dr. Alafifi.
Treatments and prevention
For treatment, determining which type of acne is essential to eradicating it. The doctor distinguishes three families: retentional acne, inflammatory acne and acne conglobata. Diagnosis can only be made by a specialist who can identify what type of acne and what treatment is most appropriate, she adds.
For this purpose, several treatments exist, from creams to antibiotics. But “science has made great advances to treat acne with laser, pealing or even micro deadling with LED light,” continues the practitioner.
For everyday gestures, Doctor Al Afifi recommends protecting yourself from the UV rays of the sun, by applying sunscreen throughout the year. It also debunks the myth that diet causes acne.
“It is often said that diet leads to the appearance of acne, but this is false. Our diet somehow helps this bacteria to be more active and reproduce to infect the follicles.”
Abir Alafifi, specialist in aesthetic medicine
Our doctor also recommends avoiding certain products, especially those with a high glycemic index, such as sweets, fried foods and soft drinks. In addition, she also advises avoiding cosmetic products that tend to close the pores, and favoring non-comedogenic products that prevent the storage of these fats.