| " I am 21 years old and still battling acne. I've tried different over-the-counter acne medications, but none help. Some seem to even make the problem worse. What do you recommend? " " Common acne (acne vulgaris) is the most common skin disease, affecting about 80 percent of people some time between the ages of 11 and 30 years. Acne also can occur in newborns and adults over age 30. Without treatment, acne can sometimes result in permanent scarring, adversely effect social development in teenagers and cause feelings of depression. " " Acne usually begins during the pubertal period. An increase in the production of oils by the glands of the skin, accompanied by a failure of the cells lining the pores to migrate to the surface, cause the lesions of acne: open comedomes (blackheads); closed comedomes (whiteheads); and cysts. In some forms of acne, bacteria called Propionibacterium acnes, can grow. " " Some of the risk factors for developing acne include adolescence, certain medications, anabolic steroids and living in a hot, humid climate. Also, the oils in some cosmetics, hair products and suntan lotions can exacerbate acne. Acne also can worsen the week before menses and during pregnancy. Don't worry about what you eat. Foods, such as chocolate or pizza, have not been shown to cause acne. " " The treatment of acne begins with avoiding picking at, squeezing and scrubbing acne lesions. This will only make it worse. Wash your face with a gentle cleanser such as Dove or Neutrogena. Use cosmetics and lotions that are oil free and noncomedogenic (it will usually say so on the bottle). " " There are many over-the-counter and prescription medicines available to treat acne. If acne doesn't improve with over-the-counter
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