ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the case study of a 25-year-old woman. A 25-year-old woman presents to the dermatology clinic with a long history of a facial eruption that has been getting worse progressively. Some of the lesions on her face are painful at times and sometimes heal with scarring. The rest of her skin is unaffected. Her GP had prescribed several prolonged courses of tetracycline antibiotics with little benefit, and she was unable to tolerate erythromycin due to its gastrointestinal side effects. There are numerous comedomes, particularly on her forehead, pustules, papules, inflammatory lesions, cysts and atrophic scars. Acne lesions develop from sebaceous glands that produce lipid material called sebum. Most patients start on the acne treatment ladder with topical therapies, and then progress to systemic treatment with antibiotics, hormone preparations and finally isotretinoin. Residual scarring may be treated with topical retinoids, chemical peels, laser resurfacing and tiny pinch-grafts.
