Money Today Reporter Jeong Sim-gyo | 2023.10.01 13:00
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Editor’s note | If you lose your health, you lose everything. Anyone can protect their precious health with just a little attention. Money Today introduces a collection of health articles that received a lot of attention from readers in the first half of this year.
Back view of a male patient with keloid acne. Keloid acne the size of a red bean is sticking out all over my back. /Photo=Yonsei Star Dermatology Clinic Gangnam branch A big concern for patients with acne is scars. Often, when pimples or acne appear, if they are neglected or treated incorrectly, they can easily lead to ‘acne scars’. Once acne scars appear, they do not disappear naturally and cause lifelong worry. They are also considered an incurable disease that is difficult to treat in dermatology.
Acne scars can be either hollow or protruding. Depending on the cross-sectional shape, pitted scars come in awl-shaped, box-shaped, and round shapes, and most acne scars fall into this type. However, in the case of protruding acne scars, there are cases where small, millet-sized scars of 1 to 2 mm swell over time to the size of red bean grains of 1 to 2 cm.
This scar, which confuses patients, is a keloid acne scar that is somewhat unfamiliar to the general public. You may think that once the acne is cured and small scars remain, they will soon disappear, but keloid acne scars actually get bigger and bigger, causing serious stress and worry. Young people who are starting social activities such as employment or marriage need special care and attention when they develop acne.
In fact, as a result of a team conducted by Yonsei Star Dermatology Gangnam branch director Kim Young-gu of 200 patients with acne scars who recently visited the hospital, 17 (8.5%) were found to have the ‘keloid acne scar’ type. Among them, 15 (88%) were men and 2 (12%) were women, and the main areas where keloid acne scars occurred were the chin (9 people), chest, neck, and back (1 person each), chin, neck, and back (1 person each). There were five patients with scars on two or more body parts, including the back, chest, chin, and chest.
When looking at the proportion of all patients with acne scars, men accounted for 59% (118 people), which was 18% more than women (41% (82 people)). Men are relatively more likely to develop scars because they are negligent in dealing with and managing acne, and the scars are often severe, which shows that they have a strong motivation or desire for treatment. By age, people in their 20s and 30s who are about to get a job, advance into society, or get married accounted for the majority, with 161 (81%) of the 200 people, and 24 people (12%) were in their 40s or older.
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Keloid acne scars continue to grow or appear again.
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Keloid is a disease in which fibrous tissue abnormally proliferates and becomes hard and large during the healing process of a skin wound. Unlike regular scars, they are characterized by increasing size or recurrence. Normal scars only occur where the skin is damaged, but keloids can extend beyond the damaged area and invade normal skin tissue. It mainly occurs on the skin close to the bones, such as the chin area of the face, chest-shoulder skin, and earlobes.
There are various causes of keloids, including inflammation such as acne or pimples, surgical scars, earlobe piercing, tattoos or piercings, burns, and mole removal. It is highly likely to occur when collagen tissue proliferates excessively during the regeneration process of skin damaged by trauma, inflammation, injection, surgery, etc. Early treatment of acne is especially important for people with a genetic predisposition who have keloids in their family or who have developed keloids once.
Kim Young-gu (dermatologist), CEO of Yonsei Star Dermatology Clinic’s Gangnam branch, said, “What we need to pay attention to in keloids are inflammatory acne and acne scars. Keloids can form when the dermis of the skin is damaged and regenerated due to repeated inflammation.” “Even after acne has healed, it can leave various types of scars, and recently, acne has increased not only in teenagers but also in adults, so even people in their 30s and 40s cannot be at ease,” he explained.
Director Kim Young-gu is treating men’s keloid acne scars with a customized complex treatment combining injection and laser. /Photo = Yonsei Star Dermatology Clinic Generally, pitted acne scars can be treated by combining treatments such as ‘Ultra Pulse Encore Laser’ and ‘Non-suture Punch Surgery’ by untangling and hardening tissue under the scar and smoothing the skin surface. However, keloid acne scars require a careful approach to treatment because the improvement effect is small when only the surface is shaved and trimmed, the treatment period may take a long time, or the keloid may actually worsen. When acne scars, an incurable disease, are added to keloids, which are difficult to treat, advanced treatment techniques and surgical expertise are required. Director Kim Young-gu said, “Recently, the treatment effect has increased with complex customized treatment that combines injection and laser, taking into account variables such as clots (clumps of congealed liquid, etc.), protrusion type, and curved shape.” He added, “The treatment effect has increased with laser treatment while softening the keloid tissue with injection.” “It is a method that shrinks protruding tissue and removes redness,” he said.
The best way to prevent keloid acne scars is to respond early and receive proven treatment when acne or pimples appear. Acne is most likely to occur on the chin, chest, and back, but it is prohibited to open the area with your hands or apply strong pressure to the area that has become soft due to acne. Small pimples or acne are also wounds on the skin, so if you pick them off or touch them in an unhygienic way, they can easily lead to scars.
One of the characteristic early symptoms of keloids is ‘itching.’ If you feel itchy and red after acne treatment, it may be a sign of keloid scars, so it is important to quickly seek help from a dermatologist.
[저작권자 @머니투데이, 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]
2023-10-01 04:00:00
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