Sample Personal Update Messages - Acne

Acne Overview

See the attached Acne handout and AcneNet website to help you keep acne under control.

REMEMBER: The most important step is to take your anti-acne medicine as recommended.

Your anti-acne medicine fights acne in one or more of the following ways:

• Slows down your skin's production of "sebum". Sebum is the substance that makes your skin oily.
• Opens the pores ("follicles") in your skin so that the sebum inside the follicle does not become trapped.
• Reduces the swelling and redness of the acne lesions.
• Kills the bacteria that can infect the sebum within blocked pores.

Your anti-acne medicine works best by preventing new acne lesions (pimples) from appearing. Some of the lesions that are already present may need to run their course and heal on their own. Meanwhile, your medicine will be hard at work keeping new acne lesions from forming.

Taking Care of Your Acne

See the Acne Self-care handout for tips on controlling acne. (attached)

You might also be surprised by what you learn about Acne Myths. (attached)

REMEMBER: The most important step to getting your acne under control and keeping it under control is to take your anti-acne medicine as recommended.

Acne Book Recommendations

For more information about acne, you might be interested in the following books available for purchase online.

"Breaking Out: A Woman's Guide to Coping with Acne at Any Age"

See the attached links to purchase this book online.

Taking Care of Your Acne

Some of your acne lesions ("pimples") may still be present. Don't worry! The medicine simply needs a little bit longer to have its full impact. It can take 4 to 6 weeks to see significant improvement.

Meanwhile, your anti-acne medicine has been hard at work keeping new acne lesions from showing up.

It is important that you continue to take your anti-acne medicine as recommended so that your skin remains acne-free after the lesions finally fade.

Taking Care of Your Acne

Many people with acne develop scars that result from the inflammation in the deep layers of the skin. This is more common in people with moderate to severe acne.

There are many options available to diminish the appearance of these scars.

If you are concerned about acne scars, your physician may be able to offer several treatment options. These may vary depending on the type of scar, their location and your own preferences. (see attached)

Taking Care of Your Acne

Need for Maintenance Therapy: A panel of acne experts from around the world suggested that many people treated for acne benefit from long-term maintenance therapy.

This means that once the acne gets under control, you may need to continue to take a medicine every day for several more months to keep it under control. Stopping treatment can make the acne flare back up.

If your physician recommends a maintenance therapy for you, it is important that you continue taking the medicine as prescribed.