Acne - Causes, Symptoms, Health Insurance Coverage

​What Is Acne?

Acne is most common in teenagers. It is a skin condition that causes redness and irritation on the surface of the skin. This chronic inflammatory skin condition erupts on the chest, face, or back.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of acne depend on the severity of the patient's condition. The patient might face the following symptoms, in case of severe, long-lasting acne.

• Blackheads that are open plugged pores
• Whiteheads that are closed plugged pores
• Small tender, red bumps
• Large, painful, and solid lumps under the surface of the skin
• Pimples are more common, as they have pus at their tips
• Pus-filled, painful, lump under the surface of the skin, also known as cystic lesions

If you are suffering from any of the symptoms mentioned above, you should consult your doctor before this acne becomes more severe and painful. 

​Diagnosis

You at home can diagnose acne by yourself. However, it is advisable to go to the skin doctor or dermatologist for better diagnosis through a physical examination. When you consult your dermatologist, he/she may ask you information regarding your breakouts, questions like when these acnes occurred, and how long you've had them. Your dermatologist may also need to know about your medical history, so that they can figure out whether or not, your current medication is causing or aggravating acne.

Your doctor may also want you to go through a blood test so that they can see whether an imbalance in your hormone levels are causing acne or not. Depending on the severity of your acne, your dermatologist will make a treatment plan accordingly.

Treatment

• You can easily find medications to reduce acne, however, you should only take what your dermatologist prescribes. They might prescribe you retinoids, which are vitamin A tablets and antibiotics that will help to kill skin bacteria and reduce infection.
• Your doctor may also ask you to use oral medications to treat and prevent acne from happening.
• Recent studies have shown that therapies like chemical peels, light therapy, and steroidal injections are highly beneficial in treating acne.
• Reduce your outing when the sun is at its peak. Even if you go, make sure you apply sunscreen before you go out, as direct sunlight can adversely affect your skin.
• Lessen the usage of cosmetics on your skin. Only buy cosmetics after reading the composition.
• Also, reduce skin scrubbing as it increases itching and dryness on the skin.
• Moderate your consumption of oily foods.
• Make sure you drink at least 7-8 glasses of water, as staying hydrated will keep your skin hydrated.
  
  
  

​Health Insurance

Acne is more common in teenagers, but its pain can be very severe. So, getting the right treatment at the right time is highly important. Suffering from health issues is not only physically taxing but can also drain you financially. Therefore, it is advised to buy health insurance policy which will provide financial coverage that can take care of medical expenses and hospitalization bills. It takes care of pre and post hospitalization bills. If you buy health insurance, you will not only get the cashless treatment from a network hospital where the bill is directly settled by your insurance provider with the hospital but will also enjoy tax benefits under section 80D of Income Tax Act, 1961. Make sure to know your policy details and covers before purchasing a health insurance policy.​