Acne medicamentosa is
acne
Acne, also known as ''acne vulgaris'', is a long-term skin condition that occurs when dead skin cells and oil from the skin clog hair follicles. Typical features of the condition include blackheads or whiteheads, pimples, oily skin, and ...
that is caused or aggravated by medication. Because acne is generally a disorder of the
pilosebaceous units caused by
hormone
A hormone (from the Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs by complex biological processes to regulate physiology and behavior. Hormones are require ...
s, the medications that trigger acne medicamentosa most frequently are hormone analogs. It is also often caused by
corticosteroids; in this case, it is referred to as
steroid acne.
Although the masculinizing hormone
testosterone
Testosterone is the primary sex hormone and anabolic steroid in males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of male reproductive tissues such as testes and prostate, as well as promoting secondary sexual characteristi ...
is most often blamed, and although men with acne secondary to
bodybuilding
Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses ...
hormones are seen from time to time, the major hormonal medications that cause acne are the
progestin analogues present in
hormonal contraception. Other medications can produce
acneiform eruption
Acneiform eruptions are a group of dermatoses including acne vulgaris, rosacea, folliculitis, and perioral dermatitis. Restated, acneiform eruptions are follicular eruptions characterized by papules and pustules resembling acne.James, William; Be ...
s (usually pimply bumps and
pustules
A skin condition, also known as cutaneous condition, is any medical condition that affects the integumentary system—the organ system that encloses the body and includes skin, nails, and related muscle and glands. The major function of this ...
that look like acne).
Some conditions mimic acne medicamentosa. The most common mimic is
folliculitis
Folliculitis is the infection and inflammation of one or more hair follicles. The condition may occur anywhere on hair-covered skin. The rash may appear as pimples that come to white tips on the face, chest, back, arms, legs, buttocks, or head.
...
produced by an overgrowth of the ''
Malassezia
''Malassezia'' (formerly known as ''Pityrosporum'') is a genus of fungi. It is the sole genus in family Malasseziaceae, which is the only family in order Malasseziales, itself the single member of class Malasseziomycetes. ''Malassezia'' species a ...
'' species, often secondary to oral or systemic
corticosteroids, or secondary to broad-spectrum
antibiotics such as the
tetracycline
Tetracycline, sold under various brand names, is an oral antibiotic in the tetracyclines family of medications, used to treat a number of infections, including acne, cholera, brucellosis, plague, malaria, and syphilis.
Common side effects in ...
family used in acne. This is often misinterpreted as 'tetracycline-resistant acne'.
See also
*
Drug eruption
In medicine, a drug eruption is an adverse drug reaction of the skin. Most drug-induced cutaneous reactions are mild and disappear when the offending drug is withdrawn. These are called "simple" drug eruptions. However, more serious drug eruptions ...
*
List of cutaneous conditions
*
Steroid rosacea
References
Acneiform eruptions
Drug eruptions
{{Cutaneous-condition-stub