Feline Acne: Symptoms and Treatment
Author: KurtSchmitt Total views: 9 Word Count: 422
Feline acne may affect both male and female cats of all ages. The specific causes of the disease are not known. Cats with weakened immune systems are more susceptible.
Contributing factors in the development of the disease include stress, poor grooming habits, and abnormal sebum production.
In affected cats, lesions vary in severity, but are typically mild and asymptomatic. Pain and/or itching are not common unless there is a secondary bacterial skin infection. Lesions usually initially present at about 1 year of age, and remain cyclic for the life of the cat.
Depending upon the severity of the symptoms, and whether or not any secondary conditions exist, treatment may or may not be required. Your veterinarian will have to make this determination.
Feline acne symptoms and signs -- Acne in cats may include lesions on the chin and lower lip, as well as swelling of the chin and around the mouth. Your cat may display dark brown comedones or crusted reddish papules.
In more serious cases, there may be a secondary bacterial infection present. Signs of this may include edema (swelling) of the chin area, or drainage of the lesions. In these cases, antibiotics, both systemic (taken internally) and topical, may be prescribed.
Sometimes ringworm or yeast infections can be mistaken for acne, as can bacterial skin infections as well.
Feline acne treatment -- Treatment is often not necessary, except in more serious cases. In fact, it's believed that overtreatment may increase the severity of the skin lesions.
Your veterinarian may recommend topical therapy of some kind to help remove the comedones (blackheads). Depending upon the severity, more aggressive treatment may be recommended.
Your vet may remove excess skin from the lesion area. This facilitates cleaning of the area, as well as the application of topical medications. You should never do this yourself as you can hurt your cat or cause an infection.
Antiseptics may be used, such as Listerine or alcohol, as well as antiseborrheic shampoos. Some of these contain a common component of human acne treatment formulas, salicylic acid.
As with acne in people, topical benzoyl peroxide solutions are often prescribed. These are available in small animal strength formulas, which is one-half that of the human preparation, in shampoo or gel form.
Never use preparations designed for humans on your cat unless instructed to do so by your veterinarian. Even the animal formula benzoyl peroxide treatments may be irritating to your cat's skin when used repeatedly.
In cases where patients are immune compromised, such as feline AIDS patients, treatment may include steroid therapy. Additional supplements may be used as well, including off-label drugs.
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