Directory:Ask the Doctors

Acne: Words to Know

Androgen:: A male sex hormone found in both males and females.
Anti-androgen:: A drug that slows down the production of androgens.
Antibiotic:: A drug that kills bacteria.
Comedo:: A hard plug that develops in the pores of the skin composed of sebum and dead skin cells. The mildest form of acne.
Comedolytic:: Drugs that break up comedos and open clogged pores.
Isotretinoin:: A drug that decreases sebum production and dries up acne pimples.
Sebum:: An oily material produced by sebaceous glands that keeps the skin moist.
Tretinoin:: A drug that increases the rate at which skin cells are formed and die.

Detoxification:: Withdrawal; the process by which a person gives up a substance or activity to which he or she has become addicted.
Impairment:: An inability to carry on normal everyday functions because of an addiction.
Methadone:: A chemical given to addicts to help them overcome their addiction to heroin.
Physiological dependence:: A condition in which a person's body requires certain behaviors or the intake of some substance, without which it will become ill.
Process addiction:: A condition in which a person is dependent on some type of behavior, such as gambling, shopping, or sexual activity.
Psychological dependence:: A condition in which a person requires certain activities or the intake of some substance in order to maintain mental stability.
Substance addiction:: A condition in which a person is dependent on some chemical substance, such as cocaine or heroin.
Tolerance:: The ability of a body to endure a certain amount of a substance that had previously been too much for it to tolerate.
Twelve-step program:: A plan for overcoming an addiction by going through twelve stages of personal development.
Withdrawal:: The process by which a person adjusts to the absence of some substance or activity to which he or she has become addicted.