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Feline acne

Field	Value
name	Feline acne
image	Feline chin acne.JPG
caption	Advanced feline acne
field	Veterinary medicine

Feline acne is a problem seen in cats primarily involving the formation of blackheads accompanied by inflammation on the cat's chin and surrounding areas that can cause lesions, alopecia, and crusty sores. In many cases, symptoms are mild and the disease does not require treatment. This problem can happen once, reoccur, or persist throughout the cat's life.

Sebaceous glands are skin glands that produce oil and are mostly found in the skin of the chin, at the base of the tail, and in the eyelids, lips, prepuce, and scrotum. They are connected to hair follicles. In acne, the skin pores become clogged with black sebaceous material, forming comedones (also known as blackheads). Comedones can become irritated, swollen, infected, and ultimately pustules. These may elicit itching and discomfort due to swelling and bacterial growth inside infected glands. Secondary fungal infections by Malassezia may also occur.

Other conditions that can cause similar-appearing conditions include skin mites, ringworm, yeast infection, or autoimmune diseases such as the eosinophilic granuloma complex ("rodent ulcers"). These can be ruled out by a simple biopsy of affected cells.

Feline acne is one of the top five most common skin conditions that veterinarians treat.

Causes

Although the exact cause of feline acne is unknown, some causes include:

Hyperactive sebaceous glands
Poor hygiene
Stress
Developing secondary to fungal, viral, and bacterial infections
Reaction to medication
Eating or drinking from plastic containers. While it has commonly been suggested that cats are "allergic" to these containers, recent research suggests that plastic containers harbour bacteria due to irregular surfaces.
Demodicosis or mange, causing itchiness and hair loss
Suppressed immune system
Hair follicles that don't function properly
Rubbing the chin (to display affection or mark territory) on non-sanitized household items
Hormonal imbalance

Obese cats which have difficulty grooming themselves are predisposed to dry, flaky skin and feline acne.

Treatment

Topical treatments such as warm compresses to the chin area may be sufficient for mild cases. Veterinary intervention may be required for treatment if a secondary infection occurs. In this case, treatment may begin with clinical drainage of the pustules and a course of oral antibiotics.

Clearing the acne can be accomplished using an extra-soft bristled toothbrush or flea comb (one designated for this purpose) to brush the cat's chin. This will loosen debris and remove dried scabs. Epsom-salt compresses applied twice daily dry the affected area to relieve the inflammation and itchiness.

Prevention

Placing the cat's water in a shallow dish may prevent the chin from absorbing the bacteria in the water while the cat is drinking. If the cat is allergic to plastics or dyes, using a stainless-steel or glass dish is recommended. Maintaining good hygiene and grooming habits makes the development of feline acne less likely. Washing and exfoliating the chin with a gentle benzoyl-peroxide solution also may be preventive for further outbreaks.

References

(2005). "Skin Diseases of the Dog and Cat: Clinical and Histopathologic Diagnosis". Oxford.
(2001). "Muller and Kirk's Small animal dermatology". Saunders.
(2005). "An Evaluation of the clinical, cytological, infectious and histopathological features of feline acne". European Society of Veterinary Dermatology.
"Feline Acne: Signs, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Chin 'Blackheads' in Cats.". peteducation.com.
(2002). "Cats Can Get Acne Too". Prevention.
(2012). "Feline dermatology at Cornell University: 1407 cases (1988-2003)". Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.
"Skin Problems in Cats".
(2001). "Feline internal medicine secrets". Hanley & Belfus.
(2006). "The feline patient". Blackwell Publishing.
(2018-08-24). "Cat Acne? It's Real—and Here's How You Can Treat It".

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

cat-diseases acneiform-eruptions

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