Feline acne

Feline acne
Advanced feline acne
SpecialtyVeterinary 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.[1][2][3] In many cases, symptoms are mild and the disease does not require treatment.[1] Mild cases will resemble dirt on the cat's chin, but the "dirt" will not be brushed off. More severe cases, however, may respond slowly to treatment and seriously detract from the health and appearance of the cat. Feline acne can affect cats of any age, sex, or breed, although Persian cats are also likely to develop acne on the face and in the skin folds.[1][4] This problem can happen once, reoccur, or even persistent throughout the cat's life.[5]

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 follicles 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.[2] Bacterial folliculitis occurs when follicles become infected with Staphylococcus aureus and is commonly associated with moderate-to-severe feline acne.[6] Secondary fungal infections by Malassezia may also occur.[2]

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.[7]

Feline acne is one of the top five most common skin conditions that veterinarians treat.[5][6]

  1. ^ a b c Gross, Thelma Lee; Ihrke, Peter J.; Walder, Emily J.; K. Affolter, Verena (2005). Skin Diseases of the Dog and Cat: Clinical and Histopathologic Diagnosis. Ames, Iowa: Oxford. pp. 437–439. ISBN 978-0-632-06452-6.
  2. ^ a b c Muller, George H.; Kirk, Robert Warren; Scott, Danny W.; Miller, William L.; Griffin, Craig E. (2001). Muller and Kirk's Small animal dermatology. Philadelphia (Pa.): Saunders. pp. 1042–1043. ISBN 978-0-7216-7618-0.
  3. ^ Jazic, E.; Coyner, K. S.; Loeffler, D. G.; Lewis, T. P. (2005). "An Evaluation of the clinical, cytological, infectious and histopathological features of feline acne". European Society of Veterinary Dermatology. pp. 134–140.
  4. ^ Foster; Smith. "Feline Acne: Signs, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Chin 'Blackheads' in Cats". peteducation.com.
  5. ^ a b Moore, Arden (2002). "Cats Can Get Acne Too". Prevention. pp. 170–174.
  6. ^ a b Scott, D. W.; Miller, W. H.; Erb, H. N. (2012). "Feline dermatology at Cornell University: 1407 cases (1988-2003)". Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. pp. 307–316.
  7. ^ "Skin Problems in Cats". WebMD. Retrieved 2024-06-14.