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All About Acne
Acne is an ailment due to blocked up skin pores that result in sores. For a several reasons that aren’t fully understood, skin pores can become clogged with something called sebum, this is an oil naturally produced by skin glands called sebaceous glands. Once clogged, the dead cells and bacteria in the pore can't escape and this leads to acne sores or lesions.
The usual type of lesions are known as ‘comedones’. There are two basic varieties called ‘white heads’ and ‘black heads’. A white head is a clogged pore that starts to protrude from the skin due to bacteria, dead skin cells, and other rejected materials that have become trapped inside. These protrusions look white on top hence the name. Black heads occur when the clogging material in the comedones becomes exposed revealing the dark colored plug. A common name for acne sores is zits.
Microcomedones are a more unusual type of acne lesion, they are sometimes called papules. They derive from an immune response to the processes that cause acne. They occur in groups, they are always less prominent than comedones and can sometimes be too small to be seen but they can be felt by the slightly raised, bumpy areas of skin they form.
The severity of the acne depends upon the amount of clogging material. In the worst cases acne sores called pustules, nodules and cysts can form. A pustule is a larger version of a normal comedone. Nodules are a worse form of papules, they go deeper into the skin tissue giving large protrusions that are usually inflamed and painful when touched. Cysts are formed when pustules or nodules fill with fluid, they can be very unsightly and leave scars but otherwise none of these types of acne are seriously hazardous to health.
Doctors and scientists are still uncertain about why the pore clogging that leads to acne occurs. The current view is that it is a multifactorial condition with genetics, hormone changes and stress playing major roles. Contrary to what is widely believed the weight of evidence suggests that diet does not have a major causal influence upon acne.
Acne is most likely to occur during puberty as a result of hormonal changes but it can occur at any age and is a very common condition. Acne is most likely to occur on the facial regions but can also occur on the neck, back, legs and arms. Nearly everyone will get acne at some time in their life.
By John Kirkham
The usual type of lesions are known as ‘comedones’. There are two basic varieties called ‘white heads’ and ‘black heads’. A white head is a clogged pore that starts to protrude from the skin due to bacteria, dead skin cells, and other rejected materials that have become trapped inside. These protrusions look white on top hence the name. Black heads occur when the clogging material in the comedones becomes exposed revealing the dark colored plug. A common name for acne sores is zits.
Microcomedones are a more unusual type of acne lesion, they are sometimes called papules. They derive from an immune response to the processes that cause acne. They occur in groups, they are always less prominent than comedones and can sometimes be too small to be seen but they can be felt by the slightly raised, bumpy areas of skin they form.
The severity of the acne depends upon the amount of clogging material. In the worst cases acne sores called pustules, nodules and cysts can form. A pustule is a larger version of a normal comedone. Nodules are a worse form of papules, they go deeper into the skin tissue giving large protrusions that are usually inflamed and painful when touched. Cysts are formed when pustules or nodules fill with fluid, they can be very unsightly and leave scars but otherwise none of these types of acne are seriously hazardous to health.
Doctors and scientists are still uncertain about why the pore clogging that leads to acne occurs. The current view is that it is a multifactorial condition with genetics, hormone changes and stress playing major roles. Contrary to what is widely believed the weight of evidence suggests that diet does not have a major causal influence upon acne.
Acne is most likely to occur during puberty as a result of hormonal changes but it can occur at any age and is a very common condition. Acne is most likely to occur on the facial regions but can also occur on the neck, back, legs and arms. Nearly everyone will get acne at some time in their life.
By John Kirkham
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