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What is Acne?
Acne is a chronic disorder of the hair follicles and sebaceous glands.
Some of the characteristics of acne include black heads, pimples,
cysts, infected abscesses, and rarely scarring. Acne usually occurs
during adolescence in both men and women. To be more specific, acne
starts during puberty and tends to get worse for people with oily
skin.
Acne badly affects teenage boys. Only mild to moderate forms of acne
occur in middle-aged women. Acne can be seen most commonly on the
face. The other places where it can occur include the neck, chest,
back, shoulders, scalp, and upper arms and legs. Most forms of acne
are the result of heredity and hormonal problems and has nothing to do
with a harmful diet or poor hygiene.
Types of acne
Acne starts in a similar way for all but can take different forms and
can react in a unique way according to the body conditions of the
individual.
A basic lesion called the comedo is the begining of acne. The comedo
is an enlarged hair follicle plugged with oil and bacteria residing
under the surface of your skin, that waits for the right conditions to
grow into an inflamed lesion. Whenever the skin produces more oil, the
bacteria grows within the swollen follicle. The surrounding skin
becomes increasingly inflamed as your white blood cells fight against
the intruders. Two main types of acne include non-inflammatory acne
and inflammatory acne.
Non-inflammatory acne
Closed comedo:
If the plugged follicle stays below the surface of the skin, the
lesion is called a closed comedo. This usually appears on the skin as
small, whitish bumps. This condition is otherwise called as whitehead.
Open comedo:
If the plug enlarges and pushes through the surface of the skin, the
lesion is called an open comedo. The dark appearance of the plug is
not due to dirt, but due to the buildup of melanin, the pigmentation
element of the skin. This condition is otherwise called as blackhead.
Inflammatory acne
Papule:
This appears on the skin as a small, firm pink bump. The papules are
tender in nature and are often considered an intermediary step between
non-inflammatory and clearly inflammatory lesions.
Pustule:
These are small round lesions that are inflamed and contain visible
pus, which appear red at the base with a yellowish or whitish center.
Pustules do not contain a large amount of bacteria. The inflammation
is caused by chemical irritation from sebum components such as fatty
free acids.
Cyst:
These are large pus-filled lesions that are usually present deep
within the skin. The cysts are very painful lesions, as they are
inflamed. Cysts form as a result of the contents of a comedo spilling
over the surrounding skin and due to the response of the local immune
system in producing pus. The cysts often leave deep scars.
Acne conglobata:
This is a rare but serious form of inflammatory acne that develops
primarily on the back, buttocks, and chest. In addition, to the
presence of pustules and cysts, there may be severe bacterial
infection.
Symptoms
The common symptoms of acne include persistent, recurrent red spots or
swellings on the skin known as pimples. The pimples become inflamed
and get filled with pus. The pimples usually occur on the face, chest,
shoulders, neck, or upper portion of the back. Some of the other
symptoms include dark spots with open pores at the center, which are
known as blackheads, bulged spots under the skin without openings,
which are known as whiteheads, and red swellings or lumps filled with
pus, which are known as pustules. The pustules can develop from
blackheads or whiteheads.
Inflamed fluid-filled lumps under the skin known as cysts are also a
symptom of acne. These cysts can become as large as an inch across.
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