You Have Acne? What Type?

Acne - What Is Acne?

Acne is a skin disease caused by pores and follicles becoming blocked and bacteria form inside them. It presents in several ways and nearly everyone will suffer from it now and again, especially as teenagers. The red lumps that sometimes appear can cause great discomfort. Even painless white pimples are unsightly.

The skin contains pores and follicles from which hairs grow. Pores give a way for the oil glands within the pore and near the base of the follicle that secrete sebum, a natural type of oil, to release their product. That oil, sebum, helps keep the skin flexible and protected.

Hair grows from the follicle while oil or sebum oozes out the side and covers the surrounding area. Skin cells die and are replaced all the time and are sloughed off because of personal hygiene, rubbing against objects or clothing or fall away naturally. The shedding can be stopped when the pores close and when bacteria form inside them. The result is acne.

The white pimples which are a common symptom are often a combination of dead skin cells, white blood cells and bacteria. The trapped pus, which creates the white coloring, regularly causes red inflammation in the area. The term 'pus' is associated with 'pustule', a symptom of acne caused by the bursting of the pore or follicle wall by a massive influx of white blood cells.

When the tiny bumps or spots appear black they are referred to as blackheads, naturally enough. Blackheads are a form of acne without inflammation that come from the material having poked through the surface. The dark color is not caused by dirt, it's a natural reaction of the pus to the air. Oxygen in the air causes the black color as the pus oxidizes.

Often, however, the pore or follicle content cannot leave the pore or follicle but simply pushes it up, making a white bump called a whitehead. One form is known as 'milia'. This type of acne is common among infants, but can affect people at any age.

All these variations go by a general medical term called 'comedones' and whether the formation is open or closed is often the only clinical aspect to differentiate them.

As the acne develops it can variously form what are called papules, nodules or cysts. A papule forms when the walls holding the hair follicle burst near the surface. They are not very big and the pus will have drained through the rupture. A nodule is a hard lump under the skin caused by the pore or follicle bursting at the base. A cyst is a larger, reddened bump. Although soft, they can be very painful.

Knowing what acne is, is useful, but you have to know what to do about it. In order to do that, it's necessary to know what type we have.