Acne vulgaris can be described as: ‘an inflammatory disease of the skin, caused by changes in the pilosebaceous units (skin structures consisting of a hair follicle and its associated sebaceous gland). Acne lesions are commonly referred to as pimples, spots or zits’ (see article on “Acne” in Wikipedia).
Acne is most usually found in white Western teens, although it is to be found in every country in the world, so there could be a genetic weakness to it. It is possible that it may be an abnormal reaction to quite average levels of testosterone. For most afflicted, outbreaks of acne last only until the age of twenty or so, probably only a few years or at the most ten. For other people, however, it may be a life-long affliction. It most often appears on the face, upper-chest, upper-arms and back. However, an occasional spot is not the same as acne.
Acne vulgaris manifests itself in many forms, including: whiteheads, caused by pores which are completely blocked, trapping sebum (oil), bacteria, and dead skin cells, causing a white appearance on the surface; blackheads, caused by pores which are only partially blocked, allowing some of the trapped sebum, bacteria, and dead skin cells to slowly drain to the surface (the black colour is not caused by dirt, but is a reaction of the skin’s own pigment, melanin, with the oxygen in the air); papules, which are inflamed, red, tender bumps with no head and pustules, which are similar to whiteheads, but are inflamed, and look like red circles with a white or yellow centre.
Whiteheads do not usually last for a long time; blackheads can last a long time and pustules are what people usually refer to as spots or zits. Severe acne vulgaris is characterized by nodules and cysts. A ‘nodule’ is a rather larger and much more painful type of pustule and may sometimes last for months. Nodules are large, hard bumps just under the skin. They often result in scarring and should never for any reason be squeezed, since this could make them last for months longer.
A ‘cyst’ can look like a nodule, but it is full of pus and has been described as having a diameter of at least 5mm and, again, can leave scars and cause irritation. Squeezing an acne cyst may cause a deeper infection and more painful inflammation which may last very much longer than if it had not been squeezed. Skin experts have methods of reducing the swelling and preventing scarring with both nodules and cysts. It is not true that acne sufferers are not meticulous about cleanliness.
In fact, over washing can irritate acne. There are many, many useless ‘treatments’ on the market and many, many old wives’ tales. However, any honest dermatologist would advise you that there is no sure-fire remedy for acne and that the sufferer should follow a strict regimen of cleaning until the acne just ‘goes away’ on its own.
Are you having problems treating acne? If you are or you’d like to know more about acne, please go to our website called http://treating-acne-scars.com
You must log in to post a comment.