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.
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. 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.
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.
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.
About The Author
Balaji .B
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Also the online version of
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at http://www.natural-health-treatment.com/acne/acne-details.html.
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