The bane of many a teenager’s life, adults and babies can suffer too, but just what is acne?
Acne is a skin condition that is best known for the spots it causes on sufferers faces, scalps, backs, necks, shoulders and arms. The spots aren’t the simple whiteheads or blackheads associated with hormones or too much chocolate. These are infected skin glands which, if not treated will turn into painful cysts which leave unsightly scars.
There is no one cause of acne. Genetic factors are thought to predispose individuals to suffering from the condition but it is not unusual for one family teenager to have acne whilst a sibling remains acne free. Hormones and stress appear to make acne worse. Sufferers of acne are not unclean. Acne is not caused by external dirt but rather from a malfunctioning of an internal skin process.
There are many different forms of acne. Some are more serious than others. Some respond more readily to treatment than others. It is very easy to dismiss the condition as a minor irritation but it can have profound physical and emotional effects on sufferers.
Acne spots are classified as:
Non-inflammatory- -
Comedone: a simple blocked pore that may manifest as either a blackhead or a whitehead and which will usually respond to cleansing and perhaps careful professional removal.
Inflammatory- -
Papule: a blocked pore without a visible head that is free from pus. These can develop into pustules
Pustule: a blocked pore but this time pus has gathered which gives a characteristic head.
Nodule: a nodule is large, very painful and will often require surgical removal as the core tends to be so deep.
Cyst: An acne cyst is a pus filled nodule. Again very painful, large and can be permanently disfiguring – simply because of the size it can grow to and the damage it causes to surrounding tissue.
It makes sense to get early, effective treatment for acne to stop the condition progressing to the inflammatory stage.
The skin is the largest organ of the body and it we take it for granted until it starts to malfunction. There is an agreement that acne is caused when the normal skin secretions begin to block the pores rather than do what they are supposed to do – emerge on to the surface where they offer protection and lubrication.
There is no agreement as to why this happens.
When the initial comedones that form do not clear of their own accord, the wall of the skin follicle can burst, which allows the contents of the pore to escape and spread under the skin. This is the first stage of the inflammatory condition and it is why the spots associated with acne are so much larger than non-acne pimples.
Once the infection escapes the confines of the follicle it can become widespread and difficult to treat with topical creams, which is why antibiotics are often prescribed.
As well as causing pustules and cysts acne can be a prime cause of depression and low self esteem in sufferers. It is a miserable skin condition and perhaps by having a better understanding of ‘what is acne’ sufferers can better deal with the symptoms and side effects they suffer.
Acne Treatment Special. Click to check out what are the causes of acne and its remedies. Know how to prevent acne by getting the best acne help tips.
