What Is Acne? What Causes Pimples?

Quite simply Acne is a common skin disorder created by inflammation of hair follicles and oil glands in the skin (sebaceous glands). At one point in our lives, Acne will occuring, however this is much more pervasive in younger people, 80% of adolescents get Acne. There are 3 main causes for pimples and Acne; Clogged skin pores from dirt and debris of dead skin cells, infections from bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes) found in the sebaceous gland and the vverproduction of sebum.

Different Types Of Acne:

White Heads
A non-inflammatory form of acne, white heads form trapped sebum and bacteria stay trapped under the skin’s surface. White heads may look like tiny white spots, or they may be tiny enough that they can only be felt by touch.

Black Heads
A non-inflammatory form of acne, black heads occur when a pore opens to the surface of the skin pigment melanin, oxidizes turning it a brownish black color. Black heads may last longer due to the slow drainage from the surface.

Pustule
An inflammatory form of acne, pustules occur several days after a white or black head when white blood cells have made their way to the skin’s surface. These are commonly referred to as “pimples” or “zits”.

Papule
An inflammatory form of acne, papules form when there is a break in the follicular wall. White blood cells rush in and the pore becomes inflamed.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 3rd, 2008 at 4:40 pm and is filed under SkinCare Basic Information. Tags: , acne, blackheads, follicle, pimples, skin damage, whiteheads You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.