Skin Care – What is Acne
Posted on December 1st, 2005 by garyPosted in Beauty, Skincare
What is Acne?
Acne starts with a comedo, an enlarged hair follicle filled with oil, bacteria or dead skin cells. As your skin continues to produce more oil and the bacteria is growing inside the swollen follicle, the skin around the follicle begin to become inflamed as your white blood cells fight against the bacteria.
Acne can be non-inflammatory or inflammatory. Non-inflammatory types are usually classified as whiteheads and blackheads. Whitehead (closed comedo) occurs if the follicle stays below the surface of the skin and they appear on the skin as small, white bumps. Blackheads occur when the follicle enlarges and pushes through the surface of the skin. This open comedo, or blackhead is dark in appearance.
Inflammatory types of acne include papule, pustule, nodule and acne conglobata. The papule is a mild form of acne and appears on the skin as small, firm, pink bumps. The pustule is a small round lesion that contains visible pus. They usually appear red with a yellow or white center. The nodule type of acne is also known as a cyst. These are large and usually painful, pus-filled lesion lodged deep below the skin. This is the most severe form of acne as these lesions can persist for weeks or months and usually leave deep scars. The fourth type of inflammatory acne is the acne conglobata, a rare but quite serious condition that develops on the back, buttocks and chest. The lesions are usually classified as pustules and nodules and may include a severe bacterial infection.
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