There is nobody on this planet who can state that they never had a few pimples in their whole life and that is normal. The real problem appears when the few pimples grow in number and turn into acne. It is well known that acne is actually a condition of the skin. It affects the sebaceous glands also known as oil glands and manifests itself under the form of clogged pores, lesions and pimples. The sebum, which is an oily substance produced by the skin, blocks the pores which use the follicles to link to the glands.
The well known pimples specific to acne appear exactly because follicles obturate the pores on the skin. The most affected portions of the body are the face, forehead, chest, shoulders, neck and back. Usually acne tends to affect adolescents and young people, but it can also show up on the faces of people belonging to all kinds of ages and races.
Habitually, acne has the tendency to vanish when people reach their twenties, but there are cases when adults being forty and fifty years old get to experience such unpleasant acne eruptions. However, if acne is not treated correctly it may cause extreme emotional problems among which mention should be made of anxiety, depression or low self esteem. Therefore, even if acne is not exactly a lethal condition, it needs to be solved because it may cause acne scars to appear.
Acne pimples are of several kinds, namely:
- Whiteheads or, in other words, spots which form right under the skin surface, present in the case of acne
- Blackheads or spots which are colored in black and are visible as they come to the surface, also present in the case of acne
- Papules, which are tiny bumps with pink hues. These spots are sometimes tender and, yes, they can be present in the case of acne
- Pustules or pimples which are full of pus and have a red bottom, frequent in the case of acne
- Nodules, which are formed deep in the skin and can be quite painful. These pimples are common in case of acne
- Last but not least, there are the cysts, which are painful pimples, formed deep in the skin and full of pus. Such pimples are likely to leave scars. They are also frequent on a skin affected by acne
Why does acne appear?
No one knows for sure why acne appears, however there are a few factors which are known to make their contribution to the development of acne. They are as follows:
- Genetics, which is likely to cause acne if other members of the family have suffered from it
- Hormones, which influence acne when puberty changes occur. Acne may appear also during the monthly periods
- Infections, caused by bacteria which help acne to develop
- Pills, which are known to cause acne, especially when they are anticonvulsants, oral contraceptives, steroids or hormones
- Cosmetics, such as the usual make-up and skincare moisturizers in general, which may cause acne because of their chemical components
- Environmental conditions such as humidity or excessive dust and pollution, which can easily cause severe acne
