Acne is a skin disease that is often characterized by inflammation of the skin and eruption of lesions. This condition is widespread, particularly during adolescence, and most people experience it at some point in their life. There are many myths about the causes and cure of acne, and a huge industry has been built around products intended to help prevent and treat the disease, especially in adolescents.
To understand acne, it's important to at least basically understand what a hair follicle looks like. The follicle is buried in the skin, and a hair grows out, breaking through the surface of the skin. Attached to the follicle are sebaceous glands, which produce an oil, called sebum, that helps keep skin healthy. Acne occurs when, for whatever reason, the hair follicle becomes blocked and sebum builds up under the skin. In that rich environment, bacteria begin to grow and eventually cause pimples.
Although many people think of acne as just the rash, the red form, often referred to as a zit or pimple, also includes some non-inflamed forms, known as comedones. Comedones come in two forms: blackheads and blackheads. A whitehead forms when the mass of bacteria and sebum formed by a blocked follicle remains below the surface of the skin and can be extremely small, sometimes even invisible to the eye. A blackhead forms when the erupted mass breaks open to the surface, allowing the melanin in the trapped sebum to oxidize and turn black.
Ideally, these non-inflamed forms of acne eventually drain the accumulated sebum and bacteria to the surface and healthy skin. Often, however, the inner wall of the follicle ruptures due to internal pressure or, more commonly, due to the puncturing of the skin. Once this happens, white blood cells flood the already full follicle to fight bacteria, and the acne swells into what's called a papule.
At this point, the acne is still largely under the skin, and while it's visible to the naked eye, it's more like an angry section of skin than what most people call a pimple. The pimple forms when bacteria-fighting white blood cells work their way to the skin's surface, turning into a large white or whitish-yellow lump. Truly severe cases can also lead to extreme swelling in the form of cysts or nodules.
Acne is not fully understood, but most people think that diet actually has little or nothing to do with its development. Traditionally, many people believed that certain foods, such as fatty foods or chocolate, caused pimples, but most studies have shown that this is not the case. Acne treatment can be done with any number of lotions and creams, most of which contain benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid, but one of the best ways to treat the condition is to simply wash your face regularly with warm water and mild soap. smooth, reducing the amount of oil on the skin that can build up and cause blockage.