Acne information

85% of people aged between 12 and 24 are likely to suffer from some form of acne. Others may experience intermittent and serious forms well into their forties. However, this skin disease is neither blood related nor contagious. Acne is a universal skin disease which can affect all genders, ages and races.

This skin disorder is the result of over active oil glands in the skin (sebaceous glands) and blocked hair roots (pilosebaceous units). Acne develops in the blocked pilosebaceous canals deep beneath the skin. If these canals are obstructed by hardened sebum and dead cells, the body will have difficulty ejecting dirt and body wastes; thus providing breeding grounds for Propionibacterium acnes or the P. acnes in the follicle walls or hair pores. These acne-infecting bacteria will attract white blood cells. The area then gets inflamed due to the reaction of the body to these activities, eventually leading to the growth of acne.

This skin disorder comes in many forms. It is basically categorized into three:

Whiteheads and blackheads or closed and open clogs respectively.
Mild inflammatory acne which includes papules and pustules.
Cystic acnes or nodules.

Acne sufferers may experience many different manifestations, each with their own characteristics. Some types may be interelated and some have their independent origins.

Comedo or microcomedo, the smallest type of lesion)
Pustules are pus-filled, usually yellowish in colour.
Nodules - are the same with pustules only varying in size and the degree of swelling.
Papules - are typically inflamed pimples.
Cysts - are pus filled and have sac like formation. This is the most severe form of acne.

There are other forms of acne as follows:

Acne vulgaris - the most common form which comprise of read more