Acne Is Not The Same As Spots
There are various kinds of acne, named according to how or why the acne developed. Some of the forms of acne are: acne conglobata (chronic boils); acne fulminans (an extreme form of conglobata); acne cosmetica (caused by cosmetics); acne keloidalis nuchae (from shaving); acne medicamentosa (caused by starting or stopping a medication); acne rosacea (redness on the face); baby acne; hormonal acne; cloracne and the common variety, acne vulgaris (also known as 'puberty spots'). In this article, we will concentrate on acne vulgaris.
Acne vulgaris may be defined as: 'an inflammatory disease of the skin, caused by changes in the pilosebaceous units (skin structures consisting of a hair follicle and its associated sebaceous gland). Acne lesions are commonly referred to as pimples, spots or zits' (see article on "Acne" in Wikipedia).
Acne is most often found in white Western teenagers, although it does occur in every country in the world, so there could be a genetic predisposition to it. It is possible that it may be an abnormal reaction to quite average levels of testosterone. For most afflicted, the condition lasts only until adulthood, probably only a few years or at the most ten. For other people, however, it may be a life-long affliction. It most often affects the face, upper-chest, upper-arms and back. However, an occasional spot does not constitute acne.
Acne vulgaris manifests itself in many ways, including: whiteheads, caused by pores that are completely blocked, trapping sebum (oil), bacteria, and dead skin cells, causing a white appearance on the top; blackheads, caused by pores which are only partially blocked, allowing some of the trapped sebum, bacteria, and dead skin cells to slowly drain to the surface (the black colour is not caused by dirt, but is a reaction of the skin's own pigment, melanin, with the oxygen in the air); papules, which are inflamed, red, tender bumps with no head and pustules, which are similar to whiteheads, but are inflamed, and appear as red circles with a white or yellow centre.
Whiteheads do not usually last for a long time; blackheads do last a long time and pustules are what people call spots or zits. Severe acne vulgaris is distinguished by nodules and cysts. A 'nodule' is a much larger and more painful type of pustule and can often last for months. Nodules are large, hard lumps just under the skin's surface. They frequently result in scarring and should never for any reason be squeezed, since this could cause them to last for months longer.
A 'cyst' may look similar to a nodule, but it is full of pus and has been described as having a diameter of at least 5mm and, again, can leave scars and cause irritation. Squeezing an acne cyst may cause a more severe infection and more acute inflammation which may last quite a bit longer than if it had not been squeezed. Dermatologists have methods of reducing the swelling and preventing scarring with both nodules and cysts. It is just not true that acne sufferers are not careful about cleanliness.
In fact, over washing can irritate acne. There are many, many fake 'treatments' on the market and many, many old wives' remedies. However, any good skin expert would tell you that there is no sure-fire remedy for acne and that the patient has to follow a deliberate regimen of cleansing until the acne eventually 'goes away' on its own.
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