what is acne
What you need to know about acne
Acne is one of the most common chronic skin conditions.
Which leads to various skin problems such as pimples and spots. Cysts, blackheads, whiteheads and nodules are all different types of acne.
Usually, acne occurs during puberty when the sebaceous (oil) glands are most active and secrete excessive oil to plug the skin’s pores. In some cases, it can even occur even after adulthood. Other than the face, acne can also occur on back, neck, chest, upper arms and shoulders.
The clogging of pores begins with dead skin cells. The excess secretion of sebum further sticks the dead skin cells inside the pore, leading to acne. This clogging is the perfect environment for Propionibacterium acnes, the bacteria that live in our skin, to multiply. As a result, the pores get inflamed, which when goes deep into the skin, leads to the appearance of a nodule or an acne cyst.
If the opened pores are large, the clogs form into blackheads which are small spots with dark centers while, the small openings form whiteheads which look like flesh-colored bumps. Both of these can further develop into inflammations, pimples, nodules or deeper lumps.
