The Many Forms of Acne
It's difficult to know just how to get rid of acne
mostly because finding the cause of acne is tough. Acne
can be inter-related, develop from one form into another, or
it can be completely independent in its origin.
Acne may start its development from the overproduction of
sebum by the sebaceous glands which is triggered by many factors
including stress, diet and hormonal imbalance. Dead cells, oil
and bacteria combined may cause the infection of the acne which
may then become inflamed. This may lead to swelling, pain and
redness at the site of the infection.
Acne is defined as inflammatory or non-inflammatory. It may
begin from a minor lesion or microcomedo, as its name suggests,
microcomedo are very small, thus only visible through the use
of a microscope. This will develop into an open comedo or blackhead,
a closed comedo or a whitehead.
Postules and nodules are similar with the comedo. However,
they are a more serious form characterized by pus-filled, yellowish
bumps for postules, and inflamed, larger swellings for nodules.
Another form of acne is the popules, which is an intermediate
between inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne. Popules are
typical pimples which are mildly inflamed and recognized for
their redness, yet there is no visible pus in the center.
Above all these is the most severe form called the nodules
or more commonly termed as cysts. Cysts are recognized with
their sac-like formation and are also pus-filled.
This condition is the worst because it runs deep into the
skin tissue from the actual site of the infection. Moreover,
cystic acne causes more scarring than any other form.
Because it is deeply imbedded into the skin, squeezing or pinching
cystic acnes often causes the pus to scatter deep in the layers
of the skin, triggering the immune system to release white blood
cells to combat against the widespread of bacteria. This in
effect, results to swelling and pain, consequently causing deep-rooted
inflammation.
Acne vulgaris is the most common form of acne infection
which grows as whiteheads or blackheads.
On the other hand, a type of acne which afflicts middle-aged
individuals, mostly women, is the acne Rosacea. This
is identified through the flushing of the face that is often
conceived as the result of being drunk. However, these two have
no real connection. In the most severe form, acne Rosacea may
bring rise to a condition of bulbous nose or rhinofima which
is more prevalent in men.
Infantile acne happens rarely in infants. Often, babies
affected with this mild form of acne show symptoms at the time
of birth. However, these will disappear in time. Research points
out that this condition is mainly due to fetal hormonal changes.
Scalp folliculitis is a form of acne that develops in the scalp
or around the hairlines. This may be caused by excess accumulation
of oil and dirt in this area. The acid present in the scalp
causes the scalp to be flaky, itchy and dry.
Often, young women experience perioral dermatitis.
These tiny popules and postules appear around the mouth and
the chin, and sometimes end up in areas below the eyelids. In
many cases, these are caused by fluorine contained in toothpastes
and steroids.
An acne that affects the area around the back, face and the
shoulders intensively is known as acne conglobata. It is the
severe form of acne vulgaris which has the tendency of becoming
cystic. It is identified with a number of non-inflamed and inflamed
scars and nodules that are often found in men. Another severe
form is the acne fulminans which is associated with systematic
symptoms mostly affecting teenage boys.
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