Acne is a skin condition that shows up as different types of bumps They include whiteheads, blackheads, pimples, and cysts What causes these annoying bumps? Well, your derma is covered with tiny holes called hair follicles, or pores Pores contain sebaceous (say: suh-bay-shus) glands (also called oil glands) that make sebum (say: see-bum), an oil that moistens your hair and skin.

Most of the time the glands make the right amount of sebum, and the pores are fine But sometimes a pore gets clogged up with too much sebum, dead skin cells, and germs called bacteria This can cause acne vulgaris If a pore gets clogged up, closes, and bulges out from the derma that's a whitehead If a pore clogs up but stays open, the top surface can get dark and you're left with a blackhead Sometimes the walls of the pore are broken, allowing sebum, bacteria, and dead peeling cells to get under the skin This causes a small, red primary infection called a pimple Clogged-up pores that open up deep in the blemish can lead to bigger infections known as cysts.

When tissue suffers an injury, the body rushes its repair kit to the injury site Among the elements of the repair kit are white blood cells and an array of inflammatory molecules that have the task of repairing tissue and fighting infection
White blood cells and disturbing molecules may remain at the site of an active dermatitis lesion for days or even weeks In people who are susceptible to scarring, the result may be an acne scar.

 The occurrence and incidence of scarring is still not well understood, however There is considerable variation in scarring between one person and another, indicating that some people are more prone to scarring than others Scarring frequently results from severe inflammative nodulocystic acne that occurs deep.

Acne Care: What Works

Acne is caused when the hair follicles in our skin get blocked. No one knows precisely why these blockages occur, nor why they are more severe in some people than in others, even in different members of the same family. It also is not known why acne commonly first occurs after puberty, although the sebaceous glands grow considerably at this time, which could be a factor. The oil produced by hair follicles, called sebum, is normally beneficial because it helps prevent the skin from drying and limits skin infections. But when sebum can't drain, it builds up and actually becomes a culture medium for bacteria.

As pimples develop, the skin may become inflamed. This inflammation may last for a time even after a pimple bursts or heals (you shouldn't squeeze pimples, because squeezing can lead to more severe skin infections). In severe cases, scarring may take place, caused by imperfections in the inflammatory response to infection. It is not known why some people are more susceptible to acne scarring than others. Fortunately, most acne spots and inflammation heal over time, but the healing process can take months.