There are various forms of acne, named according to how or why the acne arose. Some of the kinds 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 can 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 common in white Western teens, although it is to be found in every country in the world, so there could be a genetic weakness to it. It is possible that it may be an abnormal reaction to fairly normal levels of testosterone. For most sufferers, outbreaks of acne last only until the age of twenty or so, probably only a few years or at the most ten. For other people, however, it can be a life-long affliction. It usually appears on the face, upper-chest, upper-arms and back. However, an occasional spot is not the same as acne.
Acne vulgaris manifests itself in many ways, including: whiteheads, resulting from pores that are completely blocked, trapping sebum (oil), bacteria, and dead skin cells, causing a white spot on the surface; 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 long; blackheads do last a long time and pustules are what people call spots. Severe acne vulgaris is characterized by nodules and cysts. A ‘nodule’ is a much larger and more painful sort of pustule and can sometimes last for months. Nodules are large, hard lumps under the skin’s surface. They often result in scarring and should never be squeezed, which could cause them to last for months longer still.
A ‘cyst’ can appear like a nodule, but it is full of pus and has been described as having a diameter of at least 5mm and, again, can cause scars and cause pain. Squeezing an acne cyst can cause a deeper infection and more painful inflammation which may last very much longer than if it had not been squeezed. Dermatologists have ways of lessening the swelling and preventing scarring with both nodules and cysts. It is a myth that acne sufferers are not careful about their hygiene.
In fact, over washing can exacerbate acne. There are many, many fake ‘treatments’ on the market and many, many old wives’ remedies. However, any honest dermatologist would advise you that there is no sure-fire remedy for acne and that the sufferer should follow a strict regimen of cleaning until the acne eventually ‘goes away’ of its own accord.
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