Author: Mark MacKay
Source: articleage.com

Acne is a disease in which the hair follicles on your skin become clogged and infected. This results in one of the three types of acne lesions to form.

The production of excess sebum is the culprit. It causes the follicles to become blocked. The medical community is still uncertain as to what triggers this excess production. Sebum is produced by the sebaceous oil gland and everybody needs a small amount to achieve healthy skin. Sebum helps protects the skin from harmful bacteria by washing it away.

Types of Acne Lesions:

The three types of acne lesions are whiteheads & blackheads (also known as closed and open comedones respectively), papules & pustules, and cysts.

Whiteheads as the name suggests, look like white bumps. They form under the skin and never reach the surface. This makes them very hard to eliminate. Blackheads grow upward and break the skins surface. This enlarged follicle and the oxidation of the dead cells, sebum, and bacteria have a black color, hence the name.

Papules form when a whitehead burst and the bacteria spreads to the surrounding tissues under the skin. This causes your body?’s immune system to increase its fight on the infection making the inflammation worse. They appear as small, firm, red bumps. Pustules form as the body?’s immune system continues to fight the infection by sending pus to the area. They appear similar to a papules with the addition of a yellowish white head.

Cysts are the third and final type of acne lesion. They form when a pustule worsens and expands further down under the skins surface. They appear red or purple and are very painful. This is the most serious of all types of acne lesions.

Types of Acne:

Acne can not only be classified by the types of acne lesions, but further broken down by acne type; depending on what types of lesions you have. People whose acne consists of whiteheads and blackheads would have what is called comedonal acne. A mix of blackheads, whiteheads, papules and pustules acne lesions is called acne vulgaris and is the most common type of acne. The third type of acne is called cystic acne and it is when someone has all three types of acne lesions with numerous cysts.

Who Can Get Acne:

While most people associate acne with teens, anybody can experience some type of acne at any age. That said certain groups of people are more likely to experience acne. They include teens, people under stress, people who have a family history of the disease, people taking certain drugs and adult women.

Author: Ingrid Lihan
Source: articlesbase.com

Author: Naweko San-Joyz
Source: articleage.com

The first step to curing acne is knowing what type of acne you have. This information gives a valuable representation of what may have actually triggered the start of acne. Once you know your acne trigger, you are one step closer to removing the acne activator and living free of acne. There are numerous types of acne, which could explain why it is so difficult if not seemingly impossible for the acne sufferer to find a cure. Regarding the list below, you may be surprised to discover that acne is not caused by stress, but your new bottle of designer perfume. ? Adult Acne Sudden onset, or continuation of acne, during adulthood. The cause may be hormonal imbalances, stress, pollution or medications. Studies have shown a direct correlation between hormonal imbalances and the onset of acne in women 30 to 40 years. Acne cosmetic This form may be rare but is triggered by the use of cosmetics with acne aggravating ingredients such as lanolins, isopropyl mysristate and some pigments. Acne conglobata Severe hereditary acne that can cause scarring on the face and back. Acne Detergens resulting from abrasive cleansers. Acne grazing and ? (Mirror Addict Acne) – Psychosomatic disease caused by constant gathering of face and / or body. Acne fulminans (too much testosterone acne), acute and severe form of acne accompanied by symptoms such as fever and joint pain. This acne is common among men. Traits include: abrupt onset of acne, inflammatory and ulcerated nodular acne on chest and back, severe acne scarring, fluctuating fever, joint pain, loss of appetite or weight and high white blood cell count. This acne is caused by the use of testosterone, used legally or illegally to enhance muscle growth. In the counter treatments or not effective. If you do not need the extra testosterone for your health, do not take it. Acne keloidalis This acne occurs with people of African descent. It is characterized by firm papules and pustules on the neck. Mallorca Acne caused by sunbathing. Acne mechanica Acne provoked by mechanical irritation such as tight, restricting cloths or straps. Acne medicamentosa (Drug Induced Acne) Acne caused by medications. Common culprits include lithium, isoniazid, phenytoin (Dilantin), bromides, iodides, androgens and corticosteroids. Lithium worsens acne vulgaris and can cause acne in people who have never experienced acne. Oral contraceptives containing norgestrel or norethindrone may also induce or worsen acne. In the counter drugs containing potassium iodide, bromide (cold) and chlorine (chloral hydrate) may cause acne with very small pustules. neonatal infant acne Acne caused by hormones from the mother transferred to the newborn. This acne usually disappears without treatment. Acne pomade that occur with people who use pomades or thick oils daily on the hair. This oil travels from the hair to the forehead where it clogs pores and creates acne lesions. Avoid touching your face with oiled hands and limiting use of synthetic oils on the hairs usually pomade acne resources. Chloracne Acne created by constant exposure to hydrocarbons in motor oil and insecticides. Imaginary acne Imagining acne when there is actually no acne. Pitch acne Lesions created by coal tar or tar shampoo dandruff. Premenstrual acne caused by hormonal changes prior to menstruation. Steroid acne Inflammation of hair follicles caused by internal steroids or from topical corticosteroids on the face. Steroid induced acne appears as red papules and pustules concentrated in the area where the steroid was applied. Steroids thin the outer layer of skin and hair follicles making them more susceptible to rupture. Lesions usually leave after completing steroid use. Tropical acne Acne experienced by some soldiers of the Second World War in the tropics who developed severe acne with horrible scarring. Health author and Stanford University Graduate Naweko San Joyz lovingly writes from her home in San Diego. His works include "Acne Messages: Crack the code of your grain and say goodbye to acne" (ISBN: 0974912204) and the upcoming work "Skinny Fat Chicks, Why we're still not getting this dieting thing" (ISBN: 0974912212) for release in June 2005. For useful acne self-help articles visit http://www.Noixia.com