Acne

What Is Acne?

Acne is a disease that affects the skin's oil glands. The small holes in your skin (pores) connect to oil glands under the skin. These glands make an oily substance called sebum. The pores connect to the glands by a canal called a follicle. Inside the follicles, oil carries dead skin cells to the surface of the skin. A thin hair also grows through the follicle and out to the skin. When the follicle of a skin gland clogs up, a pimple grows.

Acne, also called pimples or zits.

Acne is a common skin disease that causes pimples. Pimples form when hair follicles under your skin clog up. Most pimples form on the face, neck, back, chest and shoulders. Anyone can get acne, but it is common in teenagers and young adults. It is not serious, but it can cause scars.

No one knows exactly what causes acne. Hormone changes, such as those during the teenage years and pregnancy, probably play a role. There are many myths about what causes acne. Chocolate and greasy foods are often blamed, but there is little evidence that foods have much effect on acne in most people. Another common myth is that dirty skin causes acne; however, blackheads and pimples are not caused by dirt. Stress doesn't cause acne, but stress can make it worse.

Sometimes medication solves one problem but creates another. The following is a list of common medications that can trigger or worsen acne:

• Anabolic steroids (e.g., danazol [Danocrine], testosterone)

There are two basic types of acne, inflammatory and non-inflammatory.

Whiteheads and Blackheads

The simplest and least problematic type of acne is non-inflammatory acne, characterized by whiteheads and blackheads. When one of our pores gets blocked, bacteria starts to grow. When the contents stay below the surface, it's a whitehead. When the contents are partially exposed, skin pigmentation turns them black and you've got a blackhead.

Nearly everyone 12-17 years of age has at least an occasional whitehead, blackhead or pimple, regardless of race or ethnicity. Most of it is easily treated by over-the-counter medications, but by the mid-teens, more than 40% of adolescents have acne severe enough to require some treatment by a physician.

Although medical experts suggest you keep your hands off the pimples, sometimes it's too much to resist. Here's Dan Kern to the rescue. His website is dedicated to clearing up acne problems, and pimple popping is one of the things he addresses.