Pimple/Acne/Zit Defined!

First and Foremost, what is Acne?

You may think this post is so silly right?, but just sit up, read through and be dumbfounded. There are a lot of FAQS about acne/pimple/zit that you do not know(I'm sure of it).

Its Definition:

Acne is a chronic disorder of the hair follicles and sebaceous glands. Some of the characteristics of acne include blackheads, pimples, cysts, infected abscesses, and rarely scarring. Acne usually takes place during adolescence in any men and women. To be more specific, acne starts during puberty and runs to get worse for people with oily skin. Acne gravely strikes teenage boys. Only low to average forms of acne occur in middle-aged adult females. Acne can be found most commonly on the face. The other places where it can occur include the neck, chest, back, shoulders, scalp, and upper arms, legs ,even in guy's penises and woman's vagina (how painful is that). Most classes of acne are the result of genetic endowment and hormonal troubles.

Cases of acne:

Acne comes out in a similar way for all but can take different forms and can respond in a special way corresponding to the body circumstances of the individual. A basic lesion called the comedo is the begining of acne. The comedo is an enlarged hair follicle clogged with oil and bacterias resting under the surface of your skin, that awaits for the right circumstances to rise into an inflamed wound. Whenever the skin produces more oil, the bacterias grows inside the swollen follicle. The surrounding skin becomes increasingly inflamed as your white blood cells fight against the trespassers. Two main types of acne include (a) non-inflammatory acne and (b) inflammatory acne.

(A) Non-inflammatory acne

• Closed comedo:

If the plugged follicle stays under the surface of the skin, the wound is called a closed comedo. This usually appears on the skin as small, whitish bumps. This condition is otherwise called as whitehead.

• Open comedo:

If the plug enlarges and drives through the surface of the skin, the wound is called an open comedo. The dark appearance of the plug is not due to dirt, but due to the buildup of melanin, the pigmentation element of the skin. This condition is otherwise called as blackhead.

(B) Inflammatory acne

• Papule:

This looks on the skin as a small, firm pink bump. The papules are tender in nature and are frequently considered as an intermediary step between non-inflammatory and clearly inflammatory wounds.

• Pustule:

These are small round lesions that are inflamed and hold visible pus, which appear red at the base with a yellow or whitish core. Pustules do not hold a large sum of bacteria. The inflammation is stimulated by chemical irritation from sebum components such as fatty free acids.

• Cyst:

These are large pus-filled wounds that are usually present deep inside the skin. The cysts are very uncomfortable lesions, as they are inflamed. Cysts form as a result of the contents of a comedo spilling over the surrounding skin and due to the reaction of the local immune system in producing pus. The cysts often leave deep scars.

• Acne conglobata:

This is a rare but serious form of inflammatory acne that develops primarily on the back, buttocks, and chest. In addition, to the presence of pustules and cysts, there may be severe bacterial infection.

Here are the Symptoms:

The frequent symptoms of acne include persistent, recurrent red spots or swellings on the skin known as zits. The zits become inflamed and get filled with pus. The pimples usually occur on the face, chest, shoulders, neck, or upper portion of the back. Some of the other symptoms include dark spots with open pores at the core, which are known as blackheads, bulged spots under the skin without openings, which are known as whiteheads, and red swellings or lumps filled with pus, which are known as pustules. The pustules can develop from blackheads or whiteheads. Inflamed fluid-filled lumps under the skin known as cysts are also a symptom of acne. These cysts can become as large as an inch crosswise.