Acne is a disorder that affects the skin’s oil glands and hair follicles. 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. Sometimes, the hair, sebum, and skin cells clump together into a plug.
Most pimples are found on the face, neck, back, chest, and shoulders. Acne is usually not a serious health threat, but it can cause scars.
Who gets it?
Anyone can get acne, but it is most common in teens and young adults. An estimated 80 percent of people between ages 11 and 30 have acne outbreaks at some point.
What are the types?
There are many types of pimples. The most common types are:
- Whiteheads: pimples that stay under the surface of the skin.
- Blackheads: pimples that rise to the skin’s surface and look black (the black color is not from dirt).
- Papules: small pink bumps that can be tender.
- Pustules: pimples that are red at the bottom and have pus on top.
- Nodules: large, painful, solid pimples that are deep in the skin.
- Cysts: deep, painful, pus-filled pimples that can cause scars.
What causes it?
Doctors don’t know what causes acne. Doctors think certain things play a part:
- Changing hormone levels.
- Taking certain medicines.
- Wearing greasy makeup.
- Heredity.
There are many myths about what causes acne. Dirty skin and stress do not cause acne. Also, chocolate and greasy foods do not cause acne in most people.
For those who have acne, some things can make it worse:
- Pressure from bike helmets, backpacks, or tight collars.
- Pollution and high humidity.
- Squeezing or picking at pimples.
- Hard scrubbing of the skin.
- Stress.
How can it be treated?
Over-the-counter or prescription drugs may treat acne by healing pimples, stopping new pimples from forming, and preventing scars. Some medicines are put right on the skin, while others are pills that you swallow.
Who treats it?
Several types of health care professionals may treat acne, including:
- General or family physicians.
- Dermatologists, who treat skin problems.
- Internists, who diagnose and treat adults.
- Pediatricians, who diagnose and treat children.
