What is acne?
Acne is a skin problem that can cause several types of bumps to form on the surface of the skin. These bumps can form anywhere on the body but are most common on the:
- face
- neck
- back
- shoulders
Acne is often triggered by hormonal changes in the body, so it’s most common in older children and teenagers going through puberty.
Acne will slowly go away without treatment, but sometimes when some starts to go away, more appears. Serious cases of acne are rarely harmful, but can cause emotional distress and can scar the skin.
Depending on its severity, you may choose no treatment, over-the-counter treatment, or prescription acne medications to deal with your acne.
What causes acne?
To understand how acne develops, it can help to understand more about the skin: The skin’s surface is covered in small holes that connect to oil glands, or sebaceous glands, beneath the skin.
These holes are called pores. The oil glands produce an oily liquid called sebum. Your oil glands send sebum up to the skin’s surface through a thin channel called a follicle.
The oil gets rid of dead skin cells by carrying them through the follicle up to the surface of the skin. A thin piece of hair also grows up through the follicle.
Acne occurs when the skin’s pores clog up with dead skin cells, excess oil, and sometimes bacteria. During puberty, hormones often cause oil glands to produce excess oil, which increases acne risks.
There are three main types of acne:
- A whitehead is a pore that gets clogged and closes but sticks out of the skin. These appear as hard, whitish bumps.
- A blackhead is a pore that gets clogged but stays open. These appear as tiny dark spots on the skin’s surface.
- A pimple is a pore whose walls open, allowing oil, bacteria, and dead skin cells to get under the skin. These appear as red bumps that sometimes have a pus-filled white top (the body’s reaction to the bacteria).
