Most people associate acne (acne vulgaris, common acne) with teenagers. While teenagers do tend to suffer from acne more than other age groups, it is not uncommon for older people in their late 20’s to suffer from acne, even if they
haven’t had acne for many years. In some rare cases, people may also have acne into their 40’s but most of the time they will grow out of it.
Types of acne include:
Congested pores, whiteheads, blackheads, pimples, zits, pustules and cysts, which are pimples that are deep in the skin layer. The pus that is in pustules and cysts does not contain the infectious bacteria like the other types of acne do. Acne occurs mainly on the face, chest and back where there the oil (sebaceous) glands are located.
You skin is covered with pores which are tiny holes in your skin. The pores have oil, or sebaceous, glands in them and these glands produce a substance called sebum, which is oil that helps keep your skin and hair moist.
These glands, for the most part, make just the right amount of sebum for your hair and skin and your pores are healthy and normal. Sometimes, the glands make too much sebum and the pores become clogged and with the oil, dead skin cells, or bacteria. When a pore becomes clogged, a pimple occurs.
If the clogged up pore bulges out from the skin and is closed, that is called a whitehead. You can see the puss through the skin and it looks white. If the clogged pour stays open, the pimple looks black and is called a blackhead.
When the clogged pore has broken walls, this allows sebum, bacteria and dead skin to get under the skin. The result is a red infected bump called a pimple. When the same thing happens deep in the skin layer, it is called a cyst.
There are several over-the-counter remedies and prevention medicines that you can use to help treat and prevent acne, but if the acne is sever you should see a doctor for tougher and more thorough treatment options.
There are very few people who do not get acne at one time or another during his or her lifetime. Acne is a common disease of the skin and it usually occurs on the back, face, chest, and neck. Teenagers are the most commonly affected, but it is not unusual if an older person has a bout of acne every now and again. It is not a serious problem most of the time, but left untreated or for the serious breakouts, it can cause scaring later on.
There are known reasons why acne occurs, but no one knows exactly what or why acne happens. Hormone changes that occur during teenage years and pregnancy defiantly play a role. While chocolate and greasy foods are often blamed for causing acne, there is little or no proof that they actually contribute to causing acne. Stress may be a factor as well, but for the most part it is too much oil and dead skin that cause the acne. Dirt is also blamed, but having a dirty face is not going to give you acne.
Should you experience acne try not to touch your face, clean your skin gently, stay out of the sun, and try some of the over the counter medicines you can find at the pharmacy.