For a great deal of time now acne has been the bane of both sexes during their teenage years, and, a topic rarely mentioned. Folk who are plagued with acne have been heartlessly tormented and ridiculed, furthermore shockingly christened with a name such as crater face. Only those who have unfortunately suffered from the disease can truly comprehend how heartlessly cruel such name throwing can actually be. Over the last few decades amazing enigmas have unveiled themselves in the symptoms and causes of acne which have also aided the formulation of effective acne treatments.
Acne is the name of an inflammatory skin disease often presenting itself in teenagers. Acne displays itself in the excessive production of sebum by the sebaceous glands which can become blocked. It can alter the processes in the pores/follicles in the skin of the arms, chest and back but also including the face. The blocked pores and follicles are medically termed comedo.
The comedone are the blockages in the pores which is made up of keratin and sebum. A comedo is referred to as being open or closed. An open comedo is what most people call a ‘blackhead’, and the closed comedo is what most people call a ‘whitehead’.
Once a comedone has formed it is usually followed by the most noticeable and unpleasant symptom of acne – spots. First the comedone becomes infected and with this comes redness and inflammation of the skin, which then leads to an outbreak of pimples. The spots often become filled with pus and the skin surrounding the spot looks incredibly red and is sore to the touch.
There are two types of bacteria responsible for the inflammation and infection in acne, these are called Propionibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis. As well as being responsible for the formation of pus filled pimples, acne cysts and abcesses can occur.
Acne treatments and cures: Amazingly our Scientists have made incredible moves forward in the comprehension of the involved in the development of, and the treatment of, acne. Astonishingly there has been little advancement in the understanding of the reasons for the development of acne. Today, it is usually accepted that a selection of things, for example stress, diet and hormones can all act as triggers for acne.
Some scientist believe that a person may, or may not, have a genetic predisposition to the formation of acne but this requires much more research. Even if they do not manage to find the exact causes we can be certain that the increased understanding of the disease will help in the creation of new treatments. It is an unusual fact that, usually, when a single scientific discovery is published it effects other studies and often further important discoveries are made sometimes in an unrelated field of science.
