Acne Does Not Equal Zits
There are various types of acne, named according to how or why the acne arose. Some of the types of acne are: acne conglobata (chronic boils); acne fulminans (an extreme form of conglobata); acne cosmetica (caused by cosmetics); acne keloidalis nuchae (from shaving); acne medicamentosa (caused by starting or stopping a medication); acne rosacea (redness on the face); baby acne; hormonal acne; cloracne and the common variety, acne vulgaris (also known as ‘puberty spots’). In this article, we will take a closer look at acne vulgaris.
Acne vulgaris may be described as: ‘an inflammatory disease of the skin, caused by changes in the pilosebaceous units (skin structures consisting of a hair follicle and its associated sebaceous gland). Acne lesions are commonly referred to as pimples, spots or zits’ (from Wikipedia).
Acne is most common in white Western teens, although it does occur in every country in the world, so there may be a genetic weakness to it. It is possible that it may be an abnormal reaction to fairly normal levels of testosterone. For most sufferers, the condition lasts only until adulthood, probably only a few years or at the most ten. For other people, however, it can be a life-long affliction. It usually affects the face, upper-chest, upper-arms and back. However, an occasional spot is not the same as acne.
Acne vulgaris manifests itself in different many forms, including: whiteheads, resulting from pores that are completely blocked, trapping sebum (oil), bacteria, and dead skin cells, causing a white spot on the top; blackheads, resulting from pores which are only partially blocked, allowing some of the trapped sebum, bacteria, and dead skin cells to slowly drain to the surface (the black colour is not caused by dirt, but is a reaction of the skin’s own pigment, called melanin, with the oxygen in the air); papules, which are inflamed, red, tender bumps with no head and pustules, which are similar to whiteheads, but are inflamed, and appear as red circles with a white or yellow centre.
Whiteheads do not usually last long; blackheads can last a long time and pustules are what people call spots. Severe acne vulgaris is characterized by nodules and cysts. A ‘nodule’ is a much larger and more painful kind of pustule and can sometimes last for months. Nodules are large, hard bumps under the skin’s surface. They often cause scarring and should never be squeezed, which could cause them to last for months longer still.
A ‘cyst’ may appear similar to a nodule, but it is full of pus and has been defined as having a diameter of at least 5mm and, again, can cause scars and cause irritation. Squeezing an acne cyst may cause a deeper infection and more painful inflammation which will last very much longer than if it had not been squeezed. Skin experts have ways of lessening the swelling and avoiding scarring with both nodules and cysts. It is a myth that acne sufferers are not meticulous about washing.
In fact, excessive washing can irritate acne. There are many, many fake ‘cures’ on the market and many, many old wives’ remedies, but any good dermatologist would tell you that there is no known cure for acne and that the patient should follow a deliberate regimen of cleansing until the acne just ‘goes away’ of its own accord.