About acne
How Acne Generates and Spreads
IN COMPLICATED SCIENTIFIC PARLANCE, acne is caused by abnormal desquamation of follicular epithelium that results in the obstruction of the pilosebaceous canal. Actually the facts are simple. There are four contributory factors that lead to acne.
1. The oily mixture called sebum -produced by the sebaceous glands attached to the hair follicles near the base of your pores normally lubricates your skin to keep it healthy, soft, pliable and protected (much as a good antiseptic moisturizer does). Sebum combines with the dead skin cells called keratinocytes to form plugs that block further sebum from emerging from your pores.
2. The sebaceous glands keep producing sebum, but because it can't escape, the sebum balloons up, trapped inside your pores.
3. Bacteria attack the trapped sebum, degrading it.
4. The inflammation that is your body's attempt to eradicate the bacteria actually helps spread the condition.
That, in a nutshell, is how most lay books and articles about acne (as well as, sadly, some less than fully informed doctors) describe the disease.
As a result, while this description is not actually incorrect, it is woefully incomplete and, by oversimplifying the disease, gives sufferers the wrong idea about how to deal with it.
For example, if you knew no more than the above summary about acne, you would conclude that coating your skin with a bacteria fighting antiseptic would quickly clear up the condition. After all, if acne occurs only in the presence of bacteria, and you kill the bacteria, why, no more acne! There are several such antiseptic creams and ointments on the market, and they often help to some extent. Occasionally, they even eliminate the problem. More often than not, however, the acne remains.
Alternatively, again relying only on the above description, you would think that regular abrasive washing with detergents to remove loose keratinocytes would largely eliminate acne. With no dead skin cells around, there should be nothing to mix with the sebum to form a plug. Right?
No! Not only would you be wrong, but you would actually be aggravating your condition.
And again, if the problem is that your pores are plugged up, then surely a good abrasive scrub would get rid of the plugs and do wonders for your acne. Again, this is dangerously incorrect. Harsh or abrasive cleansing is among the worst things you can do for your condition.
Clearly, then, we need a fuller explanation. There are four stages in acne, three that concern its formation and a fourth that concerns its spread. Let us discuss each of these in turn.
• Stage One
• Stage Two
• Stage Three
• Stage Four
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