What is a Acne?
Acne vulgaris is an inflammatory disease of the skin that affects those areas which contain the largest sebaceous glands, (oil glands) including the nose, central forehead, medial cheeks, medial chin, back, and trunk. Generally self-limiting, acne is characterised by open comedones (black heads), closed comedones (white heads, as the follicle is completely blocked) and inflammatory lesions such as papules (closed, red small bumps surrounded by inflammation), pustules (middle-size bumps with a yellow or white dot in the centre surrounded by inflammation) and in more severe cases, cysts (are the most serious kind of acne blemish. Cysts are painful, they feel like soft, fluid filled lumps under the skin’s surface) and nodules (are hard painful lumps under the skin’s surface. Nodules are much larger than papules they form deep within the skin and take a long time to heal). Lesions are generally more severe and prevalent in males, but more persistent in females. Acne may appear in neonates and infants, but mostly occurs during adolescence (an estimated 85% of those between 15-24 years of age are affected to some degree), and typically resolves by age 30. Continue reading “Acne Breakouts Wrecking Your Life?”