Acne Types – An Overview of the Common Acne Types

Author: Ryan Yorkbr
Source: ezinearticles.combr
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What is Acne?

First of all, the term Acne refers to Acne Vulgaris, the medical term for the condition. I think the best way to describe it is to list a step by step process of what happens when you get a zit or a pimple or any other of your favorite slang terms. The first thing we need to know is that your skin is covered with sebaceous glands. These glands, like sweat glands, allow wastes to leave the body. Sebaceous glands secrete a substance called Sebum, which your body secretes at the base of hair follicles to keep them lubricated. However, when these little oil producers fill up and get clogged…We get issues. If you have acne then Im sure you can make the inference that the largest concentration of sebaceous glands are on the face, upper chest, shoulders and upper back area.

When these get clogged up, we begin to see problems. Typically, when most people say acne, they refer to an infected and clogged sebaceous gland. All of the oil and gunk that is trapped in that sebaceous gland can get infected by bacteria from any number of places like your skin or maybe some old sweaty gym towels or something else nasty.

Types of Acne

So there are a few individual types of zits or pimples or whatever you want to call them. Lets take a look at the different variety

Blackheads

A blackhead is basically what happens when your sebaceous glands (covered last post) clogs with dirt and oil and skin debris. It is known as an open comedone because it has an open surface and can drain oil etc. onto the skin, and therefore you may notice where you have blackheads you have oily skin. The reason for the dark appearance is that when the substance in the pores reacts with oxygen it oxidizes and darkens. Although they are ugly, they occur naturally and the body does get rid of these on its own.

Whitehead

Whiteheads are very similar to blackheads. However, they have one defining characteristic in that they only have very small opening to the surface of the skin. This keeps oxygen from reaching the cellular debris that is stuck in the sebaceous gland duct. This also keeps the material from oxidizing so it retains its white color as opposed to turning dark.

Pustule

This is your everyday acne. Similar to a whitehead except it is inflamed. The interior is filled with dead cells and neutrophils which are fighting the infection. You may want to pop these, but be careful. I will cover how to do this correctly and safely in a later post.

Papule

These look like little bug bites. Small and red and usually not raised or very large. Dont try and squeeze these as nothing will come out.

Nodule

These are something you dont want. In simple terms this is a large papule. However, these are generally deeper in the skin which keeps them from healing and makes them painful. They are large and raised and red and hard to the touch. These can cause permanent scarring and should NOT be squeeze or messed with in any way. If you have these you need to see a dermatologist. There are many medications that can help with this but please do not attempt to pop one of these, you can severely damage your skin.

Cysts

These are similar to nodules. They are filled with pus and trust me when I say you dont want to squeeze these either. You will most likely cause yourself extreme pain and damage your skin. Again, if you have these you should see a dermatologist ASAP to help you get rid of these.

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pFor more information about fighting acne and keeping your skin clear and healthy go to a target=_new href=http://www.skinclearingremedy.com rel=nofollowhttp://www.skinclearingremedy.com/a./pbr
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