Acne is a skin disorder or disease. 80% of the total American population has faced the problem of acne at least once in lifetime. Acne affects all genders, sexes and ages and thus became a universal skin disorder. The good thing is, acne is not transmittable.
Acne can spread to the entire face and can severely affect all the skin tissues that have pilosebaceous units. Some people thinks acne just affects those going through puberty but its not correct. Infants or babies and as well as adults over the age of 40 can build up acne disorder. Newborn babies may be affected by acne and it is called acne infantile. On the other hand acne rosacea is linked to middle-aged people.
Comedo is one form of acne where all severe acne cases originate. This is characterized by red swelling or small lesions on the skin. Whiteheads and blackheads are two forms of comedo. Conversely, blackhead is an open comedo. The coloration is due to the accretion of shady skin pigments called melanin, plus hardened sebum and other skin debris and particles. This is the basic structure of whiteheads, however, the only difference is the coloration and these are extremely situated into the skin layers.

If you have sandpaper-like skin approximately the tissue of your mouth and on the surface of your forehead, chin and cheeks, you probably have papules. Pus-filled lesions are also termed as pustules.

Nodules on the other hand are similar with pustules. However, nodules are firmer and are larger acne growing bottomless in the skin. Inflammation may build up your pustules into containing semi-liquid or liquid materials composed of white blood cells (which are dead because of the acne-infecting bacteria named as Propionibacterium acnes), dead skin cells and lively or motionless bacteria. This can result into more serious acne called cysts. In such conditions, you may need the support of a skin dermatologist or physician.

What is the cause of acne? It is quite hard to exactly decide what may have caused your acne infection as reasons differ case to case. Studies point out that the skin disorder may be brought about by many factors, including poor diet, stress, weather elements, and hormone changes or may be genetically prejudiced.

Medically speaking, acne starts from the structure of hardened sebum, or the oily substance secreted to the skin through the sebaceous glands. This then will be permeated with acne-infecting bacteria, which in come back will trigger the immune system to release white blood cells to obstruct the assault of the bacteria. As this happens, dead white blood cells and bacteria will accumulate in the hair follicles mixed with skin debris and dead skin particles, which then will inflame the lesions.

Most mild case acne may be treated with above the counter acne medications. They are usually topical drugs, which you apply on your skin for acne treatment. They may come in the form of soaps, lotions, gels and creams. Conversely, systematic acne medications are taken orally. The most ordinary of which are the antibiotics.

Knowing that you are not the only one inflicted with acne at some point in life or another helps in that there will always be new research and new goods coming on stream. Carry on reading up on acne research and helping your fight against it.