Acne Symptoms

What is Acne?
Acne is a chronic disorder of the hair follicles and sebaceous glands.
Some of the characteristics of acne include black heads, pimples, cysts,
infected abscesses, and rarely scarring. Acne usually occurs during
adolescence in both men and women. To be more specific, acne starts during
puberty and tends to get worse for people with oily skin. Acne badly
affects teenage boys. Only mild to moderate forms of acne occur in
middle-aged women. Acne can be seen most commonly on the face. The other
places where it can occur include the neck, chest, back, shoulders, scalp,
and upper arms and legs. Most forms of acne are the result of heredity and
hormonal problems and has nothing to do with a harmful diet or poor
hygiene.
Types of acne
Acne starts in a similar way for all but can take different forms and can
react in a unique way according to the body conditions of the individual.
A basic lesion called the comedo is the begining of acne. The comedo is an
enlarged hair follicle plugged with oil and bacteria residing under the
surface of your skin, that waits for the right conditions to grow into an
inflamed lesion. Whenever the skin produces more oil, the bacteria grows
within the swollen follicle. The surrounding skin becomes increasingly
inflamed as your white blood cells fight against the intruders. Two main
types of acne include non-inflammatory acne and inflammatory acne.
Non-inflammatory acne
Closed comedo:
If the plugged follicle stays below the surface of the skin, the lesion is
called a closed comedo. This usually appears on the skin as small, whitish
bumps. This condition is otherwise called as whitehead.
Open comedo :
If the plug enlarges and pushes through the surface of the skin, the
lesion is called an open comedo. The dark appearance of the plug is not
due to dirt, but due to the buildup of melanin, the pigmentation element
of the skin. This condition is otherwise called as blackhead.
Inflammatory acne
Papule:
This appears on the skin as a small, firm pink bump. The papules are
tender in nature and are often considered an intermediary step between
non-inflammatory and clearly inflammatory lesions.
Pustule:
These are small round lesions that are inflamed and contain visible pus,
which appear red at the base with a yellowish or whitish center. Pustules
do not contain a large amount of bacteria. The inflammation is caused by
chemical irritation from sebum components such as fatty free acids.
Cyst:
These are large pus-filled lesions that are usually present deep within
the skin. The cysts are very painful lesions, as they are inflamed. Cysts
form as a result of the contents of a comedo spilling over the surrounding
skin and due to the response of the local immune system in producing pus.
The cysts often leave deep scars.
Acne conglobata:
This is a rare but serious form of inflammatory acne that develops
primarily on the back, buttocks, and chest. In addition, to the presence
of pustules and cysts, there may be severe bacterial infection.
Symptoms
The common symptoms of acne include persistent, recurrent red spots or
swellings on the skin known as pimples. The pimples become inflamed and
get filled with pus. The pimples usually occur on the face, chest,
shoulders, neck, or upper portion of the back. Some of the other symptoms
include dark spots with open pores at the center, which are known as
blackheads, bulged spots under the skin without openings, which are known
as whiteheads, and red swellings or lumps filled with pus, which are known
as pustules. The pustules can develop from blackheads or whiteheads.
Inflamed fluid-filled lumps under the skin known as cysts are also a
symptom of acne. These cysts can become as large as an inch across.