Sorry, but you’re asking the wrong question. Rather than ask about what acne is, you need to dig a little deeper and first ask about the skin that acne grows on. – What is skin? – specifically “What is YOUR skin? Once you understand what that “costume” is that you’ve been wearing your entire life, then you will better understand the problems that can come with your skin.
The skin you’re wearing is a living breathing organ – and not just an organ, but the largest organ in your entire body. And just like your liver, your lungs and your kidneys – your skin is there to perform vital functions in enabling your body to remain in a healthy condition.
Although the prime function of our skin is to protect the inner workings of our other bodily organs and the fluids they contains, the ability of the skin to expel toxins from your body is but one factor to think of when it comes to a healthy body.
If those organs I mentioned – kidneys, lungs, liver, skin (among others) do not have a continuous clear path to expel bodily toxins, then blockage will result.
So, back to your question: What is Acne?
Well, basically it’s what happens to your skin when some kind of blockage is occurring. Your skin contains oil glands, called sebaceous glands, which produce an oily mixture called sebum. If you have acne, then you’ve developed a problem inside your skin because the glands become permeated with acne-infecting bacteria. This triggers your immune system to attack this bacteria with white blood cells. Together with dead skin cells, this oily mixture builds up in your skin and hardens to a point where it clogs your pores which can result in inflammation.
But don’t freak out over bacteria. Your entire body, inside and out, are filled with bacteria. Bacteria is not all bad. As you come to learn about your body and especially your skin, you will learn to appreciate your body for what it is – and entire ecosystem of life – your blood cells, bacteria, everything in your body is full of living organisms. Your body depends on these living organisms as though they were your own tiny warriors. Certain bacteria like staphylococcus epidermidis live on your skin and fight other bad bacteria from taking hold. In other words, some bacteria actually help to boost your immune system.
Think of what would happen if your toilet were to ever back up – sick, I know, but a pretty good analogy. If your pores remain clogged and you don’t do anything about it, pressure builds up resulting in some form of “skin damage”.
You begin to develop blackheads, whiteheads, zits or pimples and skin blemishes…and then you freak out wondering how you’re able to get rid of it before Friday night. But trust me, you won’t freak out alone. In the United States alone, 4 out of every 5 people have had Acne at some point in their lives.
Countries like Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Sudan, Canada, Bolivia and Singapore are crying for better methods in dealing with acne and other skin afflictions. It doesn’t matter what your sex, gender or age is. If it’s your turn to get acne, it’s your turn to get acne. That’s why Acne has been dubbed a “universal skin disorder“.
Teenagers are particularly vulnerable to acne breakouts due mainly to hormonal changes which make the skin more oily once puberty makes its presence known.
But acne doesn’t have to just happen to people making their way through puberty. Middle aged adults can have acne as well as newborn babies. If middle aged adults think they have acne, it’s more than likely they actually have “rosacea” instead, whereas the term “Acne Infantilis” would apply to babies and small infants.
There are two things I do not want you to think.
1. Don’t go ahead and start saying that ‘If I can keep all the pores in my skin open, then my acne will be cured’. Nope, not saying that at all. Acne has always been an elusive health issue. There are many causes of acne, and as such there are many different types of remedies. Remember, we are all different. What works for one person may not necessarily work for you.
2. At the same time, don’t start thinking you can’t do anything about it either. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are lots of products on the market that can help you reduce or even get rid of your acne problems once and for all.
Although great technological strides in treating various skin conditions are abound, success isn’t always 100%. You need to do your research. There are many resources on acne to be found online. Just start with basic keywords in your favorite search engine and see where it goes. Make some variations of some of these keywords to start your research:
- - get rid of acne
- - acne vulgaris
- - cystic acne
- -natural remedies for acne
- - acne medication
- - acne treatment
- - laser acne treatment
- - rosacea
- - acne diets, etc.
If you do suffer from acne, understand how your own skin works first – (ie: skin allergies, sun exposure times before sunburn, etc.). Once you know the type of skin you have the better able you will be to choose the correct product to help help rid yourself of your acne problems forever.
Waiting too long before doing anything to help curb an acne breakout brings with it a greater risk the acne could be more severe than it need be. As they say, “prevention is always better than the cure“. If you do the right things, you may only have a light case of acne and get away with a just a few pimples and a little discoloring. Remedies for light cases of acne may include just using doctor prescribed or over-the-counter topical medications in the form of soaps, lotions, gels and creams. There are also pills that you can take, the most common being antibiotics.
The worse your acne becomes the more you set yourself up to develop scaring, numerous pimples and red spots. Severe acne can even lead to painful cysts that build into solid red lumps, which can be quite painful let alone other social issues which can tend to accompany and compound an already difficult problem.
Acne also has different classifications depending on how severe it is. Comedo is the form where all severe acne cases originate.
If you notice red swelling or small lesions on your skin then you probably have Comedo. Two forms of Comedo that you are probably familiar with are Whiteheads and Blackheads – the color being due to the accumulation of dark skin pigments called melanin, plus hardened sebum and other skin debris and particles.
If you feel around your face and your skin almost feels like sandpaper, then you probably have papules. If skin lesions filled with pus start forming then those lesions are called pustules.
What is Acne Pus?
Don’t confuse pustules” with nodules. Although they’re similar, nodules are harder and bigger and grow deep within your skin. Your skin could become inflamed and pustules could develop that contain pus, semi-liquid composed of dead white blood cells dead skin. If this keeps up, the acne could become more serious developing into a more serious classification of acne called cysts or cystic acne. Once this happens, you may need help from a qualified physician or a skin dermatologist.
What Causes Acne?
There are a number of causes of acne, which I don’t want to go into very much in this article because acne causes can vary from person to person. Teenagers could develop acne because of natural hormonal changes taking place, but other contributing factors include:
- Diet
- Stress
- Weather
- Pollution
- Genetically Predisposed
- and yes, hormonal changes
With so many causes of acne varying from person to person and with so many different types of skin, you will also find many types of products that could conceivably help remedy your acne condition.
So, this is just a small glimpse into the world of acne. Knowing all about your skin will go a long way in helping you control and even eradicate your acne, but acne can be a serious skin ailment ruining the lives of many people, so you need to do your research. New research and new acne products are always coming on the market, so be vigilant and continue reading. You never know, maybe you can help someone else you care about.
Do you know what kind of skin you have and how severe your acne is? What are you doing about it? Help other people reading this blog and give them some insights. I’d love to hear from you.
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