Acne is a skin condition that occurs when your hair follicles become plugged with oil and dead skin cells. It often causes whiteheads, blackheads or pimples, and usually appears on the face, forehead, chest, upper back and shoulders. Acne is most common among teenagers, though it affects people of all ages.Acne can last even with effective medical treatment. The pimple and bump heal slowly, and when one starts to go away, other symptoms seem to end up.Depending on its severity, acne can cause emotional distress and scar the surface of the skin. The earlier you apply treatment, the lower your risk of such physical and psychological problems.Acne signs and symptoms vary depending on the severity of skin condition:
Whiteheads (closed plugged pores)
- Blackheads (open plugged pores)
- Tiny red, irritated bumps (papules)
- Pimples (pustules), which are papules filled with fluid at their tips
- Large, hard, painful bumps under the skin (nodules)
- Painful, pus-filled lumps beneath the skin (cystic lesions)
- When to worry
If natural home remedies don’t work well to clear your acne pimples, go to see a primary care doctor. A doctor can prescribe stronger medications. If acne does not go away or become severe after meds or otc, you might want to seek medical treatments from a skin disease specialists (dermatologist).For females, acne can persist for years and decades, with flareups common a week before their period. This acne type may clear up without treatment in women who use contraceptives.In older adults, a sudden onset of severe acne pimples may indicate an potential disease requiring medical attention.The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that some popular nonprescription acne moisturizer, lotions, cleansers and other skin products can cause a serious reaction. This type of reaction is rare, so don’t confuse it with the redness, inflammation or itching where you apply ointments or products.Go to doctors to get emergency medical help if after a skin product you develop:
- Faintness
- Difficulty breathing
- Swelling of the eyes, face, lips or tongue
- Tightness of the throat
Main factors that may cause acne:
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- Excess oil production
- Hair follicles blocked by oil and dead skin cells
- Bacteria or viruses
- Excess activity of a type of hormone
Acne typically appears on face, forehead, back, chest, shoulders because these areas of skin have the most oil glands. Hair follicles are connected to oil glands.The follicle wall may raise and produce a whitehead. Or the plug may be open to the surface and darken, causing a blackhead. A blackhead looks like dirt spot on skin while actually the pore is congested with bacteria and oil, which turns dark or brown when exposed to the air.Pimples are usually occur as raised red bumps or spots with a white center tips that develop when blocked follicles become inflamed or infected with bacteria. Blockages and inflammation that develop deep inside follicles produce cyst-like bumps under the your skin. Other pores in your skin, which are the openings of the sweat glands, aren’t usually involved in acne.