Acne is a skin condition that occurs when your hair follicles become plugged with oil and dead skin cells. It causes whiteheads, blackheads or pimples. Acne is most common among teenagers, though it affects people of all ages.
Acne is the most common skin condition in the United States, affecting up to 50 million Americans annually. Acne usually begins in puberty and affects many adolescents and young adults.
Acne is a disorder of the hair follicles and sebaceous glands that become clogged. This leads to pimples and cysts. Acne is a common condition that usually begins during puberty because of hormonal changes. Acne can be either superficial or deep.
Acne may be a feature in many endocrine disorders, including polycystic ovary disease, Cushing syndrome, CAH, androgen-secreting tumors, and acromegaly. Other nonendocrine diseases associated with acne include Apert syndrome, SAPHO syndrome, Behçet syndrome and PAPA syndrome.
Acne can be successfully treated and controlled with the right treatment routine. Medications that may be recommended don't cure acne, though, so even after your skin is clear and breakouts are a thing of the past you must continue to use your medications regularly to keep acne from returning.
Adolescents and young adults between ages 12 and 24 tend to be the most affected group. It usually begins during the start of puberty, affecting girls earlier than boys. Typically people will outgrow acne but about 12 percent of women and 3 percent of men may still have acne even in their 40s.
The last 4 types—papules, pustules, nodules, and cysts—are types of inflammatory acne that can be harder to treat.
While acne usually clears up after several years even if untreated, you need not wait to outgrow it. Untreated acne can leave lifelong scars. While not a life threatening condition, acne can be upsetting and disfiguring. When severe, acne can lead to serious and permanent scarring.
The difference between acne and pimples is that acne is a disease and pimples are one of its symptoms. Acne is a condition affecting the skin's hair follicles and oil glands. Under your skin, your pores are connected to glands that make an oily substance known as sebum.
Cystic acne is a type of inflammatory acne that causes painful, pus-filled pimples to form deep under the skin. Acne occurs when oil and dead skin cells clog skin pores. With cystic acne, bacteria also gets into the pores, causing swelling or inflammation. Cystic acne is the most severe type of acne.
People of all races and ages get acne, but it is most common in teens and young adults. When acne appears during the teenage years, it is more common in males. Acne can continue into adulthood, and when it does, it is more common in women.
Water has many ways in which it can improve your skin, which helps to improve your acne over time. Drinking water has both direct and indirect benefits for treating acne. Firstly, with bacterial acne, water helps to remove toxins and bacteria on the skin, reducing the potential for pore-clogging in the process.
Hormonal factors
A range of factors triggers acne, but the main cause is thought to be a rise in androgen levels. Androgen is a type of hormone, the levels of which rise when adolescence begins. In women, it gets converted into estrogen. Rising androgen levels cause the oil glands under the skin to grow.
Acne commonly starts during puberty between the ages of 10 and 13 and tends to be worse in people with oily skin. Teenage acne usually lasts for five to 10 years, normally going away during the early 20s. It occurs in both sexes, although teenage boys tend to have the most severe cases.
Common skin infections include cellulitis, erysipelas, impetigo, folliculitis, and furuncles and carbuncles. Cellulitis is an infection of the dermis and subcutaneous tissue that has poorly demarcated borders and is usually caused by Streptococcus or Staphylococcus species.
Eczema may get better or worse over time, but it is often a long-lasting disease. People who have it may also develop hay fever and asthma. The most common type of eczema is atopic dermatitis. It is most common in babies and children, but adults can have it too.