Introduction
Most teenagers and some adults develop a skin condition called acne. The condition shows up as clogged pores, bumps, and redness. Some cases of acne are very mild and go away without leaving any signs. Others are more serious and may cause scarring. Boys are more likely than girls to have severe acne.
Symptoms
Lesions (abnormal physical changes) on the skin are the main symptom of acne. Acne lesions are commonly known as pimples. They occur especially on the face and neck. They may also appear on the chest and back.
Types of acne lesions include small whitish bumps called whiteheads, small dark spots called blackheads, red bumps called papules, pus-filled bumps called pustules, hard bumps called nodules, and lumps under the skin called cysts. A person with acne may have a few or many lesions. Large acne lesions can be very painful.
Causes
Acne is caused by changes inside the body that affect the skin. These changes occur naturally as a boy or girl reaches puberty, or matures. At that time the body produces more of a family of chemicals called hormones. Hormonal changes also occur in adult women—during pregnancy, for example.
Some of those hormones speed up the skin's production of oil. The extra oil clumps together with dead skin cells to clog pores, or tiny openings in the skin. As the oil gland under a clogged pore makes more oil, the pore swells up to form a pimple. Normal skin bacteria in the pore can then cause infection and redness.
Doctors think that heredity (characteristics passed down through families) also plays a role in causing acne. Heredity may determine how severe a person's acne is. It may also determine whether an adult gets acne.
Prevention and treatment
There is very little a person can do to prevent acne. For many people acne is simply a part of growing up. However, there are treatments for clearing up acne and ways of preventing acne from getting worse.
Washing the skin twice a day with a mild soap and water may help to reduce the symptoms of acne. The washing removes some oil and dead skin cells that help to clog skin pores.
People should never pick at or squeeze an acne lesion. Picking and squeezing can force bacteria deeper into the skin, where they can cause a painful infection. Picking at a lesion can also cause a scar.
In some cases a doctor may prescribe an antibiotic to treat infections caused by acne. Doctors may also suggest medicated lotions or creams that can be put on the skin. Some people may need to use one or more medicines for many weeks, months, or even years to control their acne.
