Pimples on the skin are formed the same way only some of them take a course for the worse
and develop into what we commonly know of as acne. Pimples develop differently on various
people, and so does the medication or treatment react differently to them. Acne occurs mainly
when a hair follicle becomes infected. A hair follicle is basically a hair root and acne is formed
when this follicle gets clogged with oil and a 'comedo' is formed. The clogging of the hair follicle
is caused by excessive oils secreted by the follicle.
As the secretion of oil increases and the follicle gets even more clogged the comedo grows
leading to inflammation of the skin near the follicle. Thus a pimple is formed. This pimple may
remain under the skin or break through as a bump. There are many categories of acne and
each type requires a different type of treatment. Some types of acne and their corresponding
treatments are covered here.
First of all we have the non-inflammatory acne. This is what is commonly referred to as a
'whitehead'. This is actually a closed comedo and occurs when the clogged air follicle remains
just beneath the skin. You may have noticed a small white bump no larger than a pencil tip just
under the skin. This is what we are referring to as a white head. There is nothing to worry about
white heads. Just remove them with some hot water and cotton. Never try to squeeze them out.
Some steam over the face can help remove white heads quite easily. Then apply some oil free
moisturizer after removing the white heads.
When the comedo changes to an open comedo, it turns into a blackhead. This occurs when the
white head is pushed through the surface of the skin sue to enlargement of the clogging of the
follicle. Do not mistake the blackhead for dirt, it is not so. The darkness of the blackhead comes
from concentration of melanin in the skin, the pigment that gives the skin its dark color.
Blackheads are an inflammatory form of acne.
The papule, which is a tiny pinkish bump on the surface of the skin, is the mildest kind of acne.
These are very sensitive to touch and are a step between non-inflammatory acne and
inflammatory acne. You then have pustules that are also small, round lesions. However, unlike
papules they clearly contain pus, a sign of infection. The yellowish center of the reddish bump is an indication of pus. Though they do not contain serious amounts of bacteria they do get
inflamed due to irritation caused by sebum components.
We then have the very painful nodular or cystic form of acne. These are lesions that are filled
with pus and occur deep under the skin. Cystic acne develops when the contents of the infected
hair follicle spills over and infects the surrounding tissue and the immune system of the body
reacts producing pus. This kind of acne can last for weeks or months developing into cysts that
are known to leave very deep scars that are permanent in nature.
Understanding the cause of your acne is an important step in preventing the spreads of the
condition and the proper treatment that needs to be followed. It’s called getting to the root of the
problem.
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