Acne – Exploring Biology

What is Acne?

Acne is a skin condition that takes place when the hair follicles become essentially plugged with dirt, oil, and dead skin cells. This causes inflamed puss filled pores, also known as pimples.

Acne - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic Acne is very common among teens, although it can effect any person of any age. There are different severities of acne and can be treated with persistent care from either over the counter medications and creams or prescription medications. The reasoning for acne being more common among teens is the fact that during the teenage years more hormones are being released and the skin tends to create more oil that can build up in the pores causing it to become inflamed.

How it happens:

There can be many different causes for acne, some are more common than others but they all still lead to the same issue on the skin. The most common reason being build up of dirt and bacteria on the skin which will cause the pores to fill with dead skin cells and cause the infection in the pores. Skin creates its own oil and more often the skin will have access amount of oil, this is mostly the case with teenagers and young adults. Although any person can acquire acne, they do heal up slowly but still persistently come and go. With proper care and hygiene, acne can be fought off with consistent routines.

Due to the fact that acne is basically an infection, it can cause the skin to be distressed. This can lead to scaring on the skin and distress at the area. Usually, a pimple will be visibly red and have a bump. The site of infection can be mildly painful for the individual but starting treatment can help to reduce the risk of acne. With that, the individual participating in treatment have a reduced risk of scaring on the skin and pain at the site. A patient can simply wash their most common spot for acne with soap and luke warm water 1-2 times daily.

Washing your most common area for acne twice a day will help reduce the risk of getting more acne. When a person washes in the morning and at night they wash off all of the days oil and dirt that became acquired in the area. This will also help to wash off all of the oils from your body that collected in that specific area. If you chose to wash the area more than twice daily then it can cause that area to become to dry from washing off all of the bodys natural oils. While there is a slight risk doing so twice a day it is less likely to happen and can be easily fixed with applying a non-scented, zero alcohol moisturizer.

Treatment Tips for Oily Skin and Acne

News Articles:

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-do-pimple-patches-work/

“Cleveland Clinic” try to settle the debate weather or not pimple patches are actually worth the hassle. We have all heard someone say to us when we have a pimple NOT to pick at it. Pimple patches can help by absorbing any drainage coming from the pimple Dr. Kassouf mentions. The main reason why a pimple patch would do more harm then good is if your skin tends to be very sensitive to adhesives, certain acids, or oils. This can cause skin irritation. One big downfall to these patches according to Dr. Kassouf is, “Pimple patches don’t work at all on closed lesions or deeper lesions or even blackheads and whiteheads.” This would be a struggle since how we all know that blackheads and whiteheads are a pain also.

https://www.dermatologytimes.com/view/survey-finds-acne-causes-americans-to-miss-out-on-important-social-events

According to DermatologyTimes, they did a survey on Americans. The survey contained questions regarding social events and acne. Many Americans have missed out on multiple events due to acne. They tended to associate clear skin with confidence, this causing chances to be lost because so many Americans do not have clear skin. During the past couple years it has been easier for people to hide behind mask and screens, but once again we are starting to face this reality.

https://news.google.com/articles/CBMiOGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm5ld2JlYXV0eS5jb20vbGEtcm9jaGUtcG9zYXktYWNuZS1zb2x1dGlvbnMv0gEA?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen

According to these experts on NEWBEAUTY, there are three simple easy steps to helping to reduce acne. One is lifestyle changes, some factors we have an effect on is stressors, skin-care choices, and how we eat. Hygiene is another big factor such as simple washing your pillow case more frequently. Another factor is your personal skin care and the products being used, each person has their own way which works best for them its just up to them to figure out what way that is. In whatever way you choose to reduce your acne is it crucial that you are constant and patient with your skincare routine.

Summary:

Acne is a very common skin irritant. Also known as pimples, they become full of puss, oils, dirt, and can even be bloody. There are multiple different ways that you can correct acne. Washing twice daily is a big factor to helping reduce acne and redness. While teens are the most common to suffer from acne anyone can still be a victim to acne. Creating yourself a do-able daily routine can help reduce your risk for acne and acne scarring.

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