Acne is the most common skin disorder, affecting almost 85% of people at some point in their lives. Acne is a skin condition that consists of comedones, papules, pustules, and cysts. It develops on areas of the body that contain a lot of sebaceous glands (oil) glands like the face, neck, chest, back, and shoulders, usually beginning (and is most common) in puberty, but many adults also develop the condition.

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Acne is caused by three major factors:

1) Blockage of hair follicles (pores) by dead skin cells
2) Overproduction of sebum
3) Proliferation of P. acnes bacteria and consequent inflammation

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Non-inflammatory Acne:

Comedones occur when a plug of sebum and dead skin cells can be seen inside a follicle (pore), but does not cause any inflammation or redness.

• Blackheads: If the plug enlarges and stretches the pore, it is referred to as a blackhead. It is not trapped dirt - the dark color is a build-up of oxidized oil.

• Whiteheads: When a thin cover of skin traps the plug, it prevents the oil from oxidizing. This keeps it white and creates a whitehead.

Inflammatory Acne:

Acne plugs put pressure on the follicular wall, which can cause it to break, spreading the contents to the surrounding skin. When your immune system responds to this bacteria and sebum, inflammatory acne occurs. The degree of inflammation determines the size and redness of an acne lesion.

• Papules: Pink or red bumps without a white or yellow centre.

• Pustules: Red bumps with a white/ yellow pus centre. When the plug inside a pore traps bacteria, white blood cells are drawn to the area to fight infection. Pus is made up of dead white blood cells.

• Cysts and nodules: Larger often painful lesions that extend into the deeper skin layers. They can last for months, destroy the follicle and lead to scarring.