What is Acne? Some Answers To An Important Question
Dean Shainin

Imagine the next time you join a discussion about acne. When you start sharing the fascinating facts below, your friends will be absolutely amazed at the value of your knowledge.

What is acne?  That is actually the first question we often hear and think when dealing with acne.  Well, to answer the question on what is acne, it is worth noting that acne is a chronic skin disorder that said to result from the action of hormones on the sebaceous or oil-producing glands in the skin, leading to plugged pores as well as outbreaks of lesions commonly known as pimples or zits.  The acne lesions commonly occur on the face, neck, and chest and back although it may also appear in other parts of the body. 

Acne is today’s most common skin disease and the question on what is acne can be answered by understanding on how this skin condition develops.  Some doctors actually answered the question on what is acne by describing this condition as a disease of the pilosebaceous units (PSUs).   The explanation for this answer to the question on what is acne greatly lies on the findings that PSUs is found over most of the body and composed of a sebaceous gland attached to a canal, known as follicle, that contains a fine hair. 

To answer the question on what is acne, it is then very necessary to note that acne develops as the sebaceous glands make an oily substance known as sebum that usually empties onto the surface of the skin through the opening of the follicle, commonly known as pores.  In the follicle line the cells called as keratinocytes.

Those of you not familiar with the latest on "what is acne" now have at least a basic understanding. But there's more to come.

The hair, sebum and keratinocytes that fill the narrow follicle are said to be the major factors that produce a plug, which is the early sign of acne.  It is necessary to note as you opt to answer the question on what is acne that it is basically the plug that prevents sebum from reaching the surface of the skin through a pore.  The blending of oil and cells then allows the bacteria P. acnes that normally thrive on the skin to grow in the plugged follicles.  It is then these bacteria that emit chemicals as well as enzymes and encourage white blood cells to cooperate which then cause the inflammation.  Now, the question on what is acne can be answered by knowing that when the wall of the plugged follicle breaks down, it then spills everything into the nearby skin, which in the end lead to the formation of lesions or pimples.

Finally, the question on what is acne can be answered by understanding that acne appears in different forms.  It may appear in the form of whiteheads, blackheads, pimples, papules, nodules, and cysts.  It is basically the cystic acne that causes acne scarring as it is pus-filled, deep and painful.

Those who only know one or two facts about acne can be confused by misleading information. The best way to help those who are misled is to gently correct them with the truths you're learning here.