|
Did you always think that acne appears in just one day
or one night? Many people think that. This is not true. An acne or
pimple, emerges from a blemish, which requires 2-3 weeks to take a
defined form of acne. You cannot see this process because it happens
deep under your skin. There are several factors that function
differently in different people to form acne. That is acne is a highly
individualized problem and you should therefore explore acne forming
roots in you.
Your acne is caused when holes
present in your skin in the form of pores and hair follicles get clogged
by dead skin cells and excessive sebum content. Pores are little holes
present on your skin. These pores are actually hair follicles containing
very fine hair. Each hair follicle is connected to a sebaceous gland.
The
sebaceous gland produces an oily substance called sebum. Sebum helps in
keeping the skin soft. This sebum reaches the surface of the skin
through the hair follicle. The hair follicle is lined with cells called
Keratinocytes.
Now, during puberty, testosterone, a hormone
present both in males and females, increases. This increase in
testosterone encourages the sebaceous gland to produce more sebum. This
sebum, hair, and keratinocytes fill and plug the hair follicle. Plugging
of the follicle is the earliest sign of acne. Because the follicle is
plugged, sebum cannot reach the surface of the skin. This means that the
follicle is filled with oil (sebum) and cells (keratinocytes). A mixture
of both these causes Propionibacterium acnes or P. acnes, which is
present on the skin, to grow in the plugged follicle.
This
bacteria in the plugged follicle, induces the white blood cells to
attack it. When the white blood cells attack, they cause the skin to
inflame. This inflammation is characterized by heat, swelling, redness
and pain.
In due course of time, the wall of the
hair follicle breaks down, spilling everything, that is, sebum, dead
cells, and bacteria, on the nearby skin. This leads to lesions or
pimples, which we commonly refer to as Acne. Acne can be either mild,
moderate or severe.
Now that you know how acne
develops, it is necessary to check out the factors that contribute to
your acne. Following factors contribute to acne:
1. Hormones: At puberty, the body begins producing hormones called
androgens (male hormones, but present in both males and females). These
stimulate the sebaceous glands, which in turn, produce extra sebum.
Androgen is also responsible for acne flare-ups during the menstrual
cycle and at times, pregnancy.
2. Excess sebum: Excess sebum is
responsible for plugging the hair follicle. It mixes with P. acnes and
causes acne.
3. Dead cells: Generally, dead cells are thrown out
gradually by the skin. But, when these dead cells mix with the excess
sebum, they contribute to the plugging of the hair follicle, thereby
pausing the skin's natural process of throwing out dead cells.
4. Propionibacterium acnes or P. acnes: Though P. acnes is present on all
skin types at all times, it starts multiplying rapidly once a follicle
is plugged.
5. Inflammatory Response: In order to control
unwanted bacteria, the body sends out white blood cells to fight against
it. The skin reacts to these white blood cells by inflaming. This
inflammation causes the pimples to become swollen, red and painful.
Remember that the functioning of these five factors is different for different
people. That is, acne is a highly individualized problem. So, do not
compare yourself with your friend.
|
