Acne is a very common skin complaint, which not only affects teenagers but quite a few adults as well. It is caused when the too much sebum (oil) is produced and causes the pores on the skin to become blocked. Certainly if left untreated not only is it unsightly but also can if severe enough lead to scarring on a person’s skin. Below we take a look at the acne signs and symptoms.
Generally a person who finds that they have acne will find it mainly appears on their face. However, in some cases it can also affect a person’s back, shoulders, chest and neck as well as all these parts of the body have glands, which produce oil. Yet we it does appear it can take on various different forms and below we look at just what these are.
1. White heads and Black heads also known in medical terms as Comedones that are produced when the hair follicle openings become blocked with the oil and dead skin cells. Plus in some cases there may well be bacteria encased in these blocked openings also.
2. The next sign that a person may have acne is that spots have appeared on the skin’s surfaces, which are known as Papules. These will appear as small raised bumps on the skin’s surface and will be formed around the hair follicles. But unlike the Comedones these can become infected and inflamed and will often be red in color and are tender to touch.
3. The next form of acne that you may suffer from is similar in looks to the Papules but has a white tip to them (should not be mistaken for white heads). This white tip is made up of pus that contains bacteria that if allowed to come into contact with other areas of your skin can cause further eruptions of the acne. These particular spots are more commonly referred to as Pustules.
4. Nodules are much larger and solid lumps that are found beneath the surface of the skin and are very painful. These are actually caused because the oil has been able to build up deep inside the hair follicle.
5. The final form of acne that some people may well suffer from and which is the worse of all the symptoms is the Cysts. These just like the Nodules are large and painful but contain large amounts of pus (containing bacteria) as well. If left untreated then these can cause further permanent damage (scarring) to that person’s skin.
The biggest problem a person faces with these signs and symptoms of acne is that if any are allowed to rupture they can actually lead to the infection and inflammation spreading to other areas of skin surrounding them. Therefore it is important that a person suffering from any of the acne signs and symptoms above should seek medical advice from their doctor as soon as possible. Simply because they may actually find that they have some other underlying medical condition that is causing them to suffer from this particular kind of skin condition.