Friday, February 6, 2009

Signs and Symptoms of Acne

By Richard May

Not only is acne a skin problem that teenagers are likely to suffer from but there are a number of adults who will suffer from it also. The main reason why a person has acne is that their body is producing too much oil and which then causes the pores on their skin to become blocked. If left untreated not only does it look unsightly but also in some of the more severe cases can lead to permanent damage (scarring) to a person's skin. In this article we look at the main acne signs and symptoms.

In most cases acne normally appears on a person's face, but it can also appear on their chest, neck, shoulders and back as well. These are all areas of their body where they have glands that can produce oil. When it does appear acne can take various different forms and below we describe what these are.

1. In most cases the first sign of acne is when white head or black heads begin to erupt on the person's skin. Known as Comedones by medical professionals these are produced at the hair follicle openings that will have become blocked because the body is secreting too much oil and this prevents dead skin cells from leaving the body. Also there is an increased risk that these can become infected as bacteria may well be prevented from being eliminated from the body also.

2. The next form of acne that some people suffer from is known as Papules and which will often appear on the skin as little raised bumps. These are often formed around the hair follicles on the skin, which have become infected and inflamed and will not only be tender to touch by red in color.

3. Another form of acne that some people may get is pustules that are very similar to Papules but will have a white tip, which contains pus. This pus is made up of bacteria which if allowed to come into contact of other areas of skin can cause further eruptions of acne.

4. Next we move on to a form of acne, which is known as Nodules. These are much large and unsightly bumps compared to the other signs that you are suffering from acne. Along with being large they can be painful and are caused by a build up of secretions (including oil and dead skin cells) deep inside the hair follicles.

5. Whilst the final sign that you may be suffering from acne is a form of spot, which looks very similar to the Nodules. But as with the Pustules it contains pus that if allowed to come into contact other areas of a person's skin can cause further eruptions of the problem. Also if these Cysts are left untreated they can actually scarring to the skin, which can be permanent in some cases.

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. - 15438

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