You’re now a teenager. Finally get to drive. If you’re not a teenager, I’m sure you can relate. But, along with that comes the period in your life where you have to deal with acne. So, what is it? When your pores in your skin get clogged and bacteria forms inside them, it results in acne. You may be already noticing the red bumps and the white pimples of your skin.

Our skin is the outermost layer of our body. The skin has pores in it that contain hair follicles. Below the hair follicles lie the sebaceous glands which secrete, “sebum”, oil for the skin and keep it flexible and not dry.

Normally, our skin cells will grow and die and are eliminated through bathing. At the same time, oil or sebum dribbles out the side and is distributed around the area, and our hair grows through the surface. Unfortunately, sometimes the process doesn’t work properly, and the bacteria get trapped inside the pore, the result is acne.

A white pimple that sometimes forms can contain dead skin cells, white blood cells, and bacteria. The area around the pimple can also harbor pus which often creates an inflamed, red area. When a follicle wall bursts and white blood cells flow inside as part of a healing process, a pustule can develop. Postule is derived from the term ‘pus.’

There are also another type called blackheads, they get there name from their color. But here’s an important point to remember, the black isn’t actually from dirt. It’s a combination of dead skin cells and sebum that have oxidized. The oxygen in the air causes a chemical reaction that turns them black.

The types we have mentioned so far are referred to by a medical term called ‘comedones.’ Whether the comedone is closed or open determines what type of comedone it is.

As acne progresses it can develop into a papule, nodule, or cyst. If your acne formed when the walls of the hair follicle burst close to the surface, then you have a papule. They’re small and don’t contain pus. If there is a break at the base of the follicle, and there is a hardened lump under the skin, that would be a nodule. If you have a larger, red bump, you have a cyst. Although, a cyst is soft, it can be very painful.

You’re probably not looking for a biology lesson, but are looking around on the net for ‘What is Acne.’The time that you spent here will be worth it, because now you know a little more about acne. That gives you an advantage, if your knowledgeable, then you won’t spend your money on things products or procedures that don’t work.