TYPES OF ACNE, TERMINOLOGY

Knowing about Acne can help you solve your dilemma and treat your current problems you may be struggling with. There are various types of acne and each type differs in terms of how bad they affect your skin.

Here is some terminology to familiarize yourself with to learn about the various types of acne. If you have an acne problem, you can possibly identify the type of problem with this list.

Lesions are changes in the physical nature of your tissue that is caused by a problem from disease or injury. Lesions can occur internally or externally on the surface of your body. Acne is capable of causing external lesions on your body in affected areas.

Sebaceous glands cause a disease process that can result in lesions, which is a basic description of what acne is.

Comedones (comedo) is the technical term for blackheads and whiteheads, which most people suffer from at one point.

Nodules are the proper term for cysts, which pimples can form if it is in a severe form.

Blackheads and whiteheads, comedones, are formed when a sebaceous follicle becomes clogged with sebum, which is dead cells, hair follicle, and bacteria. Blackheads and whiteheads differ in appearance only by size of opening of the pore. You should never try to remove or squeeze out blackheads and whiteheads unless it is done so by a dermatologist. Squeezing these out of your skin can result in inflamed tissue which can get infected by bacteria.

A papule is a small lesion that is about 5 mm or less on the surface of the skin that appears slightly elevated. They can be invisible but have a sandpaper type feel when together in large groups.

A pustule is dome shaped on the surface of the skin that contains pus inside of it. The pus is composed of white blood cells, bacteria, and dead skin cells. They usually have a hair follicle center if they infect a sebaceous gland. If they heal without turning into a cyst, they do not leave a scar.

A macule is a temporary red blotch or spot left by a healing lesion. They are usually characterized as having a well defined border with a red or pink color. A large number of macules can appear inflamed. Typically when people have a number of these on their face, it appears inflamed and is easily recognizable.

Nodules are solid, dome shaped lesions on the surface of the skin similar to a papule, but are much more irritating because they reach deeper layers of skin. These lesions can cause scarring and tissue damage. This type of pimple is very painful and doesn't respond very well to treatments.

Cysts are sac like formations in the skin that contain liquid or a semi liquid material. This liquid/semi liquid has white blood cells, dead skin cells, bacteria and other components. Cysts can extend deeply into skin and be extremely painful. These lesions can also result in scarring.

Now you know a few terms of acne and the different kinds, you can identify different problems you or a your loved ones may face when it comes to acne. There are many treatments available on the market and there are many new treatments being developed every day.