Acne What The Experts Say Part 2 Of 5

Part 2 of 5:

Written by: Ronit Segev

What is the cause for acne on the face?

There are 4 main factors and a secondary one that

contributes to inflammation and the formation of acne:

1. Hormonal activity.
2. An overproduction of fat in the sebaceous gland.
3. The accumulation of dead cells surplus on the skin as well as inside the pores.
4. The reproduction of bacterium inside the pores.

A less meaningful factor but still does affect certain people

 Irritation or sensitivity/allergic reactions to care products, to specific food (rare) or medications.

How the pimple is being created?

Each hair follicle grows from the sebaceous gland that secretes substance similar to solidified wax which is called sebum. The structure that contains the sebaceous gland and a hair follicle is called pore. When everything is intact, the sebum leaves in a smooth manner the pore and dissolves on the face.

By doing so it helps keeping the surface on the skin smooth and moisture. When things don't occur properly, like in times where the pore is blocked, or clogged with sebum and dead skin cells, the fat accumulates in the pores and doesn't secrete. In this sort of environment the bacterium called P. acnes flourishes.

The dead skin cells and the surplus in the sebaceous gland supply the suitable conditions for this sort of bacterium so it could grow. Surplus of sebum is initially created by hormonal activity. When too much fat is being produced, it is mixed with the dead skin cells on the face area along with skin accumulating on the edges of the pores and little pieces left from the hair follicle.

This combination of sebum, dead skin cells and little pieces of hair can block the passage from the hair to the sebaceous gland. With the reproduction of the bacterium that grows in this environment, irritations and inflammations appear. This is the reason why most of the pimples are red and swollen. On the surface, this accumulation of fat can be seen in different forms. Sometime this fat surplus and the dead skin cells develop into a white soft structure – whitehead. 

If the pore is open with no skin coverage at all, the head of the "plug" is exposed to the air and becomes darker, and a blackhead is created-comedo. Black and whiteheads turn to pimples wherever the acne bacterium starts to grow inside the plug, which eventually creates an inflammation and irritation. This inflammation and the extra fat cause the wall of sebaceous gland to crack and get destroyed, when it pours its content (fat, remaining cells, bacterium) into the skin tissue that surrounding it.

The immune system of the body reacts, and send lymph to the infected are in order to fix the damage (what causes the swelling), and now there is a pimple.  

All the articles :

1. Acne What The Experts Say Part 1 Of 5

2. Acne What The Experts Say Part 2 Of 5 - What Causes Acne?

3.Acne What The Experts Say Part 3 Of 5 - Who Suffers From Acne

4.Acne What The Experts Say Part 4 Of 5 - What Can We Do?

5.Acne What The Experts Say Part 5 Of 5 - Takin Care Of Pimples