Sunday, February 1, 2009

Acne Signs and Symptoms

By Richard May

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.

In most cases the main area on which the acne is likely to appear is a person's face. However, in some cases it can also appear on their neck, chest, back or shoulders also because these areas also have glands, which are able to produce sebum. But when it comes to identifying if you have acne or not you should be looking for the following.

1. Many people will often mistake acne for some other milder form of skin complaint as they only have black or white heads appear on their skin. These eruptions to the skin known as Comedones have been caused because the openings to the follicles of their hair have become blocked. Sometimes these can be come infected and can prove even more difficult to treat.

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. The next type of symptom that forms on the skin of acne suffering is large solid lumps known as Nodules, which form underneath the skins surface. As well as being large and unsightly these are also painful as well and have been caused because oil and other secretions have been able to build up deep within the hairs follicles.

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. - 15255

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