Friday, July 6, 2007

Acne explained

Acne? Yup, as you almost seen that acne is the most common skin disorder om the world. Besides that, we common heard about Blemishes, bumps, papules, pustules, spots, whiteheads, zits, goobers, the plague, or whatever you call it, almost everyone is liable to get it.

As an example in this case, In the United States and Canada, acne affects 45 to 55 million individuals at some point in their lives, the vast majority of whom are teenagers. In fact, nearly 80 percent of all young people will face at least an occasional breakout of acne. Acne imposes itself on young men and young women about equally, but young men are likelier to have more severe forms of acne.

What kind of event actually that could trigger acne? Well, The events that take place in the sebaceous glands and hair follicles trigger acne. And The exact cause is unknown; however, regardless of a person’s age, acne is a condition of clogged hair follicles and the reaction of sebaceous glands, glands that are attached to hair follicles and produce an oily substance called sebum. Mix in some dead skin cells that become “sticky” and block the pores, add a bit of bacteria, and you have the makings of a breakout.

Doctors believe that these events, and acne itself, result from several related factors, including your hormones (which are responsible for increasing oil production) and heredity (the tendency to develop acne is often inherited from parents and other relatives).

Less commonly, acne can occur as a reaction to certain drugs and chemicals, and other physical factors may exacerbate the problem.

One things to consider that acne can occur as a reaction to certain drugs and
chemicals, and other physical factors may exacerbate the problem.

Waking up to whiteheads, blackheads, and zits

In most cases, acne starts between the ages of 10 and 13 and usually lasts for 5 to 10 years. The appearance of teenage acne is largely the result of your body’s increased production of hormones. The good news is that those embarrassing blemishes usually go away and are often gone for good by the time you reach your early 20s.

However, the not-so-good news is that for some unlucky folks, acne vulgaris can persist into their late 20s or 30s or even beyond. But back to the good news: There are many steps you can take to zap the zits and improve the appearance of your skin.

Taking it on the chin later in life

Although acne is typically thought of as a condition of youth, an ever-growing number of women (less often men) get acne for the first time as adults. Acne is no longer just a teenage affliction. There’s definitely been a rise in the number of adult women in their 20s and 30s with acne — even those who never had a pimple before!

Teenage and adult-onset acne have somewhat different characteristics. For one thing, the appearance is different: Adults have fewer blackheads and whiteheads; for another, adult acne tends to be more often located on the lower part of a woman’s face. Also, the appearance of female adult-onset acne is often closely linked to a woman’s menstrual cycle as well as increased sensitivity to hormones such as those brought about by pregnancy, starting or stopping birth control pills, and other hormonal abnormalities.

If you’re really unlucky, you have adult-onset acne and have also brought along some acne vulgaris from your teenage years.

Acne? Yup, as you almost seen that acne is the most common skin disorder om the world. Besides that, we common heard about Blemishes, bumps, papules, pustules, spots, whiteheads, zits, goobers, the plague, or whatever you call it, almost everyone is liable to get it.

As an example in this case, In the United States and Canada, acne affects 45 to 55 million individuals at some point in their lives, the vast majority of whom are teenagers. In fact, nearly 80 percent of all young people will face at least an occasional breakout of acne. Acne imposes itself on young men and young women about equally, but young men are likelier to have more severe forms of acne.

What kind of event actually that could trigger acne? Well, The events that take place in the sebaceous glands and hair follicles trigger acne. And The exact cause is unknown; however, regardless of a person’s age, acne is a condition of clogged hair follicles and the reaction of sebaceous glands, glands that are attached to hair follicles and produce an oily substance called sebum. Mix in some dead skin cells that become “sticky” and block the pores, add a bit of bacteria, and you have the makings of a breakout.

Doctors believe that these events, and acne itself, result from several related factors, including your hormones (which are responsible for increasing oil production) and heredity (the tendency to develop acne is often inherited from parents and other relatives).

Less commonly, acne can occur as a reaction to certain drugs and chemicals, and other physical factors may exacerbate the problem.

One things to consider that acne can occur as a reaction to certain drugs and
chemicals, and other physical factors may exacerbate the problem.

Waking up to whiteheads, blackheads, and zits

In most cases, acne starts between the ages of 10 and 13 and usually lasts for 5 to 10 years. The appearance of teenage acne is largely the result of your body’s increased production of hormones. The good news is that those embarrassing blemishes usually go away and are often gone for good by the time you reach your early 20s.

However, the not-so-good news is that for some unlucky folks, acne vulgaris can persist into their late 20s or 30s or even beyond. But back to the good news: There are many steps you can take to zap the zits and improve the appearance of your skin.

Taking it on the chin later in life

Although acne is typically thought of as a condition of youth, an ever-growing number of women (less often men) get acne for the first time as adults. Acne is no longer just a teenage affliction. There’s definitely been a rise in the number of adult women in their 20s and 30s with acne — even those who never had a pimple before!

Teenage and adult-onset acne have somewhat different characteristics. For one thing, the appearance is different: Adults have fewer blackheads and whiteheads; for another, adult acne tends to be more often located on the lower part of a woman’s face. Also, the appearance of female adult-onset acne is often closely linked to a woman’s menstrual cycle as well as increased sensitivity to hormones such as those brought about by pregnancy, starting or stopping birth control pills, and other hormonal abnormalities.

If you’re really unlucky, you have adult-onset acne and have also brought along some acne vulgaris from your teenage years.

What is Skin?

Skin is the body's biggest organ. When people think of organs, most often the heart, lungs and brain come to mind but typically not the skin. Like these and other organs inside the body, skin is made up of different types of tissues and these tissues are made up of cells.

Much like the roof on a house, the skin plays an important role in protecting our bodies. It keeps bodily fluids inside while at the same time carefully controlling the release of waste product. It also helps keep our internal body parts safe from the potentially harmful effects of the environment including the sun, light and bacteria and also from injury.

Several different layers make up the skin, but perhaps because the underlying layers are not visible, they're not thought of very often. We spend much of our lives worrying about acne and wrinkles but don't realize that these types of skin issues have a lot to do with the workings of the layers below.

If you were to look at a cross-section of skin, you'd see that skin consists of 3 different layers: the epidermis, the dermis and the hypodermis or subcutis layer. Let's take a closer look at each.

Epidermis

This is the outermost layer of skin - the one that is visible. It covers the entire body, from the head down to the feet. The epidermis itself consists of 3 layers and is made up of tightly-woven connective tissues of varying thickness. For example, the skin covering your feet is much thicker than that below the eye. The epidermis acts like a barrier, keeping the good in and the bad out.

The top layer of the epidermis is constantly being shed. It's the layer that acts as the gatekeeper keeping fluids in and dangers out. Although not easily visible, most of this layer is covered with thousands of tiny pores and hair shafts. New skin is continually being generated by the bottom layer to replace the skin that has been shed. The epidermis also contains melanin, the cells responsible for skin pigmentation (coloring) and protecting against the sun's damaging rays.

Dermis

This layer of connective tissue tucked in between the innermost and outermost layers is the site of much activity. The dermis is home to blood vessels, lymph vessels, nerve tissue, hair follicles, bundles of collagen and sweat glands. Much activity happens in the middle layer. Blood vessels supply nutrients. Nerve tissues give skin the ability to feel. And the muscle tissues in this layer when they are activated are what cause a person to develop goose bumps in response to cold or fear. This layer also has the ability to trap bacteria that manages to penetrate the epidermis.

Hypodermis or subcutis layer

The innermost layer of skin helps to regulate our body temperature. It is here that insulating fat and collagen can be found which is why this layer helps keep us warm. This layer also acts as a cushion or shock absorber, protecting the body from injury. The connective tissue that makes up this important layer is also known as adipose tissue.