Acne is the inflammatory disease of the sebaceous glands and hair follicles of the skin that is marked by the eruption of pimples or pustules, especially on the face. In brief, a few simple steps occur that cause skin blemishes.

Reports show that over 90 percent of all adolescents and almost 25 percent of all adults are acne sufferers. And although acne affects about 50 percent of all adult women, acne does affect males and females worldwide, regardless of nationality.

Stages Of Acne

First, acne occurs due to some unknown causes of acne or combination of causes of acne, the hair follicles, also known as pores get blocked. The exact combination of causes for clogged pores may not be fully known.

For teenagers and adults the causes of acne include; genetics, hormones, dietary and vitamin deficiency and stress related factors.

Other causes of acne could include factors like how your body normally rids itself of its dead skin cells and influences that may be working against this regularity and your hormones and their effect on your own body’s sebum production, especially in women.

Second, the normal dead skin cells when it drains through the skin’s surface after combining with your body’s natural sebum oil becomes clogged in these blocked pores. This substance becomes somewhat sticky, further clogging the passageway.

Third, around these clogged areas, bacteria begin to grow. As a normal reaction, your body’s white blood cells attack the bacteria, fighting it and pushing it out of the body.

And fourthly, the microcomedones are the resulting growths during this 14-day to 21-day battle. These microcomedones convert into comedones, which are commonly referred to as blemishes, pimples or acne.

Types Of Acne

There are basically four types of acne

* Whiteheads
* Blackheads
* Pimples and nodules

1. Whiteheads

Whiteheads are when the resulting bacteria and sebum (oil) are trapped below the skin’s surface and you can actually see a white head emerge above or near the skin.

2. Blackheads

Blackheads are when the resulting bacteria and sebum are only partially trapped, slowly emerging out the skin surface and turning black because of your skin’s melanin or pigmentation.

3. Pimples And Nodules

Generally smaller pimples appear in the absence of either white or blackhead. And the nodules are referred to often deeper, boil-like lesions.

All forms of acne can be mild, moderate or severe. Typically, in form of whiteheads, blackheads and sometimes in the form of pimples and nodules, mild acne is visible. With moderate acne, more pimples and pustules appears on the face And some may appear on the back or chest.

And many nodules develop, often large and sore, over parts of the face, back, chest and other body areas with severe acne. This type of acne can lead to scarring. Actually, scarring has followed lesser cases of acne.

So for those with possible nodular acne, it is recommended to seek advice from a healthcare provider as soon as possible.

A gender issue to note is that due to the hormones, males more often have the severe form of acne rather than females. And the areas where they tend to break out most frequently are unfortunately more difficult to treat, the chest and back.