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"Acne" Article
 Article Directory Home Beauty Acne

Sebaceous Glands and Acne

By Expert Author: Valerie DeVette
View Summary | Submitted: 2008-06-27 | Word Count: 470 words
Valerie DeVette
The key trigger in acne during puberty is hormonal, for at this stage androgens interact with terminals on the sebaceous glands and produce stimulation of the sebaceous gland to hypertrophy and hence promote more sebaceous secretion of lipids and free fatty acids which distend the follicular duct. More specifically, there is evidence for increased peripheral metabolic conversion of the androgen testosterone to dihydrotestosterone at the level of the skin in people suffering from acne. It is further hypothesized that receptors on the sebaceous gland for the modified androgen dihydrotestosterone can exhibit various degrees of sensitivity, and that an elevated sensitivity reaction may be partially or completely genetically inherited.

The first lesion in acne is the comedone

The basic manifestation in acne is the comedo. On the exposure to oxygen the comedone becomes dark and forms what you know as a blackhead. The comedo is made by retention of layers of dead skin known as keratin in the wall of the follicles. In addition to hyperkeratosis (which is thickening or retained layers of keratin), there is an aggregation of sebum. The mixture of the keratin and the sebum produces a blocking of the opening of the follicular duct, and papules are created by inflammation around the comedones. Depending upon the degree of inflammation, granulomatous reactions, pustules, cysts, scars, nodules, and keloids may develop.

Inflammatory Response

Airborne contamination and other toxic materials further aggravate the inflammatory response. As bacteria start to proliferate within the blocked pore your immune system reacts by releasing granulocytes and macrophages, which are groups of white blood cells that destroy the bacteria. The inflammation process is needed to repair the continuing effects of excess bacteria and signal the body to repair the damage to tissues. Often times the immune response system can't stop the proliferation of acne bacteria due to lack of white blood cells or an impaired system.

Activity of the Sebaceous Gland

When a comedone is clogging the outlet of the sebum ducts, the sebaceous glands continue to form sebum, which gathers in the sebum duct increasing the comedone in size. The expansion in size results in pressure and leads to a further strong inflammation reaction in the nearby skin and creates swelling, redness, unpleasantness, and a mass (pimple, redhead, acne papule). Usually your immune reaction system cannot influence on the acne papule thus furthering the stage of growth and infection.

Growth of Acne Bacteria

The above conditions encourage the growth of bacteria and result in infection within the duct, the sebaceous gland, and nearby tissue. The commencement of the infection produces further inflammatory changes, therefore starting a cycle of accentuated obstruction of the outflow of sebum which produces even more pressure, inflammation, and progressing infection causing cysts and pustules to appear. The effect on skin tissues caused by these infections is highly damaging and the healing process commonly results in a scar.
About the Author/Author Bio

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Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/Sebaceous-Glands-and-Acne/150460

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Acne sufferers really want only one thing - clear beautiful skin. They'll try all kinds of products - from lotions, washes, preparations and ointments to pills, supplements and alternative therapies, in the hunt for acne-free skin. But the key to obtaining that perfect skin starts out with a solid understanding of the causes of acne. Eradicate the causes of your acne and you can say goodbye to pimple woes and hello to beautiful, clear and glowing skin.
Acne Vulgaris (also known as acne) is a most common skin problem during “adolescence”. Adolescence is actually a transitional phase between childhood and adulthood and in this transition phase, a lots of physical and mental changes take place in a human body. More than 80 per cent of teenagers along with many adults are suffering from acne.
Acne commonly erupts in areas of maximal sebaceous gland activity: the face, neck, chest, shoulders, back, and upper arms. Acne is rarely misdiagnosed. It is easily recognizable by both the patient and the practitioner. The management of acne, however, is frequently complex.
Acne usually starts in adolescence because of hormonal changes that happen as youth mature. The body begins to produce hormones called androgens, which are male hormones, but are found in both men and women. These hormones cause excess oil build up in the pores. When the oil clogs the pores, it leads to whiteheads or blackheads.
Serious acne breakouts can produce heavy skin damage, resulting in unsightly scars. This situation can be greatly worsened if the sufferer has the bad habit of pinching, picking, squeezing, or scratching at acne breakouts; the final results are usually unsightly scars. If this situation affects you, you must know that you do have numerous alternatives from both medical and natural sources that can be of great help.
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People affected by acne tend to follow some rules to keep acne blemishes under control. Some advices are to expose yourself to the sun, squeezing pimples and to stay away from some foods. These are just myths about breakouts that can actually harm your skin, provoking more breakouts that can eventually cause scarring.
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