Definition

It starts at the age of around 12: the skin becomes greasy and develops comedones, annoying smaller and larger spots and papules. This is called acne. It is one of the most frequent skin conditions in the world. It affects a very large number of adolescents, and adults can get it as well.

Acne is a disease of the sebaceous glands and appears especially on the regions of the body where the most sebaceous glands are located: in the face, on the upper part of the body and on the upper arms.

Acne can occur more or less severely and tends to occur in episodes. Sometimes it is just a bit annoying, but for every third or fourth adolescent it is quite severe, being clearly visible and often leaving scars. Acne starts with the beginning of puberty, i. e. at the age of about 10 to 12, and usually disappears around the age of 18 to 20. Sometimes the acne persists into adulthood or doesn’t occur before that age (e. g. chloracne, acne inversa).

Girls often get spots a bit earlier than boys, as puberty mostly starts earlier in girls than in boys, while boys often develop a more lasting and severe forms of acne. 

Acne types
The word acne summarizes a number of skin conditions that may help to distinguish the different forms of acne: comedones (whiteheads and blackheads), spots (papules, pustules) and sometimes also nodules and cysts located deeper in the skin. More about the acne types:  

1. Acne comedonica
		Whiteheads and blackheads (comedones) appear. The blackheads do not consist of dirt, but it is sebum (oil) that has been colored darkly by the melanine pigments (this is the dark dye produced within the skin). You can imagine comedones like the cork of a bottle: the horny substance blocks the exit of the sebaceous gland.
2. Inflammatory acne
		The blocked exit and the irritation of skin and gland lead to an infection of the sebaceous gland – a spot or papule develops. The infection makes the spots become red and swollen.
3. Nodulous acne
		The infection spreads to the surrounding tissues and leaves scars after healing. Nodules and cysts occur.

Acne can really work on one’s nerves, but there are a lot of things you can do to improve your condition and to reduce the duration of your acne. In this way it makes sense to find out what exactly causes acne and what you can do against it.