【Thickened stratum corneum, excessive sebum secretion, and comedones are all causes of acne】
Acne is not exclusive to young people with high sebum secretion; in fact, it can also appear in elderly individuals.
How are pimples formed?
❶ Pores are blocked by keratin.
❷ Sebum, which should have been secreted, gets trapped inside the pore.
❸ This leads to the overgrowth of acne-causing bacteria (a common type of bacteria that almost everyone has).
This is the complete "golden triangle," the perfect structure for acne formation.
However, there are many types of acne, and the treatment methods and products used for each are different.
They can be simply categorized into four types:
❶ Whiteheads - When pores are blocked and some sebum remains trapped inside, whiteheads gradually form. Whiteheads do not involve inflammation inside the pore, so they are not painful.
❷ Closed Comedones - Caused by an overly thick stratum corneum, where excess oil under the hair follicle is trapped beneath the skin layer.
❸ Blackheads - If dirt gets mixed into a Whitehead, it causes the sebum to oxidize, forming a blackhead. Like whiteheads, blackheads do not involve inflammation inside the pore, so they are not painful.
❹ Red Acne (Papules) - If the skin becomes inflamed, the area around the pore becomes red and swollen, forming a pimple. White blood cells gather in and around the inflamed pore to fight the inflammation as part of the body's immune response. If you pop the pimple at this stage, the inflamed area will expand, causing deeper marks and making it very easy to leave scars. The most important thing with red acne is: do not touch it, and do not squeeze it.
❺ Yellow Acne - Pustular acne. Common "stone pimples" (nodulocystic acne) are a type of pustular acne caused by severe inflammation of the sebaceous glands deep in the skin, combined with blocked pore exits, which creates lumps. Pustular acne causes swelling and pain at the site and appears as a deep, severe dark red or blood-red color; even from a distance, you can see the red, swollen acne spots on the face.
