The Thing I Fear Most

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Acne??? *

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Yep. Acne is a type of skin condition that causes whiteheads, blackheads and inflamed red growth (papules, pustules and cysts) which are commonly known as pimple or “zit”. It is a visible condition that can lead to formation of scar on skin and one may suffer from emotional distress because of acne.

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Who Gets Acne??? *

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Acne affects people between the ages of 12 and 35 year old. Teenagers are most likely to develop acne due to the hormonal changes in their puberty period. Of course, adult (in men and women) may get acne too!

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Causes of acne??? *

There are four main courses

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1. Bacterial colonization
2. Inflammation of that affected area.
3. Excessive sebum production
4. Thickening of skin that block the pores

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Our Skin layers
Source: National Institute of Health

Overactive sebaceous glands in the skin will lead to excessive secretion of sebum (oil). Too much of sebum production, the ducts become blocked and lead to the formation of skin blemishes or comedones. When dead skin and additional of oil get stuck in the opening of hair follicles, with the overgrowth of Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), the comedones will become inflamed and lead to formation of acne.

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Types of acne*

Acne is categorized into mild, moderate and severe condition.

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Source: National Institute of Health

In mild and moderate acne, what we can see are the whiteheads. These are the trapped sebum and bacteria stay below the skin surface. They show up as tiny white spot or hidden unnoticeable under the naked eye.

Blackheads occurs when the trapped sebum and bacterial partially open to the surface and turn black (the oil/sebum has oxidised and changed its colour)

Other conditions which we can see are Papules (inflamed, red, tender bumps with no head); Pustules (inflamed and appear as red circle with white or yellow pus). In severe types of acne, there might be nodular formation or Nodules (acne spots that appear to be larger and painful) and Cysts (deep, painful, large pus-filled lesion, with severe inflammatory reaction that can cause scarring).

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So, now you know what acne is and how it happens?! Next up, it will be the ugly truth about my skin.

Oh, by the way, I am currently participating in the Lead the Way Blogger Challenge. Do log on to Papulex Facebook page for more information and remember to vote for me too!

*Source: www.acne.org & National Institute of Health & Papulex

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