Whiteheads, Blackheads, Zits, Pimples: A summary of Acne

Tons of individuals struggle every day at home with their acne and everything that they do to try to get rid of it end in failure. In order to remedy our problems with acne, it is probably best to understand why acne forms in the first place. Although the direct cause of acne is unclear, most medical professionals tend to agree that there is not one specific factor, but rather a handful of causes. To intuitively understand how it affects the human body may lead to finding a remedy.
Our skin is the organ that covers the exterior of our bodies and throughout our skin are pores and hair follicles. Sometimes, sebum and dead skin cells will clog our pores. If you are wondering what sebum is, it can be defined as the oil that our body secretes. As pores are being blocked, germs begin to grow and the result is acne.
Let us first consider acne that is not inflamed. Non-inflamed acne includes both whiteheads and blackheads. Whiteheads ("closed-comedo") occur when sebum, dead skin cells, and bacteria block the pore underneath the skin. Blackheads ("open-comedo") on the other hand, occur when sebum, dead skin cells, and bacteria block the pore and are exposed to air. As a reaction of having an opening, the contents oxidize and are a dark black/brown color.
Next there is acne that is inflamed. Inflammation will result in acne that is red and puffy. In the case where there is a rupture in the wall where the sebum, dead skin cells, and bacteria gather, white blood cells instantly rush to the site and as a result, the pore is inflamed. We can designate this as a papule.
When the white blood cells that rushed to the site make their way to the surface of skin, a pustule is formed. Perhaps the most common, this can be identified as a large white pimple.
When the entire follicle breaks, the result can be a nodule, which is a very large inflamed swell in the skin.
The highest severity of acne is a cyst, which will occur when there is a thorough inflammatory reaction. The result being very large swells filled with pus, which can be absolutely distressing and leave scarring.
So as you can see, the human body is very complex and so there are a variety of cases of acne and each cases demands different types of remedies so it is important to distinguish one from another.

Tim Whalen is an expert in the healthcare field, specifically regarding acne. He has posted on blogs such as Acne Home Remedy.