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What is Acne?
If you have stumbled upon this site, then you probably have a good idea of what acne is. I won't go into too much detail, but basically, acne is formed when a pore in your skin becomes blocked with dead skin cells or oil, creating a nice little home for p.acnes (the acne bacteria). Unfortunately, acne comes in many forms and pops up unannounced, usually at the most inconvenient times, such as on picture day or the night before a big date.
I know there are more technical terms for the types of acne (defined here at Daniel Kern's acne.org site) but I tend to think of acne in these four categories:
1) Clogged pores - These are tiny, skin colored bumps that make your skin texture look rough. Sometimes you only notice clogged pores when light hits you at a bad angle or when you feel little bumps while washing your face.
2) Blackheads - These are most commonly found on the nose and in the T-zone (which is the forehead, nose, and chin area). Just like the name, blackheads look like tiny black dots on your skin.
3) Whiteheads - I hate whiteheads. Seriously, these suck. Whiteheads are the kinds of pimples that most people refer to when they say they have a pimple or zit. Whiteheads first start out as a small red bump and usually come to a head in 3-4 days. There are non-inflamed types of whiteheads that do not feel sore to the touch and clear rather quickly on their own. However, unfortunately, most of my whiteheads are the nasty pus-filled ones!
4) Cysts - Alas, the dreaded cyst! These monstrosities are those ginormous, sore, tumor-wanna-be pimples that everyone hates. They're not only big, they also hurt! You will know when you have one of these puppies because they are just absolutely horrid. One thing’s for sure, never, ever attempt to pop a cyst!
Okay, so now that you have been introduced (or re-introduced) to acne, please understand that acne is NOT YOUR FAULT. You don't get acne because you're dirty or because you don't wash your face enough. In fact, almost everyone I know who has dealt with acne, knows more about skin and how to take care of it than their clearer-skin counterparts!
The fact is anyone can get acne. Teenagers, young adults, people in their fifties...you name it! Acne is so difficult to treat because it's just really hard to figure out the exact cause of the acne lesions for each individual person. To treat acne, you also have to be very patient and go through a long trial-and-error experiment until you find what works for you. So, not only do you have no idea why you keep getting pimples, you also don't know what product will actually work on your skin until you try everything out for yourself. It really sucks.
However, just because acne is difficult to treat doesn't make it impossible to treat. Read up on as much information you can about the subject. Figure out a good skincare routine for yourself, learn how to choose products wisely, and be aware of all treatment options. Consulting this chart and acne face map will also give you an idea of possible acne culprits and aggravators.
It is a lot of hard work, but I believe that hard work always pays off!
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