When Acne Strikes
The Cause
It is more common among teenagers than among any other age group, although acne, an infection of the sebaceous glands, can occur at any time in life. It shows up as blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, and pustules that occur on the face and neck, back and chest, almost always when levels of testosterone and progesterone—two hormones necessary for growth—are high. Testosterone, known as the male hormone (although women have it in small quantities too), spurs the sebaceous glands to increase their production of sebum. When too much sebum is produced, a keratinous plug can fill the duct, which then becomes infected while the skin around it becomes inflamed. If the problem is severe enough—and luckily most people never get to this stage—the walls of the infected ducts even disintegrate, and cystic lesions may develop in the skin which leave permanent scars after the infection itself has healed. (more…)
