Add another tool to your arsenal against acne
Acne is a disease that affects the skin’s oil glands. The small holes in your skin (pores) connect to oil glands under the skin. These glands make an oily substance called sebum. The pores connect to the glands by a canal called a follicle. Inside the follicles, oil carries dead skin cells to the surface of the skin. A thin hair also grows through the follicle and out to the skin. When the follicle of a skin gland clogs up, a pimple grows. Most pimples are found on the face, neck, back, chest, and shoulders. Acne is not a serious health threat, but it can cause scars.
How Does Acne Develop?
Sometimes, the hair, sebum, and skin cells clump together into a plug. The bacteria in the plug cause swelling. Then when the plug starts to break down, a pimple grows. There are many types of pimples. The most common types are:
- Whiteheads. These are pimples that stay under the surface of the skin.
- Blackheads. These pimples rise to the skin’s surface and look black.The black color is not from dirt.
- Papules. These are small pink bumps that can be tender.
- Pustules. These pimples are red at the bottom and have pus on top.
- Nodules. These are large, painful, solid pimples that are deep in the skin.
- Cysts. These deep, painful, pus-filled pimples can cause scars.
What Causes Acne – Myths vs Facts
There are many myths about who gets acne and what causes it. Watch our ACNE ACADEMY series so you can learn about myths vs facts and how to manage your acne condition naturally and completely, so it doesn’t reoccur.
Emerging research has shown that variations in skin health are a result of internal processes malfunctioning. There are many underlying system’s that have been implicated including intestinal, liver, insulin, hormones and lymphatics to name a few. The science and art of medicine is to determine which imbalances are occurring in which individual. The functional medicine assessment utilizes a comprehensive process of investigation to determine the core problem including a detailed consultation, medical history, dietary habits, standard and innovative laboratory assessments and various types of health questionnaires to more thoroughly evaluate the health of your skin and find your underlying cause(s).
