What is Acne?

Acne is a combination of dirt, oil and debris that forms then gets clogged in your pores. Debris comes from dead skin cells that have not been exfoliated, or even left over makeup on your skin.

When these items mix together, they can become infected, and bacteria can form. Once the bacteria forms, this can put pressure on the wall of a hair follicle. As new skin cells are replicating themselves, if they aren’t being cleaned away with exfoliation, they cause a new layer over the pores, causing the debris and oil (sebum) to become trapped. Now that it is trapped under the skin, it has started to form into the beginning of a pimple. There’s a big fancy name for acne bacteria, but most people just call it “P. acne bacteria”. The long name is Propionibacterium acne.

When a blemish is under the skin, with no opening- it is called a whitehead and is considered closed. If there is an opening to the surface, and air can get it, the oxygen oxidizes the oil mixture, and causes the once white pus to turn black. The black color is due to the oxidation process. This is called a blackhead, or a comedone.

One of the most important things to remember with acne is that prevention is the most important step in having clear skin. When we are younger, our skin cells replicate rather quickly. This combined with sometimes a lack of a proper skin care regiment is often the perfect breeding ground for new acne to form. As these new skin cells are quickly regenerating, if they aren’t scrubbed away, they start to clog your pores. The combination of your sebum and your skin cells makes for a sticky combination. The sebum and cells combine almost like a paste, and before you know it, you have more pimples.

The two things you absolutely must work into your skin care regime is to cleanse your skin 2x a day, and exfoliate (gently scrub) your skin twice a week. These two simple steps can not only help you clear your skin, but they can also help future breakouts