Acne is a skin condition that often mostly affects teenagers and younger adults, in which follicles become clogged with oil, dust, debris, and dead skin cells. It is necessary to seek expert advice when you have acne, as they later cause damage to the skin and form dark acne scars. Acne mostly affects individuals between 14 to 30 years of age, and the most common cause is hormonal imbalance, genetics, pollution, stress, and poor lifestyle. Acne has a great impact on one's public life, and as this condition affects the appearance, it also lowers self-confidence.

The condition of acne is also seen according to age, some of which are as follows:

• Hormonal acne
• Adult acne
• Acne resistant or tainted cases

Causes of acne

There can be many reasons for causing acne, which includes:

Types of acne

Blackheads and whiteheads (open and closed comedones)

Blackheads are also called open comedones, which look like black dots on the skin. The bumps that appear on the skin due to the rash are called comedones. Besides, whiteheads are called closed comedones. The follicles at the bottom of the skin are filled with bacteria, which causes the skin pores to open very rarely at the top.

Papule (comedones, small pimples and pustules)

A small raised spot visible on the skin is called a papule. It combines with a group of small other papules to form a rash (dermatitis, allergies). In the context of acne, it is a red-colored spot and swollen with inflammation.

Pustule (comedones, inflamed pimples and pustules)

Pustules are the kinds of pimples that are inflamed and full of pus. It forms scarring very easily.

Nodule (comedones, large inflamed pimples, pustules, and cysts)

Cysts are present deep within the skin and much worse than regular pimples. Cyst formation takes place when the pores become blocked or infected or due to hormonal imbalance. Nodular pimples are also the most severe form of acne-like cysts. They are not filled with pus, and they form a hard bump deep within the skin, which feels painful at the surface.

Acne treatment

• Use of laser and light therapy: After laser treatment, the sebaceous glands are able to produce less oil as this treatment causes shrinking of the opening of the gland. The bacteria that cause acne inflammation are neutralized by light therapy.
• Use of lotions made of benzoyl peroxide, sulfur, resorcinol, salicylic acid, or lactic acid.
• Reduction in oil production capacity
• Increasing the expansion of cells from the skin
• Oral antibiotics
• Hormone treatment
• Chemical peels
• Carbon peel

Acne prevention

• Avoid touching the face repeatedly with dirty hands
• Use oil-free makeup that does not close the pores of the skin
• Keep cleansing on the face and wash it with mild soap at least twice a day
• Use water-based gels and sprays on the hair. Also, keep the hair mostly closed so that the products do not close your pores.