What causes acne? Acne vulgaris, the medical term for common acne; is the most common skin disease. It is so common that nearly eighty-five percent of the population will develop some form of acne at some time between the ages of twelve and twenty-five years. Although there are several theories about what causes acne, medical doctors generally agree that acne is a by-product of hormonal changes in the body. At puberty (that period of life when a child develops secondary sex characteristics), increased levels of androgens (normally referred to as the male hormone) cause the sebaceous glands to produce to much sebum. The sebaceous glands lie just beneath the skin’s surface. They produce an oily substance called sebum, the skin’s natural moisturizer. These glands and the hair follicles (the tube like structures from which hair develops) within which they are found are called sebaceous follicles. These follicles open into the skin through pores. When excess sebum combines with dead sticky skin cells a hard plug, or comedo is formed. If comedones are open to the surface, they are called blackheads. Comedones that are closed at the surface are called white heads. Plugged follicles can rupture internally, resulting in a discharge of their contents into the surrounding tissues. A comedo is the mildest type of acne. Moderate and severe inflammatory types of acne are the result of plugged follicles being invaded by the bacteria that normally lives on the skin. The role of the bacteria is unclear. Bacteria may act by causing chemical reactions in the sebaceous fluid, leading to the release of very irritating compounds called fatty acids. These in turn cause inflammation that increases susceptibility to infection. A pimple forms when the damaged follicle weakens and bursts open, releasing a substance (sebum, bacteria, and skin) into the surrounding tissues. Pimples that are near the skin’s surface and are inflamed are called papules. When pimples are deeper they are called pustules. This process begins an inflammatory response that sets the stage for the development of acne. Specialists are unable to detect the exact cause of acne, but there are many risk factors that have been identified with the contribution of developing acne. Diet does not cause acne, but certain foods can cause flare-ups. However, eliminating certain foods, particularly chocolates and fats, appear to improve some cases of acne. Teenagers are more likely to develop acne, due to hormonal changes they experience. Boys tend to develop more severe acne than girls, as well as more often.
To begin we will look at the integumentary system and its entire multitude of functions. The main components of the integumentary system are the skin, hair, nails, glands and nerves. For the purpose of this paper we will focus mainly on the levels of the skin and their functions. While the integumentary
Arch Dermatol. 2007;143(1):124–125. Puchenkova, S. G. (1996). "
My struggle with acne scars started when I was 14. When my acne started to clear up I began to see multiple small depressions on my face, specifically on my cheeks. I did my research and found out that
As the process of menarche that transitions a child into a young woman begins and their bodies become more visible and exposed, so do the problems of becoming a young adult. Having perfect clear skin wasn’t always an epidemic for young adolescents. The desire to be beautiful was not always a priority and of the many body projects talked about by Brumberg, skin care was really the first to be supported by middle class parents. Having clear skin was of great social and cultural trend of the time. During this era when blemishes indicated to society that acne was a sign of poverty and uncleanliness, as well as displayed signs of promiscuous sexual behavior mothers did everything in their power to make sure that their youths received the proper face
Hair is considered one of the components of the integumentary system, along with the skin, nails, glands and nerves. Mammalian hair has many functions including protection from environmental factors and the ability to disperse sweat gland products such as pheromones. Almost every part of the human body is covered by hair except for the palms, hands and bottoms of the feet. On average, every person has about five million hairs; each of these hairs is born from a follicle or tiny tube-like structure that grows into the dermis layer of the skin. Oftentimes this follicle even reaches the subcutaneous layer, which is made of fat and connective tissue. (UXL Complete Health Research, 2001)
He or she may go over that tough area of acne scarring twice while exfoliating the more delicate areas of your face only once.
Eczema is most common in children rather than adults, but it all comes from different factors, genetics being one of them. Women who have kids at an older age will have children who are more at risk of having eczema rather than the child of someone who is younger. They could have an abnormal function in their immune system causing them to have a higher chance in
There are 5 main types of psoriasis and they are: plaque, guttate, inverse, pustular, and erythrodermic. The type of psoriasis is diagnosed based on the appearance and can be confirmed with either skin biopsy or the patient’s medical history. Skin biopsy involves the removal of the patient’s skin sample to be analyzed under a microscope and base on the appearance to determine the type of skin disease the patient has. Psoriasis tends to occur within families that have it. Plaque psoriasis or psoriasis vulgaris is the most common type of psoriasis and is responsible for 80% of all patients with psoriasis. Young and middle aged adults are most affected by this type of psoriasis. People with plaque psoriasis experience raised red scaly lesions on their body that tend to itch and crack to bleed. These patches are generally known to appear on the knees, elbows, scalp, and the back but they may appear anywhere on the skin. Around 10 to 20 percent of patients with plaque psoriasis will develop psoriatic arthritis in their life time. Guttate psoriasis usually target people younger than 30 years...
Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that affects 125 million people world wide according to the World Psoriasis Day consortium. The origin of psoriasis is unknown, but many doctors and researches believe that genetics, along with environmental factors, trigger a hyperactive reaction of the immune system that leads to the relatively harmless, yet uncomfortable skin disease. The response of the immune system induces skin cells to multiply and mature rapidly, causing the skin cells to accumulate on top of each other and as a result, the skin becomes red, scaly, itchy, and forms thick patches on the skin. Despite that this disease is the most frequent auto-immune disease in the world, there is no cure for it. Not only is there no cure for psoriasis, but this disease can lead to other problems depending on the severeness of the disorder for example: psoriatic arthritis. However, this chronic disease has several treatment options that if used correctly and in a timely manner, will reduce and lessen the symptoms.( Although there is no cure for psoriasis, understanding how it begins, recognizing the symptoms, and learning about treatment options can enhance the quality of life for a person diagnosed with psoriasis.)
The inflammatory response is a nonspecific response to cellular injury and bacterial invasion. Inflammation is the primary defense in early gingivitis. Biofilm can initiate an inflammatory response if it is left undisturbed for as little as seventy two hours. Redness and swelling are two of the cardinal signs of inflammation and can be observed clinically in gingivitis. Histamine is released by mast cells and responsible for the redness and swelling of tissues. Histamine causes both an increase in vascularity and permeability of blood vessels at the site of injury. Swelling may occur in response to the accumulation of fluid at a specific site. The inflammatory response includes cellular components of the immune system polymorphonuclear leukocytes and macrophages. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes are crucial to the cellular immune response. Polyporphonuclear leukocytes are the first cells that arrive at an inflammatory site. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes arrive at the site via chemotaxis, and begin to phagocytize bacteria. As the disease continues and the inflammatory reaction is not strong enough to subside the bacterial infection the immune response is further
Birth control pills as well cause acne to increase or decrease because every woman’s body is different and birth control acts in different ways. The pills acts on women in different ways because due to acne the pill my help you with your problem and for others it might worsen there acne. Acne due to birth control when you get off the pill it might go back how your body acted on acne before because the getting off the pill most likely would not make you break out afterwards. Probably after three months most acne problems might come back after a while you are off the pill.
The skin is the largest organ in the body, so it isn’t surprising that skin cancer is the most common of all cancers. Melanoma is the least common form of skin cancer, affecting 4% of all cases but causing 79% of skin cancer deaths. The average age of people diagnosed with Melanoma is between 45 and 55, although 25% of cases occur in people under 40. About 10% of all people with melanoma have a family history of melanoma. You are at increased risk of developing melanoma if there is a family history of melanoma in one or more of your first-degree relatives like a parent, child, brother or sister.
The symptoms of psoriasis differ from type to type, although inflamed, scaly lesions are present in all five types. The most common form of the disease, plaque psoriasis, is identified by small bumps that begin to grow and become scaly. These lesions flake easily, but removing these patches can cause the tender skin below to bleed. In the Guttate type, small, individual, red drops form. This type does not have as much scaling as plaque psoriasis. The drops usually clear up on their own, but may also reappear as a different form of psoriasis, usually plaque. Inverse psoriasis usually occurs in places where the skin folds, such as the genitals, breasts, armpits or the backs of knees. This type will appear red, yet it will be smooth and dry. Also, no scaling will occur. Pustular psoriasis is a type that's significantly more rare. It is also more painful. In this type, blisters filled with non-infectious pus appear within a few hours and then dry up and peel within another two days. Severe medical risks exist for those who have this particular form of psoriasis, due to its side effects; exhaustion, anemia, weight loss, fever, chills, rapid pulse rate, severe itching and muscle weakness. Even less common than pustular psoriasis is erythrodermic psoriasis. This type is...
Many young adults do not take good care of their skin. As a result, the skin is likely to age prematurely. In most