What Is Acne? - Frequently Asked Questions About Acne Vulgaris

Acne or "Acne Vulgaris" is one of the most common skin disorders found in the United States.

Most 'tweens, teenagers, and young adults will experience problems with acne in some form or another.

About 1 in 5 people who suffer from acne will require treatment by a skin care professional such as a dermatologist who can prescribe a regiment of oral and topical prescription drugs.

Acne occurs when the skin pores on the face, chest and back don't properly secrete perspiration.

This is thought to be caused by the increase in masculine "androgen" hormones that correlate with puberty.

Once the pores become clogged due to the increase in the production of a pus called "sebum", they can become infected with the Propionibacterium acnes bacteria (a.k.a. P. Acnes).

To put it simply, acne is when puberty causes crazy things to happen with the skin on your face, back and chest. All the new hormones racing around the body force your skin to make too much greasy oil and pus which causes them to get clogged. Then the clogged pores form whiteheads, blackheads, and large painful red pimples called "cystic acne" which can lead to scarring if not treated by a doctor.

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