Acne

Acne occurs when dead skin cells, sebum and bacteria clog your pores. In the U.S., about 45 million people have acne. You can get acne at any age; 85 percent with the condition are between the ages of 15 and 24. Acne also tends to be more common and severe in males than females.

Here's how pimples generally develop:

• Your skin has millions of tiny hair follicles (also called pores), which are tiny holes in your skin.
• These pores are attached to oil glands under your skin, which make sebum - an oily, somewhat sticky substance that helps bring dead skin cells to the surface.
• Sometimes, these tiny hairs, sebum and dead skin cells clump together, forming a plug.
• The plug prevents the sebum from reaching the skin surface, causing further build-up of sebum.
• Sebum and dead skin cells create the perfect mix for a certain bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes) to grow.
• In response, your body's natural defenses send bacteria-fighting white blood cells to try to destroy the bacteria; this produces redness, swelling, heat and/or pain.
• Now, once the wall of the plugged follicle breaks down, the sebum, dead skin cells and bacteria spill into the nearby skin.
• And that's what leads to acne lesions.

by http://www.healthatoz.com