Acne Insights

People get acne for many reasons, but a few things that can trigger it are changes in your hormones and even genes—no kidding, you can inherit a tendency to get acne.

Acne starts when glands in your skin produce more oil than they should. Sometimes dead skin cells mix with all that extra oil and plug your pores resulting in a “pimple” or “zit.”

Common words used to describe acne:

• Whitehead

  A visible white bump caused when oil and skin cells get trapped under the surface of the skin

• Blackhead

  A dark bump on your skin’s surface caused when oil and skin cells are exposed to the air

• Papule

  A small pink or red bump on the skin that may be painful to the touch

• Pustule

  A red, pus-filled bump on the skin consisting of a mixture of white blood cells, dead skin cells, and bacteria

There are a lot of myths about acne. For instance, a lot of people think that acne is caused by poor hygiene or eating fried foods—it isn’t.

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Learn more about acne on AcneNet.