Types Of Pimples

Remember the time when you had to go on a date on a Saturday and Friday night a zit appeared on your face. OMG was the only expression you came out with, isn’t it? Yes those horrible times were so frustrating. Hundreds of remedies, creams and diet control plans were employed but nothing seemed to do the trick. Later, you just gave up and decided that let time do its healing. Zits, pimples or blotches whatever you call these menacing skin problems, they hurt you like hell and that too when you wish to avoid them the most. Before you proceed further, it is important to understand that pimples are just a broad term used for pointing out the different types of skin lesions all caused by acne. Acne appears when sebum or oil, which is naturally produced in the skin and released through pores, is not released, but blocked due to any reason. This sebum then accumulates inside the pores and causes the bacteria to breed forming the bumps which appear on skin. Acne is mostly the result of unhealthy eating habits or dirt accumulation on skin. However, other factors such as heredity, sexual hormone growth in teenage, hormonal imbalances, cosmetics, allergies and even stress can lead to acne. Out here we have described different types of acne based lesions and their causes. Browse through and find out who is your villain.

 

Commonly considered to be a different type of skin condition all together, blackheads are actually a form of acne itself. These are called open comedos and are formed when the pores are only partially closed, due to the excess sebum produced by the oil gland. The dead skin cells around the pore become "sticky" and partially block the pore, restricting the flow of oil onto the skin surface, but not completing blocking it. Dark color of a blackhead results due to dried sebum and melanin in hair follicle ducts. Blackheads are less menacing, but take longer time to disappear.

 

Also known as closed comedos, these occur when a pore is completely closed and sebum doesn’t get released at all, causing the bacteria to breed in the trapped oil. This results in the appearance of white lesions on the skin’s surface. The bacteria ‘Propionibacterium acnes’, which is normally present on the skin, converts the sebum into a free fatty acid, which causes irritation and swelling.

 

These are tiny red lesions that appear on the skin surface. These lesions contain no pus or whitehead. Papules are mainly caused due to a high break in the follicle wall, which allows the cellular debris and bacteria to spill into the dermis. This break generally occurs when a pore becomes inflamed with debris and oil or is squeezed or otherwise irritated. If not taken well care of, a papule might lead to the formation of a pustule. Squeezing a papule is likely to leave a permanent scar on your face.

 

These are the most common variety of pimples that you are always warned not to touch or pop. They appear as red inflammations with yellow or white centers. They are actually the inflamed versions of whiteheads and range from small to fairly large size. On several occasions, a brownish comedonal core can be seen as a cap on the head of the pus. It is advisable not to squeeze or burst the pustules as they might leave scars.

 

One of the severe forms of acne vulgaris, nodules are large, hard bumps under the skin's surface. These are trapped oils with absolutely no way of escaping. Unlike papules that appear on the surface of the skin, nodules occur deep within the dermis. They can be quite painful, and can sometimes last for months. Nodules generally occur when the follicle wall ruptures deep within the dermis, causing the contaminated debris from the follicle to pour into the dermis, thereby infecting adjoining follicles.

 

Cysts are more severe form of nodules, filled with pus, having a diameter of 5mm or more. They can be extremely painful and hurting. Much like nodules, cysts too start off as a deep break in the follicle wall. A membrane emerges in the region of the infection in the dermis. When the cyst appears on the surface of the skin, it damages the healthy skin tissues, thereby destroying the follicles. Squeezing of the cysts is a strict no-no.

 

Lot different from the above types, this is type of skin infection mostly affects adults over 30 years of age. It is a chronic situation which worsens with time. Acne rosacea involves inflammation of skin and appearance of reddishness which is sustained. It can worsen if not treated in time. Often associated with bumps and skin blemishes, the redness caused is not just a skin condition and can even lead to great emotional and mental distress.