Acne refers to blackheads and whiteheads, pimples and even lumps that occur on the face, neck, chest, back, shoulders and the upper arms.
The disease affects people of all ages but mostly the most affected people are teenagers.
Although this condition is not life threatening, it can easily lead to serious and even sometimes permanent scarring.
Lesions of this disease can be classified into comedones, papule, pustule, nodule and cyst.
Comedones refer to blackheads and whiteheads, they are sebaceous follicles plugged with sebum, An open comedo is referred to as a blackhead because of the blackish appearance while a closed comedo is referred to as a whitehead.
You are not supposed to squeeze or prick open a blackhead or a whitehead.
You are instead advised to see a dermatologist so that he or she can extract them under sterile conditions.
A papule is another form of acne.
It is a small, solid lesion that is elevated slightly above the surface of the skin.
A pustule on the other hand is a lesion that contains pus.
The pus in this case is usually a mixture of white blood cells, dead skin cells and bacteria.
Pustules that heal without developing into the cystic form don't usually leave scars.
A macule refers to a temporary red spot left by a healed lesion.
It could take days or even weeks before it disappears.
A nodule refers to a solid dome shaped lesion that is characterized by inflammation.
The inflammation can extend into the deeper layers of your skin causing tissue damage, this may lead to scarring.
A cyst is another form of acne.
It refers to a sac-like lesion that contains a liquid consisting of white blood cells, dead cells as well as bacteria.