Everything You Need To Know About Pimple

Whether it’s the first day of school, a big interview, or your wedding day - pimples find a way of cropping up at the most inconvenient times. why do they occur and how do we get rid of them?

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Why do they occur and how do we get rid of them?

The term “pore”, is just another way of saying “hair follicle”, and your body is covered in them. Within the follicle is a gland that produces an oily substance called sebum, which empties onto the skin to keep your hair and body moisturized. 

But if the hair follicle becomes clogged with dead skin cells and oils, a blockage is created. Sebum continues to be produced but it is trapped within the follicle making it become enlarged. And this is where bacteria come into play, feeding on the dead skin and sebum which can, unfortunately, lead to infection. 

Your immune system responds by sending blood to the area, giving the appearance of redness and inflammation, and white blood cells come to the site too, to clear up the infection. When the white blood cells die, they, combined with the dead skin and sebum, create the pus-filled pimple. 

If the blockage occurs under the skin it creates a white bump known as a “whitehead” and if the blockage is above the skin and black discoloration occurs it’s known as a “blackhead”. 

This is a result of melanin in the dead skin cells reacting with oxygen creating a black color - it’s not dirt. 

We get the most pimples when we are teens due to the increased amount of androgen hormones like testosterone in our bodies at the onset of puberty. 

Testosterone sends the production of sebum into overdrive, increasing the incidence of blockages. But zits can occur at any time - often brought on by stressful events. 

Cortisol, the stress hormone, increases the amount of inflammation in your body and can also suppress your immune system, meaning your body can’t fight the bacteria that is causing the acne. 

How do we fight the war on pimples? 

For normal breakouts, cleaning your face to remove excess oil which prevents pore blockage, and occasionally exfoliating to remove dead skin will help, although acne often cannot be solved this way. And it’s important to remember that cleanliness and diet do not play a major role in acne, but rather your genetics and hormones. 

Many drugs exist like benzoyl peroxide which kills specific acne-causing bacteria, salicylic acid which helps to remove dead skin blockages, retinoids which reduce sebum production, and a variety of others; though some drugs can have severe side effects. 

In women, some success has been seen with oral contraceptives, which decrease the ovary's production of androgen hormones, and ultimately decrease sebum. Of course, consulting with a doctor over which regimen is best suited to you is always best. 

But new therapies and cures may be on the horizon with the help of science! By studying individuals who do not get acne, scientists noticed something: the bacteria that typically causes acne still exists on their skin, but it’s a different strain. 

It turns out that this same bacteria with slightly different genes cause healthier skin. Knowing this, future therapies may include a deeper look at the bacterial level, and whether or not altering your skin microbiota could cure pimples.

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