acne, any inflammatory disease of the seba. ceous, or oil, glands of the skin. There are some 50 different types of acne, each type being referred to as acne, modified by an additional word that is usually descriptive of either the cause, the characteristic lesions, or the age group or body area specifically involved. In common usage, the term acne is frequently used alone to designate acne vulgal-is, or common acne, probably the most prevalent of all chronic skin disorders. Acne vulgaris results from an interplay of heredity factors and hormones. In susceptible individuals, it begins in the teen years, being caused by overactive sebaceous glands, which are stimulated by the upsurge in the circulating level of male sex hormones that accompanies the onset of puberty. The primary lesion of acne vulgaris is the comedo, or blackhead, which consists of a plug of sebum and cell debris filling up a hair follicle, sebum being the fatty substance secreted by a sebaceous gland into its associated hair follicle. Comedones may be open, their upper or visible portion being darkened by oxidative changes; or they may be closed (i.e., not reaching the surface to be extruded), in which case, they may be starting points for pustules and deep inflammatory lesions. The severity of acne is divided generally into four grades. In grade I, comedones may be sparse or profuse but there is little or no inflammation. In grade II, comedones are intermingled with superficial pustules and papules (small solid usually conical elevations).

The lesions are ordinarily confined to the face and do not produce significant scarring, unless there has been continued scratching and picking. At this stage, topical (locally applied) medication is reasonably effective. Complete spontaneous remission is ordinarily seen within one to two years. In grade III and IV, the acne is characterized by comedones and pustules and deeper inflamed nodules, which are thought to result from the rupture of the sebaceous duct, with extrusion of sebum into the skin tissue. The lesions are likely to extend from the face to the neck and upper trunk and to produce a permanent scarring of the skin. The course of acne vulgaris is variable, persistence being ordinarily directly related to the seventy of the lesions, although changes of climate and emotional stress may markedly improve or exacerbate the acne lesions. The treatment of acne has received wide attention in both lay and scientific journals; methods of treatment vary from topical medication to sunlight and ultraviolet light, dietary restrictions, antibiotics, and hormones. It should be remembered, however, that in a high proportion of cases the normal tendency is toward spontaneous cure over several months. Major ref. 16:849e -adolescent skin changes 5:655f -causation and treatment 4:227g •pus formation and healing process 9:562g

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Author Resource BoxMarried, 43, living in Ohio and working as a financial consultant. Working on my second degree in history.Read John Bernham Profile