Acne forms near the opening of the sebaceous glands that have hair follicle in them. In normal circumstances, the cells that form the wall of the gland exfoliate from the pore opening. Sometimes, these cells become dysfunctional and instead of exfoliating normally, block the pore opening. This block stops the sebum going out on the skin.

In the meantime, the glands keep producing sebum and if hormonal disturbance is present, the glands produce sebum at a higher rate. This sebum keeps filling the gland sac. That is the beginning of acne.

A bacterium called Proprionobacterium acnes (P. acnes) thrive in the atmosphere that is full of sebum and no air. This bacterium infects the gland. At this stage when the bacteria are flourishing and causing inflammation, the gland is producing more sebum and the pore is blocked, the gland becomes very infective and full of dead cells, bacteria, pus and dead skin. This is what we call as a pimple. When a pimple gets much bigger, it is called a cyst. Now you know that acne is mainly caused by blocked sebum and infection inside the sebum. Let us know more about how and why sebum is produced.

The Latin meaning of sebum is fat. You find that your hair becomes oily if you leave it unwashed for few days, isn't it? That is because of sebum. Sebum is produced by the sebaceous glands in the skin. From there sebum comes out and coats the hair follicles. Traveling through the hair, sebum reaches the surface of the skin. There it mixes with other lipids and sweat and forms a coating on the skin. Sweat, lipids and environmental dirt are other ingredients of the oil on the skin. This oil protects skin from bacterial infection. It also reduces the natural water loss from the skin.

The density of sebaceous glands varies. Sebaceous glands are found most on the forehead, chin and middle portion of the back. That is why most acne is found on these places. Sebum production decreases with age. . Sebum production increases suddenly at the time of puberty. In women, it reduces substantially after menopause. Adult females produce less sebum than men. By reducing sebum production, acne can be cured. Sebum production can be controlled by various medicines.

This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advise and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from information obtained from this article.