Basics of Acne / Pimples FAQ Help

To understand acne and pimples, you have to understand skin. Below I've done a rather crude (grin) drawing of a cross section of skin. To the left is an oil gland and to the right is a hair follicle.

Your skin has an incredibly important function. It keeps your entire body safe from infection. It keeps out the virusses and bacteria. It keeps in your vitals. It keeps you warm, it keeps you cool.

One of the key ways in which your skin keeps you warm and cool is via its pore. Go to your mirror sometimes and stare as closely as you can at your nose and cheeks. Can you see the tiny "dimples" in your skin? Those are your pores, just like the pore in the top left of that image. The purpose of the pore - also known as a sebaceous gland - is to put out oil. If you simply heated up without any way to cool off, you would overheat and die. The oil helps your body to cool off. This oil is known as "sebum".

What happens with acne is that this oil, which normally just evaporates, gets stuck in the pore. It could get stuck from dead skin cells, from dirt, even from other oil which dried up and got crusty there. The oil / sebum gets trapped in its little bubble. The bubble gets infected, it swells up, and you have acne, i.e. a pimple.

Now that you know what acne IS, it's time to learn how to fight it!

Acne FAQ and Directory

Basic Causes of Acne
Basics of Acne, Pimples and Pores
Causes of Acne and Pimples
Pollution and Acne
Dirty Skin and Acne
Oily Food / Greasy Food and Acne
Fabric, Clothing and Acne
Drugs that Cause Acne

Types of Acne
Whitehead Pimples
Blackhead Pimples
Cyst Pimples

Solutions and Cures for Acne
Cleaning your Skin
Drugs that Help with Acne
Vitamins to Help with Acne
Dressing to Minimize Acne

Cleansers
Neutrogena Liquid Soap
Avon Clearskin Gel Cleanser

Zit Fixes by Date
1 Week Away Zit Fix
2 Days Away Zit Fix
Next Day Zit Fix

Related Problems
Rosacea - Red Face
Skin Care Basics