Acne

Acne is one of the most common skin diseases. It is recognisable by the characteristic changes to the skin on the face, shoulders, back, and chest: blackheads (comedones) and/or pustules (pus blisters), spots, and knotty changes are typical. Acne primarily occurs in teenagers and young adults . However, the number of adults, in particular women, suffering from acne has increased over the last few years.

Acne is a disease of the sebaceous follicle. Sebaceous follicles are hair follicles (infoldings in the skin that contain a hair) with a very small hair and proportionally large sebaceous gland. They may be recognisable externally as pores. Sebaceous glands produce skin sebum, a mixture of oils, skin cells, etc. The sebum is released onto the skin via a spacious excretory duct (follicle channel). In normal quantities, it protects the skin from drying out.

Sebaceous follicles are located primarily on the face, on the chest, and on the back. There are hardly any sebaceous follicles on other areas of the skin. This is also the reason why acne usually occurs on the face and with some people also on the chest and back, and not, however, on the arms or legs, for instance.