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Acne is a common skin condition that occurs when hair follicles under the skin become clogged. Sebum – an oil that keeps the skin from drying out – and dead skin cells clog the pores, leading to breakouts of lesions commonly referred to as pimples or blackheads. The eruptions usually occur on the face, but can also appear on the back, chest and shoulders.
With acne, the hair, sebum and keratinocytes in the pores stick together. This prevents the keratinocytes from detaching and the sebum from reaching the surface of the skin. The mixture of oil and cells allows bacteria that normally live on the skin to grow in the clogged follicles and cause inflammation. If the wall of the clogged follicle breaks, the bacteria, skin cells and sebum enter the surrounding skin and cause lesions or pimples.
For most people, acne disappears when they reach the age of thirty, but some people in their forties and fifties continue to have this skin problem.
