Acne Explained

• Acne is already tough enough to deal with. It is often a rite of passage for teenagers going through puberty. It is also largely seen as a sign of unhealthy, unclean skin even though acne can form for a number of reasons that have nothing to do with hygiene. But the worst part of acne is that it can also form scars. This article will describe how acne scars are made and what can be done about them.
  
  Acne is technically a skin disease caused by acne bacteria. It forms around the adolescent age and can stick around the face and neck area until someone is 30. Acne shows up as pimples, zits, blackheads, generally oily and red marks or bumps among affected areas. The cause of acne itself can stem from many different sources. Acne is known to be at least partially hereditary. Hormonal cycles, dead cell accumulation, steroid use and hyperactive glands are other causes.
  
  

How The Scars Form

• Acne scarring starts with the natural skin oils that come from the sebaceous gland. The gland is attached to hair follicles and makes the oils to keep the skin from becoming too dry or brittle. When the oils come in contact with acne bacteria, trouble happens. The bacterium metabolizes this oil and irritates the skin and plugs hair follicles. The follicles are supposed to push out any debris that is in the skin; they can't now that acne has irritated it. The debris finally starts to add up under the skin, causing the body to inflame in order to move it out. This can be traumatic to the skin, creating a wound which results in the acne scar. The body then tries to heal the wound by forcing collagen into the area.
  
  

Removal Methods

• There are a number of ways that acne scars can be healed. One way is a non-abrasive technique that involves putting chemicals that penetrate deep into the skin, relieving the dermis of irritation by eradicating the bacteria. Other ways are a little more intensive and can be quite expensive, depending on how bad the scarring is. These ways include laser treatment that resurfaces scarring, costing about $3,000 per treatment. Chemical peels and punch techniques are also used at about $750 and $50, respectively. The punch technique involves replacing pitted scar areas with grafted skin, much like a hair transplant.