Zapping Zits: acne management for teens

Acne is one of the hardest parts about being a teenager. Unfortunately, it affects more than 75% of teens, therefore, most people have experienced it at some point or another. Acne is a result of increased activity of the sebaceous glands of the face, back and shoulders – this increase in activity is particularly notable during the teenage years, as sebum starts to plug the follicles, leading to those pesky zits.

“Acne” is an overarching term that refers to many different types of lesions that can occur on the skin. These particular lesions are:

• Whiteheads (“closed comedones,” papules formed from sebum obstructing the follicle)
• Blackheads (“open comedones,” papules that are also caused by an obstruction of sebum, but the follicle is larger and more open, and a dark color develops as the oils in the follicle are exposed to air)
• Inflammatory lesions – similar to above, but the presence of bacteria worsens the inflammation
• Nodules – large inflammatory nodules that tend to be underneath the skin (and painful!), can cause scarring if left untreated

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