If you’re almost a teen, chances are pretty good that you have some acne. About 8 in 10 preteens and teens have acne, along with many adults. In fact, about 17 million people in the United States have acne. Acne is so common that it’s considered a normal part of growing from a kid to an adult.
But knowing that doesn’t make it easier when you look in the mirror and see a big pimple on your chin! The good news is that learning about acne and taking some simple steps can help you feel better about your face.
Acne is a skin condition that shows up as different types of bumps. They include whiteheads, blackheads, red bumps (pimples), and bumps that are filled with pus (called pustules).
What causes these annoying bumps? Well, your skin is covered with tiny holes called hair follicles, or pores. Pores contain sebaceous (say: suh-BAY-shus) glands (also called oil glands) that make sebum (say: SEE-bum), an oil that moistens your hair and skin.
Most of the time, the glands make the right amount of sebum and the pores are fine. But sometimes a pore gets clogged up with too much sebum, dead skin cells, and germs called bacteria. This can cause acne.
If a pore gets clogged up, closes, and bulges out from the skin, that’s a whitehead. If a pore clogs up but stays open, the top surface can get dark and you’re left with a blackhead. Sometimes the walls of the pore are broken, allowing sebum, bacteria and dead skin cells to get under the skin. This causes a small, red infection called a pimple. Clogged-up pores that open up deep in the skin can lead to bigger infections known as cysts.
Lots of kids and teens get a type of acne called acne vulgaris. It usually appears on the face, neck, shoulders, upper back and chest. Teens and kids get acne because of the hormone changes that come with puberty. As you grow up and your body begins to develop, these hormones stimulate the sebaceous glands to make more sebum, and the glands can become overactive. When there is too much sebum, that oil clogs the pores and leads to acne.
If your parent had acne as a teen, it’s likely that you will, too. Stress may make acne worse, because when you’re stressed; your pores may make more sebum. Luckily, for most people, acne gets better by the time they’re in their 20s.
