Acne Pictures – How They Can Help You

Saturday, February 14th, 2009 at 11:20 pm

Suffer with acne, it can help to examine acne pictures from other sufferers to help you ascertain just how serious your condition is. Infected acne does often require specialist treatment and you are wise to visit a dermatologist for proper diagnosis.

However, in the early stages, if you want help in deciding just how far your acne has developed and the various methods for dealing with it, researching on the internet can be helpful.

Remember, acne is caused by a buildup of sebum, the oily substance which naturally moisturizes the skin, which combines with dead cells in the hair follicle, and causes a blockage which can lead to pimples and acne. For many people the worst area that can be affected by acne is the face, but it is commonly found on the chest and upper neck as well!

Here are some stages with characteristics to look out for when checking acne pictures on the net:

Microcomedone Stage

Bacteria builds up in the pore but is not inflamed. It may not yet be visible to the eye. Comedones can be the result. They come in two kinds - whiteheads and blackheads.

Whiteheads may not be easily seen as the bacteria remains below the surface of the skin, but once the pore opens to the air the melanin or pigmentation in the skin cells can turn a brown or black color and become visible. They are commonly known as blackheads.

Inflammatory Acne

If acne becomes inflamed you may notice an eruption on the skin and the formation of a red bump called a papule.

If you see acne pictures with a whitish area in the middle of the pimple, the condition has graduated to what is called a pastule, or as some call them, 'zits'. Many have the temptation to squeeze them with their fingernails to extract the pus. Doing this can be hazardous as dirt from the fingernails can infect the open pimple and make the condition worse.

A further graduation is the nodule, or cyst. Here, the bacteria leaks to surrounding skin and can cause an inflamed bump which can be very painful and sensitive to touch.

The big three search engines each have a useful image library search feature which can yield excellent results if you need to browse over pictures of acne to help in your research.

You can fire up Google, Yahoo, or MSN and use their image search feature. The online image library flickr also has a large collection sent in from various acne sufferers.

There are more specialist sites though giving helpful pictures of acne in the various stages with cut-away diagrams showing what is going on inside the hair follicle. You will antibiotics buy online also find suggestions for the best medication to use for a particular stage of development.

If you suffer with acne, you know you are not alone. The condition affects millions. For this reason there is a huge amount of information on the internet about this condition. Be aware that many web sites dealing with acne are there to promote products and medications so look for information written by doctors and dermatologists who don't have a hidden agenda who simply want to provide the acne sufferer with guidance on how to deal with the problem.

Why not set yourself a project to find out as much as you can about acne, check over the pictures of acne from the search engines mentioned above and the one in the resouce box below, and devise a strategy to deal with it.