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Welcome to Acne Anatomy! This section illustrates
the process of the development of a whitehead and the unfortunate
result of squeezing a pimple. If you have high bandwidth, you may
choose to view this process in the "acne animation" to the left.
The birthplace of a whitehead is the pore around
a hair follicle. Cells from the lining of the hair follicle are
shed and clump together blocking the sebum, (which normally lubricates
the skin), from exiting the pore to the skin surface. When sebum
is blocked in the pore but is exposed to air, a "blackhead" forms.
The main components of a whitehead are the hair follicle
where dead cells accumulate, the sebaceous gland, which makes oil
or sebum, and the skin surface…where the effects of what is happening
under the surface…are visible to you.
When the outlet for the hair follicle is closed, the sebum
and dead skin cells begin to build. Bacteria that normally live
on the surface of the skin also mix with the dead skin cells
and sebum causing infection.
You see this infection as swelling, redness and pus. And
while you may feel like what you see on the surface is unsightly,
the real damage can be happening underneath.
When you squeeze an infected pimple, you create pressure
that can spread the infection.
The infection spreads above the skin, but also deep inside
the pore. This enlarges and spreads the infection, and can cause
or increase scarring.
When the damage is severe enough, scar tissue forms, which
appears as a depression, or "pit" in the skin surface.
Scarring is the long-term effect of acne and may look like
an uneven skin surface, or in some skin tones, discoloration.
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