Why do we have pimples?

Pimples (acne) are very annoying. They hurt and just look bad! But what are pimples and how are they formed?

Pimples are basically infections on our skins. The main way of forming pimples are when the pores in our skin gets clogged (by our dead skin cells and excess oil) and infected with bacteria.

Naturally, this process starts when our body produces an excess of a hormone called, androgen. In hair follicles (hair pores or in other words, the hole where the hair comes out from), there is a gland (organ which secretes substances) called, sebaceous gland, which produces and releases a substance called, sebum. This is an oily substance which clogs the pores (if present in large quantities) and causes unwanted bacteria's to be trapped thus an infection occurs.

Sebum is produced by our bodies to help protect and keep the skin soft. However, if the hormone levels fluctuate in our body )or are at abnormal concentrations), then excess sebum is produced which causes the clogging of our pores. This fluctuation usually happens during puberty, pregnancy or the menstruation period.

Once the pimple gets bigger, you may see a yellow substance inside (which is a mass of infected matter or pus). Our body reacts to this event by using its 1st line of defense, the white blood cells! During this time, the white blood cells are fighting against the bacteria so redness, soreness, inflammation and pain may occur. In situations like this, the best way is to just leave it and let nature take its course. If you however SQEEZE this interesting substance then BOOM! it explodes like a volcano! and what actually happens is that you are spreading these infected substances to other pores so if not cleaned properly, these pores will get infected and another pimple is formed! Congratulations!!

Did you know?

• Foods such as pizza, pasta, steak etc does not cause pimples but actually makes them worse.
• Honey treats pimples well.
• Being under the sun tightens the pores and dries up oil glands so it clogs the pores causing pimple formation.