Sebaceous Gland Acne

Posted by John

March 25, 2010

Sebaceous Gland – What is it?

All over the body (everywhere except the palms of the hand and the sole of the feet) there are skin pores that contain hair follicles (even if there is no hair in the follicle). These pores normally consist of a Hair Follicle, Sebaceous Gland, usually a hair and a substance called sebum that is produced by the sebaceous gland. Sebum is important and it gives the skin its moisture that it needs a certain amount of to function normally.

Sebaceous Gland Acne – How is it formed?

Sometimes the sebaceous gland can produce too much sebum, normally during times of hormonal changes (like Teenage Acne, pregnancy acne and general Hormonal Acne ). If the pore of the skin is not wide enough or even closed the sebum can become trapped and this can clog and cause blackheads and whiteheads (see the Do I have acne? page). In worst cases, this sebum provides an environment which is suitable for bacteria to reproduce meaning that the bodies immune system will than kick in and the blockage will become inflamed as the white blood cells try to combat this bacteria turning non-inflammatory acne into inflammatory acne (or, in other words, turning symptoms #2 into more serious symptoms #3 and #4 that can be seen in our Types of Acne stage)

What can be done to reduce sebaceous gland acne?

There are many treatments that will help lower the effects of increased sebum production (some oral treatments will even reduce sebum production at the source). Benzoyl Peroxide is an example of an ingredient that will effectively clear away excess sebum from the pores. For more information about acne treatments see our Best Acne Treatment page

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