Review gameday parking and traffic info for hospital patients and visitors. Masks are required in all our health care locations. View current visitor policy. Author: Stephanie Fabbro, MD. The condition is especially prevalent in women, who may continue to contend with acne until menopause. Acne occurs when dead skin cells and excess oil from sebaceous glands combine and create comedones, more commonly known as blackheads and whiteheads. Bacteria proliferate in the clogged pores, and they become inflamed, creating inflammatory acne, which may manifest as pimples, pustules or cysts.
Adult-onset acne may look different than the acne we had as teens. Teenagers are most prone to acne because hormonal changes during puberty cause their sebaceous glands to secrete much more oil than adults. However, adult-onset acne may be induced by other hormonal factors. In women, it typically manifests as deep nodules around the chin, jawline and neck, and may heal with hyperpigmentation. In women, hormonal changes associated with their menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause can spur acne flares.
It usually shows up on the face, neck, shoulders, upper back, and chest. The hair follicles, or pores, in your skin contain sebaceous glands also called oil glands. These glands make sebum , which is an oil that lubricates your hair and skin. Most of the time, the sebaceous glands make the right amount of sebum. As the body begins to mature and develop, though, hormones stimulate the sebaceous glands to make more sebum.
Pores become clogged if there is too much sebum and too many dead skin cells. Bacteria especially one called Propionibacterium acnes can then get trapped inside the pores and multiply. This causes swelling and redness — the start of acne. If a pore gets clogged up and closes but bulges out from the skin, you're left with a whitehead. If a pore gets clogged up but stays open, the top surface can darken and you're left with a blackhead. Sometimes the wall of the pore opens, allowing sebum, bacteria, and dead skin cells to make their way under the skin — and you're left with a small, red bump called a pimple sometimes pimples have a pus-filled top from the body's reaction to the bacterial infection.
Clogged pores that open up very deep in the skin can cause nodules , which are infected lumps or cysts that are bigger than pimples and can be painful. Occasionally, large cysts that seem like acne may be boils caused by a staph infection.
Bacteria can trigger inflammation and infection resulting in more severe acne. Acne typically appears on your face, forehead, chest, upper back and shoulders because these areas of skin have the most oil sebaceous glands. Hair follicles are connected to oil glands. The follicle wall may bulge and produce a whitehead. Or the plug may be open to the surface and darken, causing a blackhead. A blackhead may look like dirt stuck in pores.
But actually the pore is congested with bacteria and oil, which turns brown when it's exposed to the air. Pimples are raised red spots with a white center that develop when blocked hair follicles become inflamed or infected with bacteria. Blockages and inflammation deep inside hair follicles produce cystlike lumps beneath the surface of your skin.
Other pores in your skin, which are the openings of the sweat glands, aren't usually involved in acne. People with darker skin types are more likely than are people with lighter skin to experience these acne complications:. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products.
Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Acne is a skin condition that occurs when your hair follicles become plugged with oil and dead skin cells. Common acne Open pop-up dialog box Close. Common acne Acne occurs when the openings of hair follicles become clogged and blocked with oil and dead skin cells.
Cystic acne Open pop-up dialog box Close. Cystic acne Cystic acne — the most severe form of acne — occurs when oil and dead skin cells build up deep within hair follicles. Alternatively, the plugged follicle can be open to the skin, creating a blackhead. Normally harmless bacteria that live on the skin can then contaminate and infect the plugged follicles, causing papules, pustules, nodules or cysts.
Teenage acne is thought to be triggered by increased levels of a hormone called testosterone, which occurs during puberty. The hormone plays an important role in stimulating the growth and development of the penis and testicles in boys, and maintaining muscle and bone strength in girls. The sebaceous glands are particularly sensitive to hormones. It's thought that increased levels of testosterone cause the glands to produce much more sebum than the skin needs.
One study has found that if both your parents had acne, you're more likely to get more severe acne at an early age. It also found that if one or both of your parents had adult acne, you're more likely to get adult acne too.
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