Acne is a disorder of the pilosebaceous unit, which consists of a hair follicle, sebaceous gland and a hair. These units are everywhere on the body except palms, soles, top of feet and lower lip. But, pilosebaceous units are more on the face, upper neck and chest. These sebaceous glands or units produce a substance called sebum, which is responsible for keeping the skin and hair moisturized. Sebum production increases during adolescence because of influence of hormones.

Sebum combines with cells being sloughed off within hair follicle and fills up the hair follicle. When the follicle gets filled, the sebum spreads over the skin surface. When this process works correctly, the skin is moisturized and remains healthy.

Problems arise only when the sebum is trapped in hair follicle. A certain bacteria called Propionibacterium acnes multiplies in this trapped sebum causing a tiny infection. This causes inflammatory acne, or red bumps and pustules. In some follicles the bacteria will not cause an infection. But it changes the lining of hair follicle and forms plugs called comedones.

The only key to skin care for acne is consistent care. Following good skin care aids in the daily and steady improvement of follicle health. The best skin care for comedones is once-a-day cleansing with a mild soap or facial scrub. It aids in the removal of excess sebum and dead skin cells. Its better to avoid oil-based makeup since these can contribute to trapping of oil in the follicles. The safe way is to use water-based makeup.