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Article: Acne, the Bane of Adolescence; Disease Became a Popular Concern in the Youth Culture of the '50s and '60s
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- September 8, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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There are more than 50 types of acne, the most common skin
disorder treated by physicians. Dermatologists estimate that about
20 percent of their practice is devoted to the care of this ailment,
whose unsightly manifestations have been derided in slang: "Zits are
the pits."
Acne usually begins on the face when hair follicles become
plugged, primarily by sebum, an oily secretion of the sebaceous
glands. Bacteria multiply, causing inflammation and the development
of whiteheads (closed pimples) or blackheads (open pimples).
As the body dispatches infection-fighting white blood cells to
the affected pores, the wall of the follicle may rupture, spreading
the contents to surrounding ...