Acne is perhaps the most common chronic skin disease. It is an inflammatory condition of the sebaceous glands and hair follicles usually found on the face, the neck, chest and shoulders. Nearly eight out of ten young people between the ages of 12 and 24 suffer from some degree of acne. It is closely related to the disturbance in the harmones experienced at puberty.
The majority of patients recover between the ages 20 and 30 years. But, it is still common in men over 30 years. In women, it rarely lasts beyond the early thirties and is normally worse before each menustral period. The disease cauises a great deal of embarrassment at an age when people tend to be sensitive about personal appearance.
The skin, covering the entire body, is a marvellous and intricate mechanism. It serves three main purposes; namely protection of the inner organism, regulation of body temperature and elimination of cell waste and systemic refuse. The skin is directly connected with and intimately bound up with the working of the whole system. All skin diseases, including acne, are the outcome of malfunctioning of the body as a whole.