Acne begins in glands near the base of a single hair follicle. These glands make an oily fluid called sebum , which lubricates the skin and flushes out dead cells when the hair follicle dies. Bacteria known as Propionibacterium live in the hair follicle and are supposed to break down sebum into fatty acids. But during the teen years or any time of hormonal imbalance, sebum is overproduced and sticky debris piles up in the hair follicle. The skin pore is blocked and the bacteria multiply.
Inflammation occurs when the body's immune soldiers come to police the problem.
Soon, a little hard pustule forms and begins moving upward to the skin's surface. When this ball of inflamed sebum gets too big, it ruptures, spilling chemicals into skin that often cause pocking and scars. Acne is no fun. An acne outbreak is a warning of deeper trouble in the body's defense mechanism. But if the body contains more poisons then the liver and kidneys can remove, facial blemishes are a wakeup call that toxic levels need to be reduced in the body.