What Is A Papule, And How Can You Get Rid Of It? by George Hutton

If you are reading this, that means you are a human being. And that, of course, means you've suffered from something that has effected hundreds of millions of people in the United States. Of course, since you likely have read the title of this article, you're aware that this is about acne, that horribly distressing skin condition from which there seems to be no escape. In this particular article, I'll be talking about a specific form of acne that is quite common.

When acne forms, it is due to a malfunctioning of something called a comedone, which is when a pore becomes plugged. This pore is part of a small unit called a sebaceous unit, which is comprised of a hair follicle, a couple of sebaceous glands, which produce sebum or oil. This oil is necessary for keeping your skin clean and clear. When the top portion of the pore becomes plugged, this little unit is now called a comedone and you have the makings of a pimple.

When puss builds up inside, then a whitehead will from. A blackhead is made when the underside becomes oxidized, and turns black. But what happens when you get those painful red bumps that simply won't let you forget about them? Those are called papules, and are a very common form of acne. They can be extremely bothersome when they appear where the skin is relatively thing, as on your nose.

They are different from whiteheads in that they don't contain any puss. If you have a whitehead, most people will simply "pop" them, and release the pressure, and often times the pimple is gone. Papules don't have any puss on the inside, so popping them will do more harm than good. In fact, popping will likely do much more damage as it can spread the bacteria that is trapped inside that particular papule, which can in turn lead to more papules.

Another reason to avoid popping these (despite how tempting it is) is that you can increase your risk of permanent scarring. By popping this, you aren't actually releasing any puss, you are merely damaging your skin, which of course can lead to scarring, and will likely only make the condition a little bit worse.

The best course of action? Maintain skin as clean as possible, using creams or any over the counter astringent. Of course, contact your physician if you have any questions or concerns about these painful red bumps. Naturally the best way to fight these is to keep from getting them in the first place. This entails making sure that your skin is clean, and you avoid foods that can lead to acne, as well as keeping stress at low levels.