What is acne?

Acne is when little bumps appear on your face because of something going on under the skin.

Imagine your skin is like a busy street, and pores are like tiny doors that let things in and out. Inside each door, there's a little house where skin cells, oil, and dead stuff live together. Usually, everything gets along fine, but sometimes, too much oil or too many skin cells clog the door.

When that happens, it’s like a traffic jam, nothing can go through the pore properly. This is called a whitehead or a blackhead, depending on what's stuck there.

Sometimes, bacteria get into the mix and cause more trouble, this makes the bump red and sore, like when you have a pimple.

If your skin is extra busy, maybe because of hormones, the traffic jam can get worse. That’s why some kids get more acne during certain times, like when they're growing up or before their period.

So, acne is just the body’s way of saying, “Hey, there’s a little mess in here that needs to be cleared out!”