Glossary of skin care ingridence
By James E. Fulton, JR., M.D., Ph.D.

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Abrading: removing by friction, that is, by the wear and tear of scraping or grinding.
Acne vulgaris: common acne. We dislike the term “vulgaris.”
Antibacterial: substance that either destroys bacteria or somehow suppresses them; perhaps by cutting down on their production rate.
Antibiotic: substance produced by microorganisms that destroy or inhibit other competitive microorganisms.
Astringent: substance that contracts, dries, shrivels, or otherwise “tightens up” the surface upon which it is placed.

Metabolism: biochemical transformation utilizing nutrients for building and maintaining the body, and, in short, the chemical mechanisms of growing and functioning as a living being.
Micro-comedo: tiny comedones, perhaps not yet even perceptible.
Moisturizer: substance that humidifies and softens the skin, making it more pliable and less likely to crack or peel unduly.

Bacteriostatic: substance that inhibits (without necessarily killing) bacteria.
Benzoyl peroxide: a powerful oxidant formulated for use in the treatment of acne. When applied daily, benzoyl peroxide diffuses into the skin and kills the bacteria that aggravates the acne problem.
Blackhead: open comedo; small plug of cellular debris and oil clogging a sebaceous follicle.
Bland: soothing or mild.
Broad-spectrum antibiotic: antibiotic which affects a wide range of different disease-causing microorganisms.

Closed-comedo-“maturation-arrest” acne: acne condition in which the comedones remain closed and do not develop further or mature. That is, their progress is “arrested” or stopped.
Collagen: principal supportive protein of skin, cartilage, tendon, bone, and connective tissue.
Comedo: (plural-comedones) literally, glutton (perhaps because the ancients believed it was a maggot, devouring the flesh).
Comedo extractor: simple clinical instrument used for popping out the contents of acne lesions.
Corynebacterium acnes: bacterial organism associated with sebaceous follicles.
Cosmetic acne: acne induced by certain irritating facial “beauty” preparations commonly called cosmetics.
Cyst: walled sac or pouch formed when cells in the sebaceous follicles sludge up and become impacted.

Dermabrasion: mechanical abrading or rubbing away of skin, usually with high-speed rotary brushes or fine abrasive matter (such as diamond particles).
Dermatologist: physician specialized in skin problems.
Dermis: bed of vascular connective tissue underlying the epidermis.
Dihydrotestosterone: a derivative of testosterone believed to be responsible for increased sebum production in the sebaceous glands.

Enzyme: organic catalyst produced by living cells of the body; enzymes stimulate or accelerate biochemical reactions at the body’s normal temperature.
Epidermis: the outermost layer of skin.
Erythromycin: an antibiotic discovered in the metabolic products of bacteria of a Streptomyces erythreus strain which came from soil in the Philippine archipelago.
Escherichia coli: short, rod-shaped microorganisms accounting for most of our gut microorganisms.
Estrogen: hormone which promotes estrus (i.e., the sexual cycle) and the appearance of secondary sex characteristics in females.

Follicle: excretory or secretors sac or gland; facial pores are follicular openings.
Food and Drug Administration: the national regulatory agency responsible for the purity and safety of food, drugs, and other products.
Free fatty acid: irritating byproduct formed when C. acnes breaks down triglycerides.

Germinative layer: bottom layer of actively reproducing epidermal cells.
Glycerol: sweet, syrupy alcohol made from fats; specifically, the energy source which C. acnes provides enzymatically for itself by decomposing triglycerides of the sebum.

Hormones: chemicals elaborated by living cells and which circulate to places in the body far from where they are made before exerting their effects on other cells.

Impaction: clogged up contents (pus, cellular debris, skin fragments) of a comedo.
Infantile (or neonatal) acne: acne that occurs in an infant after birth; especially male children of acne-prone families. The problem clears up when the residual hormones from the mother are metabolized away, but reappears when the child’s own hormones are produced around the age of puberty.

Keratin: a very insoluble protein found in hair, nails, epidermis, horny tissues, and tooth enamel.
Keratinization: transformation of cellular materials into keratin.
Keratinocyte: epidermal cell which synthesizes keratin.
Keratolytic: substance that dissolves, peels, or otherwise breaks up, or loosens keratin.

Lesion: wound, sore, pustule, cyst, or any visible spot on the skin that is not normally present.
Lipase: enzyme involved in the splitting of lipids; for example, the splitting of triglycerides into glycerol and fatty acids by the bacteria of the skin.
Liquid nitrogen: nitrogen gas compressed under great pressure until it liquefies. If released from pressure, it evaporates rapidly, freezing whatever surface from which it evaporates.

Neomycin: antibiotic produced by a Streptomyces microorganism.
Neonatal (or infantile) acne: acne that occurs in an infant after birth; especially male children of acne-prone families. The problem clears up when the residual hormones from the mother are metabolized away, but reappears when the child’s own hormones are produced around the age of puberty.

Pancake make-up: dry cosmetic usually molded into “cakes” or solid discs, and applied by daubing a moist sponge onto the cake to pick up the cosmetic and transfer it to the skin.
Papule: literally, small swelling; solid lesion raised above the surface of the skin.
Papulo-pustular acne: papules and pustules together; the more inflamed forms of acne.
Panoxyl: commercial preparation of benzoyl peroxide.
Penicillin: antibiotic substance produced by molds of the Penicillium genus.
Placebo: a control, inactive substance (especially with no effect of its own) against which a “real” medication may be tested in a patient. The “real” medication is supposed to give the desired effect, while a placebo does nothing. However, a patient who claims the placebo is doing something, may be telling the truth.
Some people are ready to believe in any “medicine.” (In fact, placebo is Latin for I please, and was indeed given by physicians just to satisfy the patient that something was being done to help.)
Polymyxin: antibiotic produced by Bacillus polymyxin, a soil bacterium.
Protein: nitrogenous, amino-acid compounds. They occur in our cell protoplasm or are excreted by the cells; for example milk protein.
Potentiate: to make more powerful.
Puberty: age at which a person is first capable of sexual reproduction.
Purgative: strong laxative.
Pus: white cells (leukocytes) from the blood; concentrated to engulf and digest harmful substances in our bodies . . . or, more scientifically, a liquid containing leukocytes that accumulates in response to an infection or inflammation.
Pustule: small boil or abscess; pus-filled lesion raised above the surface of the skin.

Retention hyperkeratosis: newly formed cells accumulating and retained in an ever-thickening layer down along the follicle wall.

Sebaceous glands: skin-deep structures associated with the follicles; producing sebum.
Sebum: tallow or grease-like secretion of sebaceous glands; contain fat and cellular debris.
Senile acne: residual scars and old, trapped cysts (in persons beyond the “adolescent acne age”) that may flare up occasionally.
Sloughing: dead skin being separated from living skin.
Steroids: a family of chemical substances which include the sex hormones (androgen, estrogen), bile acids, toad poisons, etc.
Stratum corneum: dead and sloughing cells making up the outermost layer of epidermis.
Sulfur: yellowish, non-metallic element that burns with an acrid, blue flame.

Testosterone: hormone, produced by the testes, that induces and maintains male secondary sex characteristics (beard, voice, etc.).
Tetracycline: parent compound of several antibiotics produced by the soil bacteria Streptomyces.
Topical drug: a drug whose effect is exerted through the skin; topical drugs are applied as ointments, wet compresses, lotions, etc.
Triglyceride: fat which makes up about 50% of sebum.

Ultraviolet light: invisible radiation beyond the violet end (or band) of the visible light spectrum.

Vitamin A acid: an irritant which effectively removes cellular sludge but does not build up tolerance nor require increased dosages to keep up the desirable effect.
Vitamin B12: a substance that contributes to the formation and functioning of blood. Also called cyanocobalamin.
Vitamin K: substance involved in normal clotting of blood.

Whitehead: a closed comedo. See: Closed-comedo-“maturation-arrest” acne.

This content taken from the book Acne Rx By Dr. James E Fulton JR. More >

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