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.
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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.