I’m doing some reading of my biology textbook for homework and the current chapter is the integumentary system (skin, hair, nails, etc.) The book says the body is covered in pores, and then goes onto explaining what acne is, how pores get clogged, etc. But it doesn’t explain why acne is (for the most part) concentrated on the face, neck, shoulders, back, and chest. Like, I’ve had one zit on my lower back near my butt and that’s it. The rest of it is chest up. I get that if it’s hot out and your forehead gets sweaty, obviously some of that sweat will be reabsorbed into the skin and become part of blackheads and whiteheads. But my feet are sweaty in my socks and shoes all day, even when I’m just sitting in class. Shouldn’t my feet be covered in zits too? Just struck me as really odd.
I know this isn’t NSFW in the sense that it’s not about sex or anything, but if I saw one of my classmates reading this, my first thought would be “WTF are you reading?” Figured I’d rather be safe than sorry.
Edit: I don’t understand how this is almost to the point of my root beer comment. I wasn’t looking for awards or updoots, like I was genuinely curious about the concentration on different parts of the bodu, but thanks I guess haha.
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Sebum is an oil produced by sebaceous glands. You have a concentration of these glands in your face and on your head. If they produce a little too much oil, your pores get clogged with oil/dead skin cells and you get acne. So, you can get a clogged pore anywhere but it happens more often where you have more sebaceous glands due to oily buildup.
You have pores all over your body, yes. They’re holes. But the catch is that you need something to fill that hole.
Sebum glands (sebum is just an oil) are heavily concentrated on your face, forehead, and scalp, and they can often create too much oil.
Oil builds up, clogs pores along with dead skin cells, and you get acne
Technically acne can happen anywhere, but it’s a lot easier on your face
As an anecdote, I had back acne growing up but rarely had any breakouts on my face. While some of the issue is trapped sebum, it’s much less than on the face. It turns out my issue was my oversized hockey pads rubbing my skin and sensitivity to bleach, causing dead skin to clog my pores. I wore those suckers every day for a few years. I still have patches of dead skin forming back there but luckily the outbreaks stopped within a year.
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Upper body produces more sebum so more likely to clog the pores. It’s the sebum that traps dead skin cells and clog pores causing problems.
Sweat does not get stuck in pores due to it being water and also inhospitable to bacteria that tend to infect acne.
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Something people seem to be technical about but havent just generalized yet….
You have sweat glands just about everywhere, but the sweat that comes out of them varies by region. Loosely related to this is why your armpits stink but your forehead typically doesnt… but similarly you get zits on your forehead and rarely in your armpits.
Sweats basically just water AND some form of protein/fat combo forming an oil, the protein concentration and type varies. If theres a strong concentration it can smell, or get sticky. Enough of it and you end up with earwax like… earwax… ha.
Hope this helps?
If you have oily skin you should use moisturizer. I know it sounds like it doesn’t make sense. But oily skin is just your pores trying to moisturize dry skin. The dryer your skin the more your pores will try to compensate and pump out more oil. This is where the pores get clogged and develop a pimple. If you moisturize then your pores can slow down and not pump out oil causing them to clog. If your skin is dry then also moisturize.
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