Despite nobody knows for sure, there's good reason to trust that none of the millions of people who are suffering or have suffered from acne has refrained from picking open or squeezing their pimples. In fact, it seems to be one of the most frequent actions among those people whose faces or bodies are covered with bad-looking red spots. It is also one of the worst possible ideas. Serious pimples should never be squeezed or picked open by a person himself. This is a job for a dermatologist and to be performed only if he thinks it necessary. The main reason is that a pimple that has been squeezed or picked open is practically an invitation to every bacteria around to enter your body and cause an infection through the tiny opening in your skin. If you think the danger is negligible, you are not right.

At the very least your action is a sure way of causing future pimples to emerge in the same spot. Most likely, by tampering with your pimples in less than sterile conditions will result in permanent scarring, as the damaged skin closes around the gaping hole formerly known as a pimple. While I may seem to joke about it, let me assure you that this issue is very important. I know that it's very hard to resist the temptation to squeeze your pimples in an attempt to eliminate at least the worst of them, but you should try as hard as you can to resists. Believe me, you don't want to spend the rest of your life with the scars of past acne flare-ups crisscrossing your face. This is why it's very important to deal with acne in a decisive manner and prevent the emergence of pimples.

                                                    Who gets acne?

Believe it or not, nearly everybody in the world gets pimples. When the body shifts into higher gear and puberty begins at the age of 12, hormones start taking over. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman. It doesn’t matter where you come from and who your parents were. I have never heard of a person who had stayed blemish-free in all the years of his or her life. Whether it’s food or pollution, something is bound to upset your hormonal balance sooner or later.

More than 40% of all teenagers develop cases of acne severe enough to warrant medical treatment. Most cases are usually solved without the need for fancy treatments, although more than one trip to the doctor is required.

However, modern medicine has produced a wide range of prescription and over-the-counter products to help people deal with their acne without unnecessary pain. However, not all acne cases can be treated quite that easily. Acne comes and goes on its own, between the age of twelve and twenty-three, but some people develop severe forms of acne, while others get acne for the first time as adults. This is mostly the case for men. Because of the higher level of androgens in their systems, men are far more likely than women to suffer from acne. In women, acne is associated with their fertility cycle and the hormonal changes it entails.

While most cases of acne are confined to the facial skin, most of the people suffering from this condition experience at least the occasional blackhead or pimple down the arms, on the back, the chest or even on the buttocks.

The social impact of acne is huge. The unpleasant sight of pimples makes many people run to the near drugstore or pharmacy because of the perceived influence acne has in social relations. Every year, hundreds of millions of dollars are spent every year around the world on anti-acne products by people on five continents.