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Sebum and Sebaceous Lipids

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Book cover Pathogenesis and Treatment of Acne and Rosacea

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Abstract

Human sebum is a complex mixture of lipids—triglyceride fats, wax esters, squalene, cholesterol esters, and cholesterol. The triglycerides are largely hydrolyzed by bacteria from the anaerobic environment of the gland by the time the sebum reaches the skin surface, so that about one-third of the surface lipids consists of free fatty acids, which are produced without exogenous influence [68].

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Acknowledgments

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Druie Cavender and Michael Anthonavage for critical review of this document.

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  1. Skin Biology TRC, Johnson and Johnson Consumer Companies Worldwide, Skillman, NJ, USA

    Apostolos Pappas

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  1. Apostolos Pappas
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Correspondence to Apostolos Pappas .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Dermatology, Venereology, Allergology, and Immunology, Dessau Medical Center, Dessau, Germany

    Christos C. Zouboulis

  2. Department of Dermatology, Andreas Syngros Hospital, University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Andreas D. Katsambas

  3. Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Albert M. Kligman

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Pappas, A. (2014). Sebum and Sebaceous Lipids. In: Zouboulis, C., Katsambas, A., Kligman, A. (eds) Pathogenesis and Treatment of Acne and Rosacea. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-69375-8_5

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