Abstract
It is a popular conception that free fatty acids formed within sebaceous follicles are irritants which attack the follicular epithelium, thus causing breaks in the lining. Presumably sebum then flows out and provokes an inflammatory reaction. Theoretically a pustule could spring up in this way from a normal sebaceous follicle. However, with rare exceptions pustules originate mainly from preexisting comedones, whether these are visible or not. There is no doubt that sebum is a toxic material. Intradermal injection of a dilute suspension provokes within 24 h a tender, intensely red papule, lasting for many days. However, there is no proof that the normal follicular epithelium is leaky because of the toxicity of sebum. Spongiotic changes of the follicular epithelium are quite uncommon in our experience.
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© 1993 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Plewig, G., Kligman, A.M. (1993). The Dynamics of Inflammation. In: ACNE and ROSACEA. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-97234-8_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-97234-8_10
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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