s k i n p h y s i o l o g y
281
Salon Fundamentals
TM
Esthetics
8
Sebaceous Gland Disorders
Overactivity or underactivity of the sebaceous
glands can produce a variety of skin conditions
that may require medical attention. Sebaceous
glands can be affected by a client's health, or by
environmental or hereditary factors. In addition
to acne, several other disorders are the result of
sebaceous gland activity:
Asteatosis (as-tee-ah-TOH-sis), or xerosis, is dry,
scaly skin caused by reduced sebum production.
This condition also occurs as tissue ages.
Seborrhea (seb-oh-REE-ah) is a condition caused
by excess secretion of the sebaceous glands. It is
commonly associated with oily skin types.
A steatoma (ste-ah-TOH-mah) is a harmless
sebaceous cyst filled with sebum, which is
considered a tumor of the sebaceous gland.
Steatomas, also called wens, usually appear on the
scalp, neck or back and range in size from a pea to
an orange. If these rupture, they can be painful
because this stimulates an inflammatory reaction.
A furuncle, (fu-RUN-kel) or boil, is a painful
infection of a hair follicle and adjacent
subcutaneous tissue that appears as a firm nodule
with a central, hard, pus-filled core. A furuncle
involves one hair follicle.
A carbuncle (KAR-bun-kel) is a group of boils.
It is a very painful, acute bacterial infection
characterized by inflammation that involves several
hair follicles and the adjacent subcutaneous tissue.
Carbuncles are larger than boils and look like
pea-sized red nodules that ooze. Carbuncles
have a tendency to spread, have no central core
like the boil, and drain pus through several
openings onto the skin's surface.
Rosacea
Rosacea (ro-ZA-shee-ah) is a chronic inflammatory
condition of the face in which the small capillaries
of the face become dilated and inflamed. The
superficial tissue of the face also becomes
inflamed on the nose, cheeks and chin. Often this
condition is accompanied by red, acne-type
pustules and papules. Rosacea most commonly
appears in individuals around the age of 35 but
can be seen in a wide variety of age groups. It is
more prevalent in the fair skin types and women.
However, men can also develop rosacea. The dilated
capillaries at the surface of the skin are called
telangiectasia (tel-AN-jekt-STAY-jee-ah). These
broken and inflamed blood vessels cause a
persistent red, flushed look, typical of a person
with rosacea.
Carbuncle
Rosacea
A more severe form of rosacea is rhinophyma, which
causes the tissue of the nose to swell and enlarge. The
nose is red and marked with numerous telangiectasias,
or groups of dilated capillaries, causing elevated, dark
red blotches on the skin. Rhinophyma is more common
in men than in women. A famous comedian, W.C.
Fields, was well-known for having this condition.
