Question

Acne vulgaris involves which one of the following?

• A. Pilosebaceous glands
• B. Eccrine glands
• C. Apocrine glands
• D. Sebaceous glands

Hint:

Acne forms from BOTH the hair follicle and sebaceous gland together, the pilosebaceous unit, not the gland alone.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Recall the site of acne vulgaris.
Acne vulgaris is a common skin disorder that develops in the pilosebaceous unit, the small structure made of a hair follicle joined to its sebaceous gland and a fine hair.

Step 2: Walk through how acne actually forms.
The process starts with the sebaceous gland making extra sebum under hormone drive, but the disease is not caused by the gland alone. Dead skin cells build up and block the follicle opening, trapping sebum inside. This blockage forms a comedone, the first visible lesion of acne.

Step 3: Add the bacterial step.
Once the follicle is blocked, the bacterium Cutibacterium acnes multiplies in the trapped sebum, and its byproducts trigger inflammation, giving the red papules and pustules seen in acne.

Step 4: See why pilosebaceous is the accurate answer.
Since both the follicle (the pilo part) and the gland (the sebaceous part) are needed for a comedone and later inflammation to form, the disease is best described as one of the pilosebaceous unit, not the sebaceous gland alone.

Step 5: Rule out the other glands.
Eccrine glands produce watery sweat for temperature control and play no role in acne. Apocrine glands, found in the armpit and groin, are linked to body odor and conditions like hidradenitis suppurativa, not acne. Sebaceous glands alone are only part of the structure involved; the follicle itself is equally essential to the disease process.

Final Answer:
Acne vulgaris is a disease of the
\[ \boxed{\text{Pilosebaceous glands (pilosebaceous unit)}} \]