Whether it's the first day of school, a big interview, or your wedding day, pimples find a way of cropping up at the most inconvenient times. But why do they occur, and how do we get rid of them?
無論是開學第一天、有一場重要面試，還是你的大喜之日，痘痘總有辦法在最麻煩的時間點冒出頭來。不過為什麼會長痘痘，我們又要如何甩開痘痘呢？
The term "pore" is just another way of saying "hair follicle," and your body is covered in them. Within the follicle is a gland that produces an oily substance called "sebum," which empties onto the skin to keep your hair and body moisturized. But if the hair follicle becomes clogged with dead skin cells and oils, a blockage is created. Sebum continues to be produced, but it's trapped within the follicle, making it become enlarged. And this is where bacteria come into play, feeding on the dead skin and sebum, which can unfortunately lead to infection.
「毛孔」一詞只是「毛囊」的另一種稱呼，而你全身都覆滿毛囊。在毛囊內有一種腺體，它會製造一種叫「皮脂」的油膩物質，皮脂會排到皮膚表面來讓毛髮和身體保持濕潤。不過要是毛囊被死皮細胞和油脂塞住，就會產生阻塞。皮脂繼續被分泌出來，不過它被困在毛囊內，使得毛囊腫大。細菌就是在這時開始起作用，以死皮和皮脂為養份孳生，那可能會很不幸地引發感染。
Your immune system responds by sending blood to the area, giving the appearance of redness and inflammation, and white blood cells come to the site, too, to clear up the infection. When the white blood cells die, they, combined with the dead skin and sebum, create the pus-filled pimple.
你的免疫系統輸送血液到那區塊來作回應，造成紅腫和發炎的樣子，接著白血球細胞也會來到這個位置來清除感染。當白血球細胞死去時，它們再加上死皮和皮脂，就會造成化膿的痘痘。
If the blockage occurs under the skin, it creates a white bump known as a "whitehead," and if the blockage is above the skin and black discoloration occurs, it's known as a "blackhead." This is a result of melanin in the dead skin cells reacting with oxygen creating a black color—it's not dirt.
如果堵塞是在皮膚下，那就會產生一種叫「白頭粉刺」的白色突起，如果堵塞是在皮膚上，然後變色成黑的，那就叫「黑頭粉刺」。這是死皮細胞中的黑色素和氧起化學作用生成黑色點點的結果－－不是髒東西。
We get the most pimples when we're teens due to the increased amount of androgen hormones like testosterone in our bodies at the onset of puberty. Testosterone sends the production of sebum into overdrive, increasing the incidents of blockages. But zits can occur at any time, often brought on by stressful events. Cortisol, the stress hormone, increases the amount of inflammation in your body, meaning more red bumps on your face, and can also suppress your immune system, meaning your body can't fight the bacteria that's causing the acne. So, how do we fight the war on pimples?
我們在青少年期間長最多痘痘，因為青春期開始時體內像是睪酮之類的雄性激素數量增加。睪酮會讓皮脂的分泌失控，提高阻塞發生的機率。不過面皰任何時候都可能長出來，它們經常是由壓力事件所引發。皮質醇，又稱壓力荷爾蒙，增加體內發炎產生，代表臉上長出更多紅色突起，而皮質醇也會抑制免疫系統，就是說你的身體無法對抗造成青春痘的細菌。那麼，我們要怎麼打這場痘痘戰役呢？
For normal breakouts, cleaning your face to remove excess oil, which prevents pore blockage, and occasionally exfoliating to remove dead skin will help, although acne often cannot be solved this way. And it's important to remember that cleanliness and diet do not play a major role in acne but rather your genetics and hormones.
一般的大爆痘，清潔臉部來去除多餘油脂，那能避免毛孔阻塞，另外偶爾去角質來清除死皮都會有幫助，雖然痘痘常沒辦法靠這樣來解決。而很重要的是要記得，清潔和飲食並非影響痘痘的主因，重要的反而是你的基因遺傳和荷爾蒙。
Many drugs exist, like benzoyl peroxide, which kills specific acne-causing bacteria, salicylic acid, which helps to remove dead skin blockages, retinoids, which reduce sebum production, and a variety of others—though some drugs can have severe side effects. In women, some success has been seen with oral contraceptives, which decrease the ovaries' production of androgen hormones, ultimately decreasing sebum. Of course, consulting with a doctor over which regimen is best suited to you is always best.
目前有許多藥物，像是過氧化苯甲醯，那能消滅特定的致痘細菌，水楊酸，有助去除死皮造成的阻塞，維他命 A 酸，那能減少皮脂生成，還有其它許多藥物－－不過有些藥物可能會造成嚴重副作用。女性的話，有些吃口服避孕藥成功治痘的案例，口服避孕藥能減少卵巢製造的雄性激素，最終減少皮脂生成。當然，和醫生商量自己最適合哪一種療法永遠是最好的。
But new therapies and cures may be on the horizon with the help of science. By studying individuals who do not get acne, scientists notice something. The bacteria that typically causes acne still exists on their skin, but it's a different strain. It turns out that this same bacteria with slightly different genes causes healthier skin. Knowing this, future therapies may include a deeper look at the bacterial level and whether or not altering your skin microbiota could cure pimples.
不過有了科學的協助，新的療法和藥物可能就在眼前了。藉由研究不會長痘痘的那些人，科學家們注意到某件事。一般會致痘的細菌仍存在他們的皮膚上，不過卻是不同的菌株。研究結果發現，同樣的細菌，基因有些許不同，就會帶來比較健康的皮膚。知道這件事後，未來的療法也許能就細菌的方向做更深入的研究，以及探討改變皮膚上的微生物叢是否能治好痘痘。
- 「想出辦法、找到出路」- Find A Way
Whether it's the first day of school, a big interview, or your wedding day, pimples find a way of cropping up at the most inconvenient times.
無論是開學第一天、有一場重要面試，還是你的大喜之日，痘痘總有辦法在最麻煩的時間點冒出頭來。 - 「突然出現、冒出」- Crop Up
Whether it's the first day of school, a big interview, or your wedding day, pimples find a way of cropping up at the most inconvenient times.
無論是開學第一天、有一場重要面試，還是你的大喜之日，痘痘總有辦法在最麻煩的時間點冒出頭來。 - 「擺脫、除掉」- Get Rid Of
But why do they occur, and how do we get rid of them?
不過為什麼會長痘痘，我們又要如何甩開痘痘呢？ - 「開始起作用」- Come Into Play
And this is where bacteria come into play, feeding on the dead skin and sebum, which can unfortunately lead to infection.
細菌就是在這時開始起作用，以死皮和皮脂為養份孳生，那可能會很不幸地引發感染。 - 「以...為食、因...增長」- Feed On
And this is where bacteria come into play, feeding on the dead skin and sebum, which can unfortunately lead to infection.
細菌就是在這時開始起作用，以死皮和皮脂為養份孳生，那可能會很不幸地引發感染。 - 「導致、引起」- Lead To
And this is where bacteria come into play, feeding on the dead skin and sebum, which can unfortunately lead to infection.
細菌就是在這時開始起作用，以死皮和皮脂為養份孳生，那可能會很不幸地引發感染。 - 「因為、由於」- Due To
We get the most pimples when we're teens due to the increased amount of androgen hormones like testosterone in our bodies at the onset of puberty.
我們在青少年期間長最多痘痘，因為青春期開始時體內像是睪酮之類的雄性激素數量增加。 - 「在任何時候、隨時」- At Any Time
But zits can occur at any time, often brought on by stressful events.
不過面皰任何時候都可能長出來，它們經常是由壓力事件所引發。 - 「導致、引起」- Bring On
But zits can occur at any time, often brought on by stressful events.
不過面皰任何時候都可能長出來，它們經常是由壓力事件所引發。 - 「即將發生」- On The Horizon
But new therapies and cures may be on the horizon with the help of science.
不過有了科學的協助，新的療法和藥物可能就在眼前了。
