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

This question checks whether we know exactly which skin structure acne vulgaris comes from, not just the oil gland in general.

1. Pilosebaceous glands: The pilosebaceous unit is the hair follicle plus its attached sebaceous gland. Acne needs both parts, the follicle gets blocked by dead skin cells and trapped sebum from the gland, forming the comedone that starts the disease. This fits best.
2. Eccrine glands: These make plain sweat for cooling the body and have no link to comedone formation or acne.
3. Apocrine glands: Found in the armpits and groin, tied to body smell and diseases like hidradenitis suppurativa, not acne.
4. Sebaceous glands: Part of the story, since they overproduce oil, but naming the gland alone leaves out the blocked follicle, which is just as important to how the comedone forms.

Because acne needs both the follicle and the gland working together to form a comedone, the more complete and correct answer is the pilosebaceous unit.

Let's summarize:

• Acne starts with follicular plugging plus excess sebum from the sebaceous gland.
• The structure that combines both is the pilosebaceous unit.

So acne vulgaris involves the pilosebaceous glands.