ABSTRACT
Sebum is a hallmark characteristic of oily skin, which typifies or is usually associated with acne-prone skin. The goal of this chapter is to present recent findings regarding the macromolecular structure of sebum and the influence of variations in composition of sebum on that macromolecular structure. It is further intended to discuss how these findings might relate to the pathogenesis of acne. In order to introduce a basis for this research, a brief review of the current knowledge of the composition of sebum is in order, although some repetition of information in other chapters on this subject is likely. After this review, the results of the thermal analysis of model sebum using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) are presented along with an attempt to provide an explanation of the phase behavior, as it relates to sebum composition and to variations in the composition that might occur as part of a disease state such as acne. Further studies of the influence of vehicles on the phase behavior are presented, along with a discussion of how an imbalance in typical phase behavior may be relevant to the pathogenesis of acne.
