GC: n

S: https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/acne-and-rosacea/acne (last access: 22 March 2016); http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Acne/acne_ff.asp (last access: 22 March 2016); http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/acne/features/10-myths-and-facts-about-adult-acne (last access: 22 March 2016).

N: 1. 1813, from Modern Latin, from aknas, a 6c. Latin clerical misreading of Greek akmas, accusative plural of akme “point” (see acme). The “pointed” pimples are the source of the medical use.
2. Acne, any inflammatory disease of the sebaceous, or oil, glands of the skin. There are some 50 different types of acne. In common usage, the term acne is frequently used alone to designate acne vulgaris, or common acne, probably the most prevalent of all chronic skin disorders.
Acne vulgaris results from an interplay of heredity factors, hormones, and bacteria. In susceptible individuals, it begins in the teen years, being caused by overactive sebaceous glands, which are stimulated by the upsurge in the circulating level of male sex hormones that accompanies the onset of puberty.

S: 1. OED – http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=acne (last access: 22 March 2016). 2. EncBrit – http://global.britannica.com/science/acne (last access: 22 March 2016).

SYN:
S:

CR: acme