Friday, April 5, 2013

Causes of Acne - What are they?

By Allan Johns


Upon reaching puberty, our bodies experience an enormous change in the production levels of various hormones, which have been found to be the root cause of acne.

Usually affecting the face, neck, back and chest, acne occurs in about 80% of teenagers at some time in their teen years to either a greater or lesser degree. Upon reaching puberty, hormones called androgens are produced and these hormones can cause overstimulation of oil (sebum) producing sebaceous glands.

Intended to keep the skin supple and smooth, the sebaceous glands produce extra oil, which can unfortunately be the underlying cause of acne.

When oil on the skins surface combines with dead skin cells and bacteria, pores become blocked. This then becomes a cause of acne and the bacteria inside the blocked pore starts to multiply, resulting in spots and pimples.

You will find shops stock a wide range of products that are supposed to keep the skin healthy and retard the development of spots, pimples and other skin afflictions. However, they often contain ingredients which are simply too harsh for human skin, resulting in the over production of sebum which is the actual cause of acne.

Androgens are not the only hormones that have been found to be a cause of acne. When we are exposed to stress, our bodies produce higher levels of Cortisol which has been proven to aggravate acne.

Unfortunately, our genes can be a cause of acne as it has been found to also be a hereditary condition. Specialists who have studied acne within families believe we are more likely to develop the condition if other family members are also sufferers.

Another possible cause may be the use of certain prescribed drugs, including steroids and oral contraceptives. However, there are certain types of contraceptive pill that may be prescribed as a treatment of acne and other hormone related skin problems.

Androgens are perhaps the most common cause of acne and the sufferers of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) have extremely high levels of androgens as it is one of the symptoms of the condition. Therefore, PCOS sufferers are highly likely to develop skin problems and acne.

Severe scarring is often caused by acne, leaving the sufferer with unpleasant marks on their skin that often remain for life. However, the chances of scarring can be greatly reduced if the urge to pick and squeeze spots is resisted as these actions can cause the infection to travel deeper into the skin tissue, causing extensive damage.

Large, very painful cysts are the result of acute inflammatory acne. These large cysts, lying under the surface of the skin can result in scarring more often than not, as they tend to spread and rupture even if they are left alone and not picked and squeezed at. This type of acne can be the most distressing for the individual.

Contrary to popular belief, the root cause of acne is not either a poor diet or poor hygiene, although if you don't wash your face or remove make-up, bacteria will then be able to multiply on your skin.




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