Thursday, April 4, 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.

There are many products available that are supposed to maintain healthy skin and inhibit acne. However, many of them contain ingredients that are actually too harsh and trigger the sebaceous glands into the overproduction of sebum, which is the actual cause of acne.

Besides androgens, there are other hormones that have been found to be a cause of acne. Cortisol is produced at higher levels when humans are affected by stress and it has been scientifically proven to aggravate acne.

Acne can also be a hereditary condition. It does tend to run in families leading specialists to believe there may also be a genetic cause of acne.

Steroids and oral contraceptives, both prescribed drugs, have been found to be a cause of acne in some people. However, due to their varying ingredients, some types of oral contraceptives are often prescribed as an effective treatment for acne and sufferers of some other skin problems.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) occurs in some women and causes extremely high levels of androgens to be produced. Androgens are a main cause of acne and PCOS sufferers are therefore likely to develop many unpleasant symptoms including 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.

Unfortunately, in some individuals, severe inflammatory acne with large cysts develops beneath the skin's surface. Even if left alone, these cysts can rupture causing the infection to spread and usually result in scars.

Poor diet and poor hygiene though often cited are not the root cause of acne, although it is obvious that if a person fails to regularly wash their skin and remove all traces of make-up, problems with their skin will occur.




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