Friday, April 19, 2013

Causes of Acne - What are they?

By Allan Johns


The cause of acne, for most sufferers, is the change of hormones within the human body upon reaching puberty.

About 80% of all adolescents are affected at some point, with spots and pimples occurring on the face, back, chest and neck of the individual. Androgens, a type of hormone, can trigger the sebaceous glands into the over-production of sebum (oil), which is usually the main cause of acne.

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

Bacteria forms on the surface of the skin when the skins own oil, combined with dead skin cells, blocks pores providing a breeding ground for bacteria. This then becomes a cause of acne and spots appear due to the multiplying of the bacteria inside the blocked pore.

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.

Other hormones besides androgens have been found to be a cause of acne. Cortisol is produced as a result of stress and studies have proved that acne can be aggravated by it's rising levels.

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.

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.

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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