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What Does And Does Not Cause Acne?

August 18, 2007


Many people have suffered from acne at one time in their lives. This skin affliction, though it's common, has negative connotations attached to it that cause self-esteem issues among some. In addition to these negative connotations that this affliction has, there are misconceptions over what causes people to suffer from it. In order to better understand the truth about what causes acne and to better understand how to treat it, let's discuss what can and can't lead to an outbreak of this skin problem.

Hormones Lead To Outbreaks

One thing that is often linked to acne outbreaks is the presence of extra hormones in the body. For women, this can mean that outbreaks are more severe during one point in the menstrual cycle than during others. In all people, the extra hormones the body produces during puberty often results in outbreaks of acne, making it a normal part of growing up. In the same way, increased stress often leads to an outbreak, since stress stimulates the adrenal glands to produce more hormones.

Dirt Is Not A Culprit

Often, the appearance of acne on the face includes blackheads, which are little black spots in the skin. Because of the way these look, people often misinterpret acne as a result of dirt on the face, meaning that those with acne have poor personal hygiene. In reality, those black spots are usually composed of keratin, which is the substance that makes up skin and hair cells. Because this affliction is caused by unshed skin cells blocking pores, these black spots often show. This is normal, and reflects a symptom, not a cause.

Bacteria

The ultimate cause of acne is small bacteria that infect the clogged pores mentioned. These bacteria breed and result in the inflammation that usually shows itself as reddened skin or as pimples. The whiteheads that often form from these pimples come from your body's immune response, with that white fluid consisting mostly of white blood cells. So though whiteheads are unsightly, it's a sign that your body is working to wipe out the bacteria.

Food As A Contributor

Currently, the jury is still out as to how much or how little food contributes to outbreaks of acne. While old-fashioned suggestions for preventing outbreaks includes cutting out things such as chocolate and fried foods, studies have not proved that easing up on consuming either definitely helps. Milk, however is a culprit in causing acne, though doctors aren't sure why yet; they suspect it's the hormones in the milk. Similarly, some studies have suggested that cultures in which few people eat refined sugars have fewer cases of acne, but since outbreaks are sometimes determined by genetics, that's not certain yet. However, with this information at your fingertips, perhaps you will better understand what can and can't cause outbreaks of this skin problem.

Written by AcneCure · Filed Under Acne Basics 

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Teens

Teen Acne

Acne is one of the great misfortunes of teenagers. It is a common, chronic skin disorder that is caused by the inflammation of oil-producing sebaceous glands. Acne usually occurs on the face, neck, back and chest and usually begins between the ages of ten and thirteen and then continues for five to ten years.

Teenagers, both men and women, obtain acne in equal numbers and there are numerous causes. It is worth noting that younger males are generally more prone to acute and long-term acne, while many younger women suffer from hormonal acne, due to the hormonal changes that are associated to their menstrual cycle. To some degree, acne causes personal anguish for most teenagers. It can definitely lower the person’s self esteem. So, if you (or a loved one) are currently feeling depressed and embarrassed because of unsightly acne, don’t despair. Several acne treatments for teenagers are out there.

Acne treatments for teens generally vary according to the method of application and their purpose. Most of these acne treatments have promised to help prevent acne formation, but some of them failed to fulfill such promise. Below are a few of the acne treatments typically used for teenage acne.

Over-the-Counter Products

A number of non-prescription acne treatments are now available in most local drug stores. The typical treatments of this form include various acne cleansers, astringents, moisturizers, as well as pimple creams. Some of them help to unplug the whiteheads and blackheads, while the others help skin shedding. It terms of the application of these acne treatments for teenagers, some experts typically suggest giving such over-the-counter products around six to eight weeks to work before expecting huge results. However, if there is no improvement in the condition during that time, there are some other options for treating teenage acne that should be considered.

Oral and Topical Antibiotics

Most of the oral and topical antibiotics are samples of “prescription only” treatments for acne. The topical antibiotics, in particular, are deemed effective acne treatments for teenagers since they can help fight acne by killing off the bacteria that infect the pores. On the other hand, oral antibiotics are acne treatments that affect the entire body, therefore they can cause serious and unfavorable side effects. Both of these forms of acne treatments for teens are now commonly recommended, even taking into account some of the side effects.

Vitamin A Derivatives

Vitamin A derivatives are great teen acne treatments since they prevent skin cells from clumping together and encourage the skin to shed. These acne treatments for teenagers are usually applied once a day, but just like some of the other acne treatments for teens mentioned earlier, they too have certain side effects such as dryness, redness, and irritation, even birth defects.

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