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What Really Does and Doesn’t Lead to Acne?

October 7, 2008


The unfortunate truth is that many people around the world suffer from acne on a day to day basis. This skin condition is often times viewed as an annoyance and can even lead to severe self-esteem issues among some acne sufferers. To better understand how to treat acne, it's a good idea to first understand where acne comes from. This article covers the truth about what does (and does not) causes acne.

Outbreaks Causes by Hormones

An excess of hormones in the body is one factor that lead to acne outbreaks. In fact, often times, women see acne outbreaks that are more severe during certain points in their menstrual cycle. This is also why teens are more vulnerable to acne outbreaks - because of the extra hormones produced by the body during puberty. In addition, an increased level of stress can sometimes cause acne outbreaks. Stress fires up your adrenal glands, causing them to produce more hormones.

Dirt Isn't a Cause

Blackheads are a common occurrence with people who have acne. And because of the way blackheads look, many people simply assume that it's dirt that's causing the acne outbreaks. But in reality, it's not a lack of personal hygeine that causes acne. Those blackheads are usually made up of keratin, which is a substance found in skin and hair cells. They're not made of dirt. But because acne is caused by unshed skill cells that end up blocking your pores, blackheads often show up. This is really another symptom of acne, not a cause and not a reason to think someone with acne is somehow an unclean person.

Bacteria and It's Link to Acne

As mentioned before, acne forms when your pores are clogged. But the other half of that story is that when your pores are clogged, bacteria infects your pores. Like all bacteria, they breed and multiply, causing the unsightly inflammations we'd all like to get rid of. Whiteheads that form are actually a defensve response from your immune system and most of the liquid they contain is actually white blood cells. Whiteheads might be unsightly, but they're a sure sign that your body is doing its part to fight the invading bacteria.

Foods That Can Cause Acne?

There's still a lot of debate as to whether or not foods can really cause acne. We're all familiar with age-old advice like avoiding chocolate and fried foods. And while there might be other benefits for doing so, there's no solid connection between either of these foods and acne. Some studies have shown that milk might be a cause for acne though, likely due to the hormones found in milk. However, for the most part, any legitimate connection between food and causes for acne is up in the air.

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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