Wednesday, April 18, 2007

The 5 Causes of Acne

Acne is one of the most widespread medical conditions in the world. More than 90% of all adolescents, nearly 50% of all adult women, and 25% of all adults suffer from acne, but what causes acne? Contrary to popular belief, acne is not caused by what you eat, how often you wash your face, or work out. The five causes of acne all occur beneath the surface of your skin.

1) Hormones. You already knew this, right? For most people, acne begins at puberty when the body begins to produce hormones called androgens. These hormones cause the sebaceous glands to enlarge. This is a natural part of the body's development, but in acne sufferers the sebaceous glands are overstimulated by androgens, sometimes well into adulthood. Androgens are also responsible for acne flare-ups associated with the menstrual cycle and, sometimes, pregnancy.

2) Extra sebum. When the sebaceous gland is stimulated by androgens, it produces extra sebum. As the sebum moves up the follicle towards the skin's surface, it mixes with common skin bacteria and dead skin cells that have been shed from the lining of the follicle. While this process is normal, the presence of extra sebum in the follicle increases the chances of clogging, leading to acne.

3) Bacteria. Remember that common skin bacteria mentioned above? The bacterium Propionibacterium acnes, (P. acnes for short) is part of the skin’s natural sebum maintenance system. However, once a follicle is plugged, P. acnes bacteria multiply rapidly, causing a chemical reaction we know as inflammation in the follicle and surrounding skin.

4) Inflammation. Speaking of inflammation, when your body encounters unwanted bacteria, it sends an army of white blood cells to attack the intruders. This process is called chemotaxis, or the inflammatory response. The inflammatory response is what causes pimples to become red, swollen and painful. Studies have shown that the inflammatory response is especially strong in adult women.

5) Follicle fallout. Normally, dead cells within the follicle shed gradually and are expelled onto the skin’s surface. However, in those people with overactive sebaceous glands, which includes nearly everyone during puberty, these cells are shed more rapidly. Mixed with a surplus of sebum, the dead skin cells form a plug in the follicle, preventing the skin from finishing its natural process of renewal.

The secret to managing acne is prevention and stopping this condition before pimples appear. Once you find an acne treatment that helps you accomplish this, it's important to stick with it. Even after pimples disappear, you may need to continue treatment to prevent new blemishes from appearing. It's also important to begin treatment as soon as the first signs of acne appear. The sooner you treat your acne, the less likely you are to experience permanent damage to your skin.

To find out about a clinically proven, step-by-step system for permanently curing your acne and achieving lasting clear skin faster than you ever thought possible, click here!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Many people feel that their acne is overly embarrassing and
unmanageable. I have read story after story of heartache, especially
from teens that endure heartless bullying from schoolmates. There are
so many different remedies and medications. What most people fail to
realise is that each individual has a different biological makeup and
what works for one person may not work for everyone. In some cases
certain acne treatment can adversely affect already irritated skin.
This further causes unnecessary embarrassment and frustration to an
already uncomfortable situation.
Propaganda fuels misconceptions about different so-called remedies and
even causes. The idea that chocolate and oily food causes acne. When in
truth, makeup, unhealthy skin and even perspiration can cause acne.
All of these factors affect the skin. But even your skin makeup can
affect your skin and create back acne, scalp acne, large assesses or
ingrown hair. There is an acne questionnaire done by a company called
Skinmed that will help to diagnose acne problems through a series of
questions, and then it n recommends the best acne treatment for each
individual.
Teen acne is typically the most difficult to diagnose because of
hormonal considerations, but there is a special area meant just for
teen acne that has a completely different set of rules when running the
formula that determines the best medications or treatments. In some
cases simple changes in hygiene and daily washing is all that it takes.
The site also has a free offer on acne facial cleanser that is made up
of a three step process. The primary reason most teens, especially boys
tend to have more problems with chronic acne is because of a lack of
simply washing their face regularly. So this treatment is free is a way
to create a healthy daily routine, while gently healing the skin to
prevent acne scarring brought on as a result of squeezing the sores.
Once daily cleaning is practices, and hormonal issues are taken into
consideration, a proper treatment regiment can be highly affective.
At the end of the day most acne, even teen acne , can be eliminated
quickly and permanently with the right motivation. After all, we all
want to be beautiful don’t we?
Susan Smith