The cause of acne, for most sufferers, is the change of hormones within the human body upon reaching puberty.
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.
The main purpose of sebum is to maintain the suppleness of the skin, but where it occurs in over abundance, it creates more problems than it solves and is 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.
Unfortunately, many products intended to help keep skin healthy can actually become a cause of acne. This is because certain ingredients are too harsh for our skin and result in the sebaceous glands producing even more oil.
Androgens are not the only hormones that have been found to be a cause of acne. When we are exposed to stress, our bodies produce higher levels of Cortisol which has been proven to aggravate acne.
Specialists studying acne have discovered that there is a genetic link. If acne affects members of your gene sharing family, then you are unfortunately more likely to become a sufferer yourself.
Another possible cause may be the use of certain prescribed drugs, including steroids and oral contraceptives. However, there are certain types of contraceptive pill that may be prescribed as a treatment of acne and other hormone related skin problems.
There are, in women, certain medical conditions that can be the reason for acne. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) also causes excessive amounts of androgens to be produced, with lots of other unpleasant side effects.
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.
Acute inflammatory acne resulting in the development of large cysts under the surface of the skin can occur in some people. Sadly, even if the sufferer resists the urge to pick at these cysts, they usually result in scars due to their tendency to spread and rupture spontaneously.
The root cause of acne is neither a poor diet or poor hygiene, although it goes without saying that if a person does not wash their face or ensure their make-up is removed, bacteria is sure to breed on the skins surface and spots will occur.
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