Healthy living

Knowledge is one of the best weapons in the fight against acne; knowing what causes acne, it’s easy to derive a good plan of attack. Teens are the group that is most likely to get acne. Over 85% of teens have to cope with the problem, which is really aggravating. It’s at this period in their life that hormone levels increase along with androgen in both males and females.

The largest amount of acne occurs on the back, upper chest, and unfortunately on the face. This occurs because the sebaceous glands are now actively manufacturing sebum. We can’t eliminate the sebum, because the body needs it for the hair follicles. Washing the excess oil off using soap and water, or alcohol eliminates the problem. Except the acne could form blackheads.

The problem worsens when the pores close and become clogged from excess sebum. This can cause whiteheads to form, and they can burst from increasing pressure. This transfers the bacteria to the outside of your face, for instance and it gets distributed. Next step, the bacteria can create pus and inflammation, which causes acne.

So, have you ever wondered how much stress can affect your acne? Let’s take a look, because stress seems to be a normal part of life, you can’t get rid of it. Fortunately, stress by itself doesn’t produce acne, but it can make it worse because the immune system gets pulled down, and then your body is not able to fight the bacteria that are causing your acne. But, it isn’t a major factor.

I have been asked how much effect do illegal drugs have on acne. This is really one factor that you shouldn’t have to consider. You need to stop using drugs. If you don’t, you are going to have a lot more problems than acne. But, I’ll give you the dermatologist opinion. The conclusion, anabolic steroids, barbiturates, and tetracycline can be a major contributor to acne.

Is genetics an area of concern in the acne arena? It may have an effect, but it hasn’t been proven by concrete drug studies yet. But, acne can be inherited. And, that’s partly due to life in the home.

This is a question I get all the time, and everyone is always amazed at my answer. It’s actually a more minor cause. Certain foods that are greasy, don’t translate into increased oil in the skin. And, any food that tends to increase the production of sebum (oil) or certain hormones will have an effect. But, there wasn’t any study that suggests that the common culprits-soft drinks, chocolate and greasy cheeseburgers-play a large role in producing acne.

In conclusion, the two major culprits are hormones, and the sebum (oil) in the pores. And usually, during the teen years, the hormones are more active because your body is maturing, and that will cause more sebum (oil) to be secreted. That will mix with bacteria deep down in the pores, and the pores become blocked, which results in acne.