What Are The Causes Of Acne?

Acne is widespread and common.Only the lucky minority will avoid it as their transition through adolescence gains pace.  It is not a lot of fun to suffer from acne, making it one of the most bothersome parts of growing up.The first step to take in your quest to become free from it, is to understand what causes acne in the first place.

What causes acne?

The physical structure of your facial skin offers an insight into the causes of acne.  Your skin has millions of pores, tiny openings in the surface of your skin; many of these pores also have tiny hairs growing up through them as well.  If you follow the pore down into the skin you will find small oil producing glands called sebaceous glands; the oil they produce is called sebum.

Sebum helps to keep normal, non-acne skin healthy by keeping it smooth and moisturized.It does this by working it’s way up through the pore until it reaches the skin surface.  Sebum not only helps to keep your skin moist, but it also helps to carry away things like bacteria and dead skin cells.You can’t stop your skin getting dirty, but it is comforting to know that nature has provided a ready made solution.

Unfortunately, disruption to this natural process inevitably leads to acne.This happens when the body has to learn to deal with an increase in hormone production, adolescence for example.These changes in hormone levels during the learning process can cause many difficulties, the development of acne being one of them.

How acne actually forms

When your body produces extra hormones, it causes the sebaceous glands under the skin to produce much more sebum than before.The action of these hormones can also make it much more difficult for the skin’s pores to get rid of the dead skin cells.  The result is a clogged pore in which bacteria, dead skin cells, and sebum combine into a mixture that leads to swelling, inflammation, infection, and skin tenderness.

The next part of the process is when whiteheads, blackheads, and pimples, amongst other acne lesions begin to form on your skin.Together all these lesions are affectionately known as acne, something only the lucky few will avoid.

Living and dealing with acne

While there is no way to 100% get rid of acne problems, there are a number of things you can do to make living with it and dealing with it easier.  These include:

• Cleanse your skin – Use a gentle facial cleanser twice per day to help get rid of excess oils, dead skin cells, and bacteria.Scrubbing your skin can lead to more acne because of the irritation. Gentle cleansing is always best.
• Apply anti-acne medication – Not all medications require a prescription. There are excellent options available over the counter.  These medications help to reduce the production of sebum, encourage the removal of dead skin cells, and cut down on the amount of bacteria on your skin.
• Moisturize your skin – Avoid letting your skin get too dry and you will find your acne problems diminishing.As too much natural oil is a contributory factor in getting acne in the first place, it makes sense to choose an oil-free moisturizer.

Living with acne day after day is easier if you know what you are dealing with.All that remains now is for you use the information you have discovered!