Causes Of Acne

June 3rd, 2009, Posted in Causes

If you really want to know quick home remedies for acne, it’s important to know what causes acne. With just a little bit of knowledge it will be easier for you to distinguish between home remedies that are likely to work and those that aren’t!

Scientifically, the reason acne starts is because the follicles in the skin becomes clocked. White heads are then caused by the skin pores becoming clocked by an oil that occurs naturally in the skin. Under certain conditions a bacteria that is naturally found on the body can cause inflammation. This is what causes puffiness, redness and in the most severe cases permanent scarring.

Acne is a complex problem and because of that it’s very difficult to understand exactly why it happens. It is thought to be hereditary in some - but not all - cases. It is defiitely more common during adolescence when a teenager is going through puberty which is unfortuantely one of the wost times it could happen as many teenagers already have low self esteem. The reasons it occurs more often at this time is due to an increase in the hormone androgen in the body. However acne can begin at any time during a persons lifetime - it is just more likely to happen in puberty.

While acne isn’t easy to get rid of, there are plenty of acne skin care products on the market that claim to do so.

There are many other causes of acne, some are proven while others are yet to be conclusively proved. These include:

  • Stress. It has been shown that in some cases the severity of acne is increased when a person is highly stressed. This can be made worse by the fact that acne itself often causes high stress for the person who has it.
  • Bacteria in the skin pores can also make acne worse which is why antibiotics are now starting to be used to treat acne.
  • Hyperactive sebaceous glands can also cause acne
  • The effect of diet on acne has been a point of immense debate. It has been shown that chocolate is not a cause of acne as many people still think, instead it may actually help acne due to some complicated scientific reasons. A high in carbohydrate diet may worsen acne although this has yet to be completely proven, although studies are currently ongoing.

Androgen isn’t the only hormone that can cause acne. High amounts of testosterone as well as several others can also cause it. There are various other factors that may cause/worsen acne but these are the most common.

Overview of Acne

June 3rd, 2009, Posted in General

Home remedies for acne are fairly numerous, which isn’t a surprise as it is a very common problem affecting many people worldwide - especially teenagers. Before thinking about home remedies and cures for acne it is important to have a basic understanding of what acne actually is.

The first thing you should do is go and talk to a doctor if you are worried about having acne. He or she will be able to provide you with the latest scientific research on the subject as well as advise you on the appropriate form of treatment specifically for you.

Acne is actually a set of rashes of the skin that are caused by various different reasons. Most people refer to acne as a bad outbreak of spots on a persons face, although it is an actual medical condition that affects millions of people in the US alone.

While acne is generally not a physically serious disease it can cause many psychological problems such as a loss of confidence, and may also leave visible scars on the skin in most cases.

Acne is caused by a change in the Sebaceous glands in the skin. There are two distinct visible forms - noninflammatory and inflammatory and affects the skin on the face and neck due to the high density of sebaceous follicles there. It is most common on teenagers going through adolescence due to an increase in the male hormones. These hormones actually occur in both sexes so it’s not only men who have problems with acne. The symptoms of acne can persist past adolescence though.

In its most severe cases acne can not only cause a loss of self esteem but also depression. This isn’t helped by the fact that many teenagers already feel insecure and unconfident about their bodies and looks - acne is just the final straw in many cases.

There are many myths about the causes of acne- the majority of them not found to relate to scientific evidence. For example many people think that easting a lot of chocolate can cause acne when this isn’t supported by many science studies that have been performed on this matter. In fact, it is possible that for complicated reasons chocolate could actually help in preventing and getting rid of chocolate (although that isn’t 100% certain yet). However there is some evidence that high-glycemic foods may help to cause acne, although scientists say that more research is needed in this case.