Causes of Acne
If you are plagued with acne, it is best to find out what’s behind it, so that you can find a meaningful and lasting solution to it. In trying to get information on the causes of acne and the possible treatments, you need to be more cautious about where you go and what information you get there, so that you will not be confused or misled.
You may have long been wondering what causes acne and probably have not been able to find any meaningful solution to this big puzzle. Well, here’s the true revelation of the cause of this skin ailment. Acne is a disorder of the pilosebaceous unit; this unit comprises of the hair follicle, the hair and the sebaceous gland. Apart from few parts of the body, the components of the pilosebaceous unit are found at every other part of the body. The exceptions are the soles of the feet, the palms, the lower lip and the top of the feet.
The pilosebaceous unit components are more on certain parts of the body than others; those parts are the face, the chest and the upper neck. The substance that is responsible for the moisturizing of the skin and hair is produced by the sebaceous glands; this substance is known as sebum. The sebaceous gland gets larger in adolescence, thereby producing more sebum. The production of more sebum by the sebaceous gland during adolescence is greatly influenced by certain hormones known as the androgens. However, the production of sebum gets smaller again after the teenage years. So, how does acne develop from the processes decried.
What Causes Acne
Acne is not caused by a single factor; there are many factors that influence the birth of this skin condition. The sad part of it all is that most of these factors are beyond your control. As noted earlier, the rate of sebum production is impacted by hormone balance which varies constantly. There’s also the role of genetics in the development of acne and its resistant to certain treatments. In essence, your family history can also be pointed at when asking how this skin condition came to be. Acne is traceable to some major factors which include:
Causes of Acne #1 Hormones
Most people who have acne can have their problems traced to puberty years, the period in which the androgens hormones are produced. The enlargement of the sebaceous glands by the androgens is something that occurs naturally. However, there is overstimulation of the sebaceous gland by androgens in those plagued with acne. In some individuals, this overstimulation extends to their adulthood.
Causes of Acne #2 Follicle Shedding
Naturally, the dead cells found within the follicle falls out slowly onto the surface of the skin. However, the sebaceous glands are overactive in certain individuals and almost in every person during puberty. This results in an increased shedding of the dead cells. When the dead skin cell combines with excess of sebum, a plug is formed in the follicle, interrupting the completion of the skin’s natural renewal process. This is also one of the major causes of acne.
Causes of Acne #3 Improper Washing of the Skin
Apart from the causes of acne that are beyond your control here are some more which you can avoid. To get rid of acne, you have to clean your skin. To make acne a whole lot worse, wash it the wrong way. Most people who have acne are very determined to “clear up” their skin. They rub harsh cleansers on their skin, making sure they foam, then they rub the skin with a hot washcloth -usually the same one they used the day before- and rub the skin dry with a towel. The problem with this approach is that heavy-duty skin cleansers lift tiny flakes of dead skin without completely removing them. The flakes can lodge over pores, tracking acne bacteria and the skin’s lubricating oil, sebum, inside. The bacteria consume the sebum and emit peroxides as a waste product, but these stinging, burning, reddening peroxides cannot escape because the pore is blocked.
Drying acne-affected skin by rubbing it with a towel is one of the major causes of acne. The towel positions dry flakes of skin over pores as it spreads acne bacteria where they have not gone before. Dirty towels, of course, spread even more bacteria and dead skin cells, making improper washing a major cause of acne. A better approach is to use a gentle cleanser (it does not necessarily have to foam) by applying it lightly with the fingertips to areas of skin where acne has broken out. Allow the cleanser to set on the skin, and then remove with lukewarm (not cold and not hot) water. Cold water tightens pores trapping debris inside; hot water causes skin to flake. Then pat skin dry with a clean towel you use only once before laundering.
Causes of Acne #4 Drying Out the Skin
Next to improper washing, nothing causes more acne breakouts than attempts to dry out the skin. The conventional wisdom is that since acne has to do with oil trapped in pores, getting oil out of the skin will prevent it. The problem with this reasoning is that drying out the skin makes it tight and inflexible, trapping oil in pores! Drying out the skin actually makes acne worse, and it has the side effect of creating wrinkles. Instead of drying out the skin, moisturize it. The skin needs moisture to stay supple and flexible. Supple skin allows pores to stay open so they can drain sebum, which can then be washed away twice a day with a gentle cleanser applied with warm water.
Causes of Acne #5 Covering Up Acne the Wrong Way
If you have a great big zit, it’s natural to want to hide it. The thing to remember is that before you cover up acne with concealer, you need to make sure your skin is both clean and exfoliated. Exfoliation is nothing more than removing dead skin cells. You can do this with a commercial skin peeler, or you can use any facial pack you make at home. It is important to remove dead, dry skin so it does not get trapped over pores when you use makeup. If you use makeup, apply your base makeup with clean fingertips in gentle, long strokes covering your entire face evenly. Then cover up red spots with green concealer. Since green pimples are even less attractive than red, next apply concealer in your flesh tone over your entire face. It’s important to choose the right flesh tone for your concealer to look natural. It’s also important to spread it evenly rather than to slap in on. But it is critical that you clean your face twice a day and exfoliate about once a week to prevent your concealer from actually making your acne worse.
In addition to the factors listed above, a particular bacteria called Propionibacterium acnes, is also known as a cause of acne. Now that you know the cause(s) of acne, it will be much easier to know what treatments to seek.
