What Are The Causes Of Acne?
Acne is widespread and common.It seems to be an inevitable part of adolescence, almost a rite of passage.For the worst of reasons, suffering from acne is a memorable part of the experience of growing up for a lot of people.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.There are millions of pores on your skin. These pores are tiny openings which may or may not have a tiny hair growing up through them.At the base of these pores are the small oil producing sebaceous glands. The name of the oil they produce is sebum.
Sebum helps to keep normal, non-acne skin healthy by keeping it smooth and moisturized. It is produced by the glands and works its way up through the pore onto the surface of the skin. Sebum not only helps to keep your skin moist, but it also helps to carry away things like bacteria and dead skin cells. It is sort of like nature’s way of getting rid of the “garbage” that inevitably gathers on your skin.
The result of any interruption to this natural process is acne.This happens when the body has to learn to deal with an increase in hormone production, adolescence for example.Hormone fluctuations during this learning process can have a number of consequences, the onset of acne being a particularly noticeable one.
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 visible end result will be swelling, inflammation, infection, and skin tenderness all due to the bacterial activity inside the clogged pore.
The next part of the process is when whiteheads, blackheads, and pimples, amongst other acne lesions begin to form on your skin. It is these common lesions that make up what we know as acne, that troublesome rite of passage that causes so much pain and difficulty for some people.
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 – A prescription from a doctor is not always required for these top quality medications.These medications perform a variety of tasks on your skin, by helping to reduce the amount of sebum produced and limiting the quantity of bacteria on your skin, the process of removing dead skin cells will be improved.
• Moisturize your skin – Moist and healthy skin is better able to overcome acne, so don’t let your skin get too dry.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.
Understanding what causes acne makes it much easier to live with and deal with acne each day.You have taken an important first step in minimizing your acne problems. Now you have the right information, put it to use!
