What causes Acne!
What do we try to avoid something like the plague? Acne! Acne appears on face, neck, chest, shoulders and back. Nothing grosses us out when we get pimples, breakouts or acne! Whatever you want to call it, it stresses us out on the very first sight of a pimple! But why do we get such disgusting acne in the first place? Before we even get into the treatments, we need to learn the actual causes of why some of us get acne.
Here is the number of reasons behind getting acne:
Hormones: Puberty may contribute to the increase of acne. Increased androgen can be culprit here. Androgen are sex hormones which increase during the times of puberty in boys and girls. These hormones cause the sebaceous glands to become enlarged and produce more sebum. Sebum is skin's natural lubricant and help trap the moist. Acne begins when sebum mixes with skin's dead cells and as a result, skin's pores get clogged. In the end, bacteria grows in this nasty mixture. This mixture can leak into the surrounding areas and cause pimples. It is not only teenagers getting affected by acne, menstrual cycles, hormonal changes happening during the times of pregnancy or when women are using oral contraceptives can all be the reason behind this dilemma. In these instances, sebum production is affected and the end result is acne.
Infection from the Bacteria: Sometimes bacteria that normally lives on our skin gets all tangled up inside the clogged pores and gets trapped. The villain is called propioni bacteria. Once it is inside the clogged pores, it thrives and grows like hell. That is why sometimes doctors prescribe antibiotics for the acne.
Inflammation: This is an inflammatory process which happens due to bacterial infection. The bacterial infection causes inflammation in the pores and if left untreated, scarring and changes in skin color can happen. If these inflammation is deep enough, nodules, blackheads and white heads can occur in the skin. If there is high levels of bacteria on the skin plus systemic inflammation, then there is a full fledged acne present.
Genetics or heredity: Genetics can play a part in the cause of getting acne. Acne can be inherited from parents and relatives. Some people produce more oil than others usually due to genetics.
Diet: Certain foods can bring the onset of acne like dairy, foods rich in carbohydrates or infamous chocolate. However, there is no definitive evidence which links certain foods which causes acne.
Stress: There have been few studies that indicate stress can cause or worsen acne. But we need far more research and evidence to proof that it is really the case. One way stress can cause acne is due to hormonal imbalances.
