What Causes Acne

As you could guess, most people affected by acne are between the ages of 12 and 25 and luckily it tends to go away on it's own after this. Unfortunately, men and women in their 30s and 40s also suffer sometimes. It affects about 80% of people (so you are not alone).

If you could see through the skin you would see that it has lots of small sebaceous glands just below the surface. These glands produce an oily substance called sebum that keeps the skin smooth and supple. Tiny holes in the skin (pores) allow the sebum to come to the skin surface and allow hairs to grow.

Acne is a disorder resulting from the action of hormones (testosterone, found naturally in both men and women) and other substances. They work on the skin's oil glands (sebaceous glands) and hair follicles causing the sebaceous glands get carried away and produce much to much of the oily substances.

At the same time, the dead skin cells lining the openings of the hair follicles (the tubes that hold the hair) are not shed properly and clog up the follicles. These two effects combined cause a build-up of oil in the hair follicles.

These factors lead to plugged pores and outbreaks of lesions commonly called pimples or zits.

Acne lesions usually occur on the face, neck, back, chest, and shoulders. Although acne is usually not a serious health threat, it can be a source of significant emotional distress.

Severe acne can lead to permanent scarring.
Acne is a skin condition that usually causes at least one of the following symptoms:

blackheads (comedones)(Zits)
whiteheads
red or yellow spots
greasy skin
scars

Acne affects all skin colours and the causes of acne are exactly the same in people with white, black or brown skin but the visual appearance will appear different.

For some people, their acne does not progress beyond this stage. However in other people, the build-up of oil in the hair follicles creates an ideal environment for a bacterium called Propionibacterium acnes to grow.
Luckily these bacteria normally live harmlessly on your skin minding their own business but when this ideal environment is created, they grow. They greedily feed off the sebum and produce substances that cause your body's immune system to react. This inflames the skin and creates the redness associated with spots.

In more severe 'inflammatory acne', cysts develop beneath the skin's surface. These acne cysts can rupture, spreading the infection into nearby skin tissue. This can cause the scarring.

Acne is not contagious, so you cannot catch it.

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Slaying Acne, it is possible!!

This is my first post on the horrors of Acne. Luckily I no longer suffer from Acne but I remember well the effects it had on me. If you are still suffering from Acne then keep this site bookmarked as I will show you the acne remedies and acne creams that actually work. I will also explain what the main causes are and how your diet can effect Acne. Don't despair, the Slayer is here.