Acne Product Reviews & Reports

Posts Tagged ‘acne explained’

What causes acne you ask?

Understanding the causes of acne is one large step forward in helping you to learn how to get rid of pimples fast.

Pimples are one of the most prevalent skin condition faced by modern day man. While it is perceived to be a young person’s disease, actually it can occur at any age, from infancy onwards.

Blackeads are a disorder of the pilosebaceous unit. This is made up of a skin follicle or pore, a sebaceous gland, and a hair, and occur almost anywhere on the body, excepting the palms of the hands, the soles and tops of the feet, and the lower lip. Pimples are most common on the face, chest, shoulders, upper arms, and back.

The sebaceous gland produces an oil known as sebum. This sebum behaves as a natural moisturiser for the skin . If any of the skin follicles are blocked, the sebaceous gland is no longer able to secret sebum, and dirt and bacteria may enter the pore, causing it to becom infected and this causes acne to occur.

With the onset of puberty, these glands produce more sebum because of the increased production of particular hormones called androgens (i.e. male sex hormones). After puberty, the creation of sebum gradually normalises. So, during puberty, the formation of acne is more common, explaining why it is perceived as a teenaged condition. In reality, the onset of acne becomes more noticeable while in any time of heightend hormonal activity such as menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause.

Acne occurs in two main forms, namely inflammatory and non-inflammatory.

Non-inflammatory acne is more commonly thought of as either blackheads or whiteheads. Whiteheads occur when the bacterium in the follicle and the sebum stay under the surface of the epidermis and is usually not detectible. Once the bacteria and sebum push through the surface of the skin and oxidise, it forms a more visible spot or blackhead.

Inflammatory acne is noticeable as pimples or cysts. Pimples appear when the cell walls of the follicle {rupture}break and white blood cells unintentionally block the follicle in their haste to mend the break. This becomes visible as a large bump. A cyst occurs when the inflamed lesion breaks and causes the surrounding skin and follicles to become inflamed.

Some of the common causes of acne are: the male sex hormone, androgen; particular hair products, make-ups, steroids and hormonal drugs. Genes can also play a role in causing acne. Despite contemporary thought, acne is not caused by dirt, and in actual fact, over scrubbing of the skin can worsen the outbreak.