What Causes Acne?

Acne Defined…

The American Heritage Dictionary defines “acne” as an inflammatory disease of the sebaceous glands and hair follicles of the skin that is marked by the eruption of pimples or pustules, especially on the face. This scientific definition is just a bunch of fancy words for the pimples and zits that many acne sufferers deal with on a daily basis. Basically, we identify acne as the annoying and embarrassing red, white, and black heads that appear all over your body with the highest concentration usually on your face. While we are familiar with the definition of acne, the main question is what causes acne in the first place?

Acne is the result of four main events that take place in your body. Let’s take a look at these processes in detail.

Step-by-Step Process Of What Causes Acne…

Event #1:

Your pores contain hair follicles. These hair follicles have sebaceous glands attached to them. The sebaceous glands produce sebum which is an oily mixture. Sebum is normally your skin’s friend in that it maintains your skin’s health and softness by lubricating it. However, sometimes dead skin cells attach to the sebum. These dead skin cells are known as keratinocytes. These keratinocytes then plug up your pores. This plug prevents additional sebum from coming out of your pores.

Event #2:

The keratinocytes have plugged up your pores. The sebum tries to help your skin out by producing more sebum. However, due to the plugged pore, the sebum has nowhere to go. This causes the constantly produced sebum to create a balloon.

Event #3:

The balloon of sebum builds up. Your body contains bacteria that are actually safe. Not all bacteria are bad. Many bacteria actually serve to protect your skin. However, while the sebum builds up in the plugged pore, the bacteria invade the sebum balloon. The bacteria then attack the sebum.

Event #4:

Your body tries to save your skin by attacking the bacteria. It does this by sending extra blood filled with antibodies and white corpuscles to the plugged pore. This blood creates an inflammation. The unfortunate side effect of this inflammation is that it causes your body to make even more acne. It is a viscous cycle.

So how can you stop what causes acne dead in its tracks? There are four steps you can take to end the vicious cycle of acne. First, you need to avoid creating a clog of pores from the sebum and dead cells in the first place. Second, you need to clean out any clogged pores by unplugging the clog and getting rid of any left over sebum. Third, you need to kill the bacteria in the pore and around the pore. Lastly, you need to find a way to stop or minimize the inflammation so that you don’t end up creating more acne.

There are many causes of acne. This article has shown how acne is caused at a scientific level. The cruel cycle of acne can be caused by poor hygiene and even tight clothing. Acne is also based on a genetic component. This means that if your family has a history of acne then you are prone to suffer as well. Acne is a common condition and you can find several acne treatments available that will help alleviate the physical and emotional pain of acne.