Advice on What Causes Acne

Today acne is becoming and issue affecting all different ages of people, even though it is particularly dreaded by teenagers. However, there are no doubts the fact that teenagers are more likely to suffer from the problem as compared with others. In fact, there are numerous treatment products available that can help alleviate the condition Therefore, it definitely pays to learn what causes acne before you look for treatment methods for the skin condition. The skin disorder, acne, occurs when skin gets inflamed. You won't be able to take action with this disorder as effectively as possible if you don't understand what causes acne.
Some people are of the option that what causes acne really is disruption of male hormones (testosterone) though in fact, it is really an intense kind of response to testosterone by the body that causes acne. Usually people will grow out of their acne. While we grow older acne symptoms tend to slow down and rarely show up, except for the few of us who are lucky enough to be an except to this rule.
Also, there are several misconceptions when it comes to what causes acne that need to be eliminated. As a matter of fact, many of the commercials that deal with selling acne products help propagate the misconceptions.
To break it all down, there is a quite a bit to be learned about what causes acne, and in general, acne. Puberty is certainly a time in a person's life when the risk of acne is greatest. This is the time when the body starts to produce testosterone which is converted into dihydrotesterone which in turn, causes secretion of oil. If you have to much secretion, oil is going to block pores and cause acne. Another way to look at what causes acne is understanding that a condition known as retention hyperkeratosis makes the body produce too many skin cells.Actually, it is much more than our bodies could shed or get rid of. Now this causes extra skin cells to clog up the pores of the skin. Along with excess oil and skin cells, too much dirt and bacteria could cause acne - especially if they can grow close to the skins surface.
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What Causes Acne?

Acne is a disorder that is caused by the sebaceous gland of the skin. This gland is more commonly known as the hair follicle. The skin is covered with these tiny openings. The only exceptions to this are the bottom of the feet, the palms of the hand, the top of the feet, and the lower part of the lips. The chest, upper part of the neck, and the face are the parts of the body with the most sebaceous glands on them. This is what causes acne to be more common in these areas.

Sebum is secreted by the sebaceous glands. This substance is what is responsible for the hair and skin staying soft and moisturized. When an individual is in the teens or pubescent years, these glands are larger than normal and the amount of sebum produced is being controlled by the large amounts of hormones in the body. Once the individual makes it to around twenty years of age, the amount of secretion will begin to go down as the hormone levels regulate themselves.
There is a bacterial substance on the skin that is medically known as Propionibacterium acnes. This is what causes acne to arise on the skin. This bacteria grows and thrives on the sebum. During the years of puberty, the propionibacterium acnes bacteria are at its highest level because the sebum level is also high. Individuals who have acne have an overgrowth of the bacteria in the sebaceous glands than those who do not suffer from acne.
When the bacteria are present, the white blood cells are also present in the gland. The white blood cells are damaging to the follicle wall and this brings the sebum and bacteria into the dermis layer of the skin. The bacteria can also activate the fatty acids in the body and cause further irritation to the gland. The gland swells from this activity and what causes acne to appear.
Normal glands will produce sebum that will join with exfoliating cells of the skin and this will make the gland full. The gland will then let these ingredients out causing the face to feel oily. If nothing is in the way to hinder this process, the skin stays in balance with the correct moisture it needs and stays strong and healthy. When the sebum and cells in the gland are not able to come out as they should, the skin gets dry in spots and the result of the clogged gland is a blackhead or whitehead. There is no known reason for this occurrence but it is what causes acne to be a problem.

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