Acne Skin Care

Understanding and Treating Acne  

Acne can range from mild sporadic breakouts to long-term irritation that can last months or even years. Most often, we associate acne with teens, but acne can affect adults as well. There are many myths about acne, its causes and its treatments, and this article addresses these while informing you of the proven facts about what causes acne and how you can best address this common skin problem. Whether you're suffering from acne now, know someone who is affected by acne or have ever been curious about what likely caused your acne when you were a teen, this article is for you.

WHAT CAUSES ACNE

Acne is a symptom of four main conditions:

  • Excessive oil production

  • Clogged pores

  • Dead skin cells

  • Bacterial infection

Oil production is a normal part of having healthy skin. Those of us with oily skin think of oil as the enemy, but without active oil production, your skin would lose elasticity and become wrinkled, itchy and irritated.
However, when your skin produces excess oil, it can build up in the hair follicles. This is why acne does not occur on parts of your body where hair cannot grow, such as the palms of your hands. The buildup of oil in combination with low cell turnover can create a hotbed for bacteria and therefore infection.

If bacteria are present and an infection results, you will notice a pimple, which is red around the edges and white in the middle. If a pore is simply plugged by oil or dead skin cells but an infection is not present, you will notice a whitehead. A whitehead is oftentimes referred to as a pimple as well. If the plugged pore is open to the surface, exposing bacteria and oil to the air, a reaction occurs, which causes the plug to darken.