July 1st, 2008 by admin
Reasons leading to acne
The causes of acne is mysterious and even the medical experts cannot state the exact reason for the acne problem. When you visit a dermatologist, depending on your age and the intensity he may arrive at a probable cause but nobody can exactly tell the cause for acne. Many factors that lead to acne include improper secretion of hormones, hereditary, poor maintenance of skin and other unknown external factors.
Generally acne is more prominent among young adults who are in their teen ages. At the puberty stage, the hormones in the body are irregular and increase in androgen will lead to acne. the sebaceous glands are activated by this hormone and hence excess sebum is secreted resulting in the formation of pimples. Those parents who had acne problems in their teen ages transfer the problem to their children and this is conformed by the recent studies.
For girls who attained puberty, pimples start appearing on the face when they approach their menstrual cycle. Acne is developed in two to three days before the monthly cycle. Those who have acne problems due to other reasons will have intensified problems when they near the menstrual cycle. Many women suffer from acne problems during the pregnancy period. Some people develop acne when they stop taking birth control pills. Mental stress and tension will also lead to acne. Hormonal drugs like androgens, barbiturates and lithium cause pimples on the face. These are the various hormonal reasons for the development of acne.
Cosmetics are now commonly used by almost all girls and this will also lead to acne as the creams stick to the skin and block the pores. Also because of the frequent usage of cosmetic creams, the smooth texture of the skin is lost.
People are not aware of the ways to take of their skin when they suffer from acne. Many girls have the habit of scratching the pimples to avoid the nodular look in the face. This will actually intensify the infection and the pimples will be developed in the surrounding areas also. Using acne creams without knowledge may also worsen the problem.
The food habits will also influence the cause of acne. Many people believe that eating fatty items like cheese and chocolates will cause acne. But recent research has shown that acne is not caused by consuming fatty items. Also dirty skin will not lead to acne. However if you have developed symptoms of acne it is better to avoid fat and take proper skin care.
The acne problem cannot be eliminated completely but one can take treatment for curing the problem. When children develop acne the parents charge them for not maintaining the skin properly. However acne is not caused because of a dirty skin.
The symptoms of acne will appear in the skin before 2 to 3 weeks of developing acne. it is true that many are not aware of these symptoms and for some people these symptoms are very mild that they cannot notice the changes. Marks will appear on the skin in the early stages of acne. The sebaceous glands that are present in the dermis layer secrete oil that is necessary for the development of new cells. The old cells die everyday and new cells are created and this process goes on forever. When the old cells die, the shedding of these cells may take place evenly or in an uneven manner. If the shedding is uneven, the old cells will be accumulated and they form a small cap. The oil secreted by the glands rest in these gaps and provides a favorable environment for the bacteria to develop.
These causes of acne cannot be controlled. You cannot monitor the way your body sheds the old cells. The secretion of sebum is also dependent on the individual. The hormonal secretions influence the sebum secretion. But there is no definite reason for over secretion of sebum in some people. These causes are uncontrollable and hence you cannot prevent acne in these cases.
When some of your family members suffer from acne you must be aware that you are also prone to the problem. Acne cannot be prevented completely but you can minimize the intensity of the problem when you take proper preventive treatments. For this you must first identify the causes of acne in your family and then choose the appropriate treatment. When you treat acne in the initial stages itself you will have to spend less and you can prevent the skin from further damage.
For children who are in the puberty stages, acne is very common because of the excess secretion of sebum by the sebaceous glands. It is the responsibility of the parents to explain the cause and advice the children to take of their skin properly so that the symptoms can be cured at the early stages itself.
The sebaceous glands are over activated by default for some people. This excess oil will mix with the dead cells and create pimples. Washing the face at regular intervals can help a lot to remove the excess oil.
Acne is more common with people who have oily skin. For these people the sebum secreted by the sebaceous glands will not let the old cells shed evenly thus creating caps for the bacteria to develop. If somebody in your family history has oily skin you must take care properly so that you prevent acne to some extent.
The bacterium that is present in the skin is good for the skin to some extent because they maintain the sebum for a healthy skin. When these bacteria develop in large numbers they create problems causing acne. The unwanted bacteria develop and react with the skin causing inflammation. This is called chemotaxis. The inflammation will cause scars and make the skin swollen and red causing pain.
The cause for acne has to be identified to cure the problem from the root. But it cannot be identified exactly. Various researches are still going on to study the cause of acne and the appropriate treatments. The medical field is very advanced now and modern treatments are available for curing acne.
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To many people, acne will be synonymous with teenage spots. Once you have made the painful transition from childhood to adult, acne is no longer an issue. The reality is that acne affects all age groups, from newborn babies to adults, but because the overwhelming majority of cases of acne occur during adolescence, inevitably this age group is the focus of most people’s attention.
It has to be said that for a doctor, teenage acne is the least interesting of all the types of acne. Sadly, many teenage acne sufferers fit the stereotype of being both spotty and stroppy, so it is perhaps unsurprising that most family doctors, who typically will have upwards of 50 adolescent acne sufferers to cope with at any one time, fail to give these patients the time, care and attention that they warrant.
The other clinical types of acne are much rarer and also, from a clinical point of view, much more interesting than adolescent acne. The type of acne that perhaps provokes most interest amongst doctors, although it must be stressed that this interest is sometimes of a prurient nature, is known somewhat affectionately as kinky acne, although technically it is a specific sub-type of the clinical form of acne known as acne caused by occlusion.
The characteristic feature of all the different clinical types of acne is spots. Although the cause of the spots is different in the various types of acne, the mechanism by which the spots form is essentially similar, and involves a combination of one or more of the following elements - blocking of the sebaceous glands, the overproduction of sebum and colonisation of the sebaceous duct by the acne-promoting bacteria Proponiobacterium acnes. Experimentally, one can induce the formation of acne spots on human skin by the application of impervious sticking plaster for a period of a few days. This type of acne is a form of acne caused by occlusion, as it is the blocking of the sebaceous duct by the sticking plaster which produces the conditions under which the spots develop.
Kinky acne is another form of acne caused by occlusion, although in the case of kinky acne the experimentation causing the acne tends to be of a sexual nature. People who indulge in sadomasochistic or bondage activities may spend long periods of time wearing tight fitting garments or restraints made of impervious materials such as PVC, latex, or leather. A high proportion of people indulging in sadomasochism or bondage for prolonged periods of time will develop acne on those areas where the surface of the skin is occluded by close fitting or restraining outfits or accessories. Most sufferers from kinky acne who consult a doctor have already guessed the diagnosis, as the distribution of spots will follow a characteristic pattern, which matches closely the garment or restraint that has caused it. Sufferers from kinky acne may be rather less pleased to discover that the only way to treat the complaint effectively is complete abstention from their unusual recreational activities until the spots clear. However, some doctors take solace from the fact that their masochistic acne patients may be gaining some additional pleasure from the discomfiture caused by their kinky acne.
The other group that is at risk from a similar form of acne caused by occlusion are soldiers and sailors, particularly those serving in tropical or sub-tropical conditions. In these military cases of occlusive acne, it is the soldiers’ rucksack straps and webbing occluding the surface of the skin that are the cause of the acne. Hot, humid conditions exacerbate the problem, as soldiers are inclined to dispense with items uniform which usually protect the torso for direct contact with the rucksack straps and the atmospheric moisture and excessive sweating increases the macerating effect. Once again, removal of the cause of the problem, which in the case of the military means a period of light duties, is the only effective means of treatment and normally results in a rapid improvement in the condition.
Soldiers, sailors and sadomasochists are perhaps uncomfortable bedfellows as sufferers from this rare and unusual from of adult acne, but fortuitously provide some light relief from the tedium of treating teenage acne.
Dr Walker is the owner of the Acne Control website, which provides information about the treatment of acne for all the clinical types of the condition and across the complete age range, from baby acne to adult acne.
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The medical field has long been divided on whether stress is a cause of acne or not. Recently though, there have been a number of medical clinical studies that show that stress is directly related to your acne.
Stanford University conducted a small study in 2002, involving 22 students suffering from acne. The professors conducted the study and found that at the time period that exams were administered the acne had worsened in all of these students due to the stress. It was further noted that the students that had the most stress, also had the worst acne severity.
There are two ways that stress worsens acne. The first way is by stimulating adrenal glands to produce more hormones. Hormones are a major factor in acne formation, which is why teens are the most affected by acne outbreaks. The adrenal glands secrete hormones that produce more sebum, which will ultimately result in acne formation. The second way that stress worsens acne is by slowing down the healing process. It has been proven that the healing capacity of the immune system can be slowed down by 40% during periods of high stress.
Stress affects the skin in other ways besides acne. Stress also causes the adrenal glands to overproduce cortisol which makes the sebaceous glands produce more oil and makes your skin really oily. This is a reason that instead of just the usual whitehead or blackhead that is normally associated with acne, you get pus filled papules that are more inflamed when you are under stress.
Positive and negative stress has the same affect on the body chemistry. So whether you are stressed about getting married soon, which would be positive stress, or stressing over how to pay the bills, negative stress, the results will be the same when it comes to acne.
Try to find ways to bring down your stress levels, such as diet and exercise. This should help reduce your stress related acne from forming.
For ways to treat your acne, try some home treatments for acne or find some of the other best acne treatments available.
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