Causes of Acne
Acne is not caused by your diet, scientific studies have confirmed this. So, eating pizza, chocolate, potato chips or fries will not result in an acne breakout, you may gain weight, or rot your teeth out, but you won't get acne from foods. If you find that certain foods affect your skin negatively, which may turn out to be a food allergy, avoid them.
Acne is not caused by dirty skin either...you know...that dirt or surface oil on the body due to poor *hygiene? A lack of hygiene is also not to blame for blackheads - those dark specs that appear on the face, especially around the T-zone, on the bridge of the nose, back, chest, shoulders and upper arms. The "black" in a blackhead is not dirt, it's dried oil and shed skin cells in the openings of the hair *follicles. Excessive washing and scrubbing will only make the acne condition worse.
So...now that you know you can eat anything you want and you don't have to take a shower either...(only kidding)...What causes acne???
The Cause of Acne
Acne is a medical condition caused by four key factors:
- *Hormones, especially during *puberty
- Enlargement of *sebaceous glands attached to hair follicles
- Increased *sebum (oil) production
- Bacteria
Acne is caused by overactive oil glands - sebaceous glands - stimulated by the hormone *androgen, mixing with dead skin cells, which leads to plugged pores and outbreaks. This is particularly true during the teenage years when androgen production is at its highest. Acne also can be caused by the rapid production of a bacteria *P. acnes.
How Does Acne Develope?
Acne begins in the hair follicles. Sebaceous glands, which are attached to the hair follicle just below the skin's surface, produce an oil called sebum. Normally, sebum empties onto the skin's surface to lubricate the skin. But when cells that are shed from the follicle lining stick together, they form plugs that prevent the sebum from exiting the pore.
This is especially common during adolescence, when cells from the follicle lining shed more rapidly. Rising hormone levels during puberty cause the sebaceous glands to get bigger and produce more oil. The mixture of oil and cells helps bacteria to grow, eventually breaking the walls of the follicles. That's when sebum, bacteria and shed skin cells collect under the skin, causing inflammation, pain, redness and pus, causing acne.
Glossary For This Page
*Hygiene
Pronounced - hi-jeen
The science of health, and the conditions or practices of cleanliness that promotes good health and well-being to fight against illness and disease
*Follicle
Pronounced - fol-ih-kul
The tiny shaft in the skin through which a hair grows (the root of an individual hair), and sebum is excreted from sebaceous glands to the surface of the skin.
*Hormone
Pronounced - HOR-moan
A hormone is a natural body chemical that has effects on or controls other parts of the body, for example, estrogen and progesterone in females, testosterone in males, and androgens in both males and females. Synthetic hormones, such as birth control pills, are drugs similar to human hormones.
*Puberty
Pronounced - pyoo-bur-tee
The process of developing from a child to sexual maturity, when a person becomes capable of having children. In a girl, puberty includes a growth spurt, development of breasts and hips, growth of body hair, and the beginning of menstruation (having periods).
*Sebaceous Glands
Pronounced -suh-bay-shus glands
Glands in the skin that produce an oily substance called sebum, to lubricate the skin, keeping the skin soft and smooth. Sebaceous glands are attached to hair follicles. If the sebaceous glands make too much sebum, mixed with dead skin cells, this can plug our pores and cause acne.
*Sebum
Pronounced - see-bum
The oily substance produced by sebaceous glands.
*Androgen
Hormones that stimulate sebaceous glands in addition to other effects on the body. Present in both males and females, androgens are responsible for physical maturation in males and therefore occur in much higher levels in males. Males tend to have more severe acne than females.
*P. acnes
P. acnes stands for Propionibacterium acnes. It is a Gram-positive, microaerophilic bacterium that causes skin wounds. It is known to naturally produce high amounts of intracellular porphyrins.