Two Causes of Acne by:Martin Chambers
Acne problems can be treated, but only if you understand what cause them in the first place
. They always say that if you want to combat something, then you have to know what causes it. This applies to every disease known to man, even relatively simple conditions like acne. Prevention is certainly better than cure.
The problem with Acne is that most people don't know exactly what causes it. They blame things like chocolate and nuts and working out. The truth is that acne isn't caused by a single thing alone but by a combination of factors.
How Pimples Are Formed
First, you have to understand how pimples are formed. The whole process mostly takes place underneath a person's skin - within the pores, to be exact. Inside the pores are sebaceous glands that produce sebum or the oil which keeps your skin moist. Meanwhile, the skin continuously renews itself, and the dead skin cells mix with the natural oils of the skin and then sloughed off evenly to make way for their replacement.
It is when these dead skin cells don't slough off evenly that the problem begins. In this case, the dead skin cells and the oil form clumps that plug the pores. The plugs formed trap bacteria inside the skin, which the body's white blood cells attack. The result is a pimple.
What we need to find out is what influences the dead skin cells to slough off unevenly. Understanding what causes acne is important because it helps people avoid choosing an acne treatment regimen that can only be ineffective.
Acne cause #1: Hormones
Acne is caused by hormones. In fact, you'll notice acne break-outs typically occur in moments when our hormones are raging or unstable.
For most people, the first encounter with acne is when they were just adolescents, and you know that raging hormones characterize adolescence. The other periods in a woman's life when acne is a common occurrence is during menstruation and pregnancy. Acne is also common when a woman stops taking birth control pills. Birth control pills, to be effective, interfere with the hormonal processes in the body; when a woman stops taking them, the body has to readjust to the normal functioning of its hormones so pimples begin to erupt.
Indeed, hormones, specifically the hormone androgen, are somewhat responsible for the eruption of acne. Androgen over-stimulates the sebaceous glands, thereby increasing the production of sebum. When there is an overproduction of sebum, pores get clogged more easily, thereby leading to the formation of pimples.
Androgen also causes the dead skin cells inside the follicle to shed more rapidly, thereby compounding the problem.
Acne cause #2: Bacteria
When a follicle becomes plugged, the bacteria called Propionibacterium Acnes start to multiply rapidly. P. Acnes bacteria are really just a normal part of the body's sebum production regulatory system. However, when such bacteria are trapped inside the follicles due to the clogged pores, they release certain chemicals that irritate the skin and thereby induce the white blood cells to attack the bacteria. Inflammation then follows.
It is therefore clear from the above explanation that inflamed acne pustules are really just the body's reaction to an irritant. Acne can therefore be prevented if the dead skin cells slough off evenly and if your pores are not clogged so bacteria will not be trapped inside. Of course, acne prevention is easier said than done.
Learn more about the causes of acne and how you could cure your acne by downloading my complimentary report today. Further information can be found in my resource box.
About the author
Martin Chambers has put together a complimentary report on curing acne that will help you to get acne clear. To download this report instantly visit
http://www.b5acnesecrets.com
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