subject: What Are The Causes Of Acne? [print this page] The majority of people have suffered from acne at some stage in their lives. This skin affliction, although it is widespread, has got negative connotations connected to it that result in self-esteem issues among some. In addition to the negative associations that this condition has, you will find misconceptions over what causes people to suffer from it. To better understand what leads to acne and how to deal with it, we need to look at how an outbreak occurs in the first place.
Hormones Lead To Outbreaks
It has been recognized for a long time that elevated hormones within the body can trigger outbreaks of acne. Women naturally experience a surge of hormones at particular points in the menstrual cycle and this can result in greater difficulties with acne. However, both women and men experience massive surges of hormonal activity during puberty and that's when most have their initial experience of those colorful blotches and bumps. Men and women also encounter stress at numerous points in their lives and the resulting stimulation of the adrenal glands can also result in outbreaks of acne.
Even Clean Skin Will Get Acne
Often, the appearance of acne on the face includes blackheads, which are small black spots within the skin. If you've plenty of them the skin can inevitably look dirty, and that's where the false impression can occur. In reality, those black spots are generally composed of keratin, which is the material that makes up skin and hair cells. Because this affliction is caused by unshed skin tissue blocking pores, these black spots frequently show. This is typical, and reflects a symptom, not a cause.
Acne Bacteria
The ultimate trigger of acne is small bacteria that infect the clogged pores. These bacteria breed and result in the inflammation that generally shows itself as reddened skin or as pimples. While blackheads are the result of dead skin tissue blocking the pore, whiteheads happen when the white blood cells sent by the body to fight the infection do their job, die and build up within the same area. Although it might not appear that way at the time, whiteheads are really a sign that your body is responding healthily towards the bacterial invasion.
Food As A Contributor
Food is often thought to contribute to outbeaks of acne but its role is far from clear. Chocolate and fried foods are often put forward as culprits but reducing consumption has not demonstrated consistent benefits in trials. Milk, however can be a culprit in causing acne, although doctors aren't sure why yet; they suspect it's the hormones in the milk. Refined sugars have also been proven to be a contributory factor. However, with this info at your fingertips, perhaps you will better understand what can and can't trigger outbreaks of this skin problem.
