Main Acne Overview
Posted on 31. Dec, 2008 by admin in Acne Types
Affecting over 90% of adolescents, 25% of all adults, and 50% of women, acne is the most widespread medical condition affecting society today. Both males and females from all over the world are facing their acne every single day, knowing that there is still no cure.
Although there is no cure, there is hope. Acne is a very treatable condition. Nowadays we know much more about controlling acne than in the past. What’s the huge secret? Acne prevention, meaning treating the condition before the symptoms are visible. Once you find an acne treatment that does this, you must to stick with it. The reasoning behind this, is that although your pimples are gone, you may still need the treatment to vanquish blemishes. Another secret to fighting acne, is to begin treatment when the first signs appear. The quicker you begin to address your acne, the less likely it is that you will suffer permanent skin damage. In order to control acne, of course you need to know how it begins and what the causes are.
Contrary to popular belief, acne is not your fault. This condition is not caused by anything you are or are not doing, what you eat, how often you workout, or how frequently you wash your face. Acne comes about through a combo of factors far beneath the surface of your skin.
A Healthy Follicle
We’re talking healthy follicles v.s. plugged follicles. A blemish begins to form about 3 weeks prior to appearing on the surface of your skin. This occurs in the sebaceous hair follicles, aka your pores. Deep within your follicles, the sebaceous glands produce sebum (oil that keeps your skin moist). When your skin renews itself, older cells die and slough off. Normally, the dead cells gradually shed to make room for new skin. However, this doesn’t happen for everyone.
A Plugged Follicle
Some people have the tendency to shed cells evenly and some don’t. This uneven shedding of dead cells causes them to clump together and plug the follicle, trapping bacteria and oil inside. The bacteria and oil trapped within the follicle then begin to swell as your skin continues its normal oil production cycle. Your body then sends a swarm of white blood cells to attack the bacteria. All-in-all, this 3 week process ends in the creation of a pimple.
An Inflamed Acne Lesion
Keeping in mind that everyone has a different skin type, the condition of acne is influenced by a variety of factors, many of which are out of your control. Your body’s regularity of shedding skin cells changes as you age, meaning that the rate of which you produce sebum affects your hormone balance, especially in women. Research has shown that your genetic makeup also plays a part in the development of acne, so if you know your family’s acne history, you may get an idea ahead of time whether or not you will be affected.
Knowledge is a healthy weapon in the war against acne. Understanding the causes of acne will make it easier to formulate a treatment for it. There are five primary factors that contribute to acne. Each of these will vary between one person to the next, and no one has control over them. However, understanding them will help you find the proper treatment for your unique acne condition.
Factor #1: Bacteria.
The bacterium Propionibacterium is present in all skin types and is a major part of your skin’s natural sebum system. However, once a follicle is plugged, these bacterium rapidly multiply, creating a chemical reaction, and inflaming the follicle and surrounding skin.
Factor #2: Hormones.
Acne conditions have the tendency to appear around puberty when the body produces the hormones called androgens. Androgens cause your sebaceous glands to grow bigger, which is a natural stage of the body’s development. For people with acne, however, their sebaceous glands are highly stimulated by androgens, often even into adulthood, making them responsible for acne flare-ups during pregnancy or menstruation.
Factor #3: Excess Sebum.
When your sebaceous glands are stimulated by androgens, they produce an excess of sebum. When traveling up the follicle to the surface, the sebum combines with bacteria and dead cells that have recently been shed from the follicle, which can create a higher chance of clogging - causing acne.
Factor #4: Unhealthy Follicles.
Usually, dead cells within your follicles gradually shed and are expelled through the skin’s surface. However, if someone has overactive sebaceous glands (usually everyone during puberty), the cells shed too rapidly. In combination with a surplus of sebum, the dead cells then plug the follicle, and prevent the skin from completing its natural renewal process.
Factor #5: Inflammation.
When your body comes into contact with unwanted bacteria, it sends a troop of white blood cells to kill off the enemy. In medical terms, this process is known as chemo taxis (aka the inflammatory response). This process is what causes pimples to be painful, swollen, and red. Although inflammatory response varies between everyone, research has shown that it is most prevalent in adult women.
So, keeping all that in mind, you’re probably wondering what your options are. There are thousands of acne treatments available today, and it is important to find the right one for your unique condition. Like personality, acne is highly individual, it can take different forms, and have different responses to treatment. The more knowledge you have about your specific acne condition, the higher your chance of finding a quality treatment that works for you.
Leave a reply