Causes Of Acne

Acne is a very common problem amongst teenagers, but not many people realise that it can affect people of any age. That means that although most people will have got rid of their acne naturally by the time they reach twenty, adults can have outbreaks too and this isnt unusual.

As you’re probably aware there are loads of myths about acne in everyday culture. These usually come from old wives tales and shouldn’t be taken seriously. For example people used to believe for many years that chocolate causes acne, but this has now been shown to not be the case, as you’ll no doubt be pleased to know!

If you really want to find out information about acne you should always talk to your doctor, who will either be able to advise you on the best course of treatment or will be able to recommend you someone who can help. There are lots of home remedies for acne which may or may not be successful, but you should talk to your doctor about trying them first just to make sure that they aren’t harmful in any way.

Acne is caused when sebum becomes trapped beneath hair follicles that have become blocked. This leads to a build up of bacteria causing both blackheads and whiteheads. However these two different types of spots are caused by slightly different things.

When the sebum breaks out of the skin becomes oxidised, this is when you get a blackhead. The sebum becomes oxidised by the surrounding air and hence becomes black. Blackheads are usually a lot more difficult to get rid of than whiteheads, and hence stay around for longer.

Whiteheads and blackheads are not the only problem caused by acne. For example if you get inflammation where the follicle wall is broken then you can get a papule which is more red. In most severe cases you can get cysts which are areas of inflammation that are filled with pus.

For the best advice you should always visit your doctor who will be able to tell you about the latest medical research while being able to refer you to extra help should you need it.