What is Acne?
Contrary to popular belief, acne is not just a problem for teenagers. Yes, the problem most commonly raises its ugly, pus-filled head when the hormones of puberty kick in, but it can actually occur at any age. The real danger years for an acne breakout are from ten or so to around forty, but even babies can get acne and the breakouts can occur well into old age. An acne breakout is possible even if you have rarely, or even never, suffered from acne before.
Acne isn’t a simple matter of a few spots here and there. The most commonly affected area if the face, as everyone knows; however, it is not unusual for the back, chest and upper arms to be affected by an acne breakout. These breakouts are typified by spots or pimples, but also whiteheads, blackheads and blocked pores. If you’re really unlucky these pimples will fill with pus and can become inflamed and quite sore. Rubbing, picking or otherwise breaking these pustules will spread the bacteria further and worsen the acne breakout so that even quite painful cysts way develop.
The exact cause of these acne breakouts is unknown. But there does seem to be a reason to blame the male hormones that we all have, boys and girls alike. These little devils come alive around puberty and kick your sebaceous glands into action, making them produce more oil. Now, oil can be good; obviously without oil our skin can become far too dry. The problem comes when the sebaceous glands are blocked with dead skin sloughing off. With nowhere to go, the oil builds up in the sebaceous glands. The oil provides food for the bacteria which we all have living on our skin and these bacteria cause inflammation and swelling – the spots that are typical of acne. How the spot develops depends on where the sebaceous gland is blocked near to the surface of the skin or deeper down. If the inflammation occurs close to the skin’s surface it results in a pustule; a little deeper it causes the spots we all know and hate; deeper still and a cyst will develop. The whiteheads we’re familiar with are the oil itself when it breaks through the skin’s surface. If that oil hangs around for a while and oxidizes, it turns into a blackhead.
Usually, acne is ‘just one of those things’; the exact cause remains unknown and the acne is not severe enough for there to be concern about what caused it. Occasionally, though, there are some identifiable causes for bad acne or for localized outbreaks. If there is pressure or rubbing from collars, helmet chinstraps etc. that can cause acne, as can use, particularly long-term use, of some medications and steroids. Mostly, though, we don’t really know why acne flares up, other than the hormones of puberty increasing the skin’s oil production. That link with excess oil has given rise to many myths of greasy food increasing the likelihood of developing acne. It isn’t true, but you can see how people might think that.
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