Know Causes of Acne

Causes of Acne

Acne is often considered to be an adolescent problem – after all, the vast majority of teenagers suffer from some degree of the condition. Usually, acne has cleared up by a person's mid-twenties. This isn't always the case, however, and adult acne plagues some people throughout their adult lives unless they seek treatment. Receiving treatment is especially important with adults, as the chance of scarring is higher than it is for adolescents and young adults.

And just to prove it's not what you eat, many babies have been born with infant acne. This condition has been linked to hormones that have passed into the baby's system through the placenta. Generally, it isn't serious and clears up quickly.

Infant acne can develop between the ages of 3 to 6 months, and usually clears up by the third year. Boys are more likely to develop the condition than girls. While the infant variety usually doesn't lead to scarring, a severe case may require treatment and increases the likelihood of developing acne vulgaris during puberty.

Clogged Pores, Sebaceous Glands and Zits

We're mammals, so our skin is covered in hair. Much of that hair is hardly noticeable, but it is there. Hair follicles in our skin contain sebaceous glands, which produce an oil called sebum. If dead skin cells block the hair follicles, sebum builds up in the clogged pores.

The sebaceous glands continue to produce sebum, but it has nowhere to go. The sebum becomes infected with bacteria, which causes the clogged pores to become inflamed and swollen. Suddenly, you've got zits.

Because of the internal pressure, zits left untreated will eventually burst. The mixture of bacteria, oil and dead skin cells is spread across the surrounding skin. This creates areas of oily skin with plenty of material to plug up more hair follicles and start the whole process over again.

Causes of Acne

Poor hygiene or eating habits do not cause acne, no matter what popular culture may think.

Research suggests that hormones are to blame. The male hormone androgen is present in both male and female bodies, especially during puberty. Androgen can enlarge the sebaceous glands in hair follicles, leading to greater amounts of oily sebum being produced.

Heredity is also one of the causes of acne. If a parent had acne as a teenager, chances are good his/her child will too. And the more severe the parents' condition, the greater the likelihood that the children's acne will also be severe.

Stress and Acne

Whether stress plays a role in acne or not is an issue of considerable debate. Severe emotional stress has been linked to acne, although the relationship is not clear. Some doctors blame anti-stress and depression medications for acne in these cases, rather than stress itself.

Who's at Risk?

Teenagers comprise the largest risk group: ninety percent of teenagers develop acne, and forty percent of them receive some form of medical treatment. Adult women are also a high-risk group – as many as fifty percent have acne problems.

Pregnant women may suddenly develop acne, or existing instances may worsen during pregnancy. On the flip side, it's also possible for pre-pregnancy acne to clear up during a pregnancy.

Adolescent girls and adult women may also experience sudden flare-ups two to seven days before menstruation. Starting or stopping birth control pills can also result in breakouts.

Using certain medications and drugs can cause acne breakouts – androgen therapy, barbiturates, testosterone and lithium all list acne as possible side effects. Users of illegal anabolic steroids can develop severe acne.

Resources

American Academy of Dermatology. (2001). Expecting a baby? Expect some changes in your hair, skin and nails. Retrieved March 20, 2002, from www.hairlosstalk.com/newsletter/72001/
articles/article16.htm.

Severe Acne

One of the acne solution is by knowing how bad is the situation and use the right way to deal with the acne.

There are at least four types of acne that are recognized by many dermatologists and others in the medical field as severe regarding both the type of lesions that it produces on the body and long term effects it can have for the sufferer including scarring. This extreme acne affects more than just the body; it can affect every aspect of a person’s life. The pain and heartache of dealing with these potentially disfiguring forms of acne cannot be overemphasized but this does not take into account the emotional and psychological aspects that can lower quality of life and permanently destroy self-esteem.


Acne conglobata

Acne Conglobata is the most severe form of acne vulgaris. This form of extreme acne, generally characterized by the appearance of large and numerous nodules, often interconnected, along with widespread blackheads. Because theses lesions can become ulcerated, they can cause severe, irrevocable damage--even disfiguring scarring--to the skin. Acne conglobata is commonly found on the face, chest, back, buttocks, upper arms, and thighs.

The age of onset for acne conglobata is usually between 18 and 30 years of age and it is more likely for males to get the condition than it is for females. It should also be noted that acne conglobata can stay active for many years, lying dormant until something causes it to resurface. As is true with all types of acne, the cause of acne conglobata is not known.


Acne fulminans

This type of severe acne is actually an abrupt onset of acne conglobata that typically afflicts young men. The symptoms of the severe nodulocystic, often ulcerating acne, are readily apparent. As with normal cases of acne conglobata the lesions cover large portions of the extremities and the facial region, including the disfiguring scars that can eventually develop. Yet what makes acne fulminans unique in that it also includes fever symptoms, aching of the joints, particularly the knees and hips, and varying degrees of weight loss that depend upon the individual.


Gram-negative folliculitis

Gram-negative folliculitis is a form of extreme acne caused by an inflammation of the follicles that is caused by bacterial infection: This condition is characterized by pustules and cysts. It has been determined in some cases of the disorder that its development is caused by a complication resulting from a long-term antibiotic treatment of acne vulgaris.

The reason that this form of acne is called “gram-negative” relates to the fact that gram is a type of blue stain used for laboratory testing for microscopic organism. Bacteria that do not stain blue are referred to as “gram-negative.”

Like other forms of extreme or severe acne, gram-negative folliculitis is a rare condition, and we do not know whether it is more common in males or females as it has been documented in both.


Pyoderma Faciale

This type of severe acne affects only females, usually between the ages of 20 to 40 years of age. It is characterized by large painful nodules, pustules and sores that may leave scarring. Forming abruptly, pyoderma faciale may occur on the skin of a woman who has never had acne before. Generally, this type of extreme acne is confined to the face, and though it usually does not last longer than a year, it can cause a great deal of damage in a very short time.