Acne can be described in many ways but probably the most common description is of having lesions on the skin, blackheads, whiteheads, pimples or red bumps. Some teenagers will uneventfully come down with a little acne only to have it disappear. Some will have it eventually subside only to have it return a short time later but eventually outgrow it. Then there are those that never outgrow their acne and continue to deal with it throughout much of their adult life. As long as the body is producing hormones, the potential for acne exists.
Acne seems to be on the rise. Dermatologists are really unsure as to why this may be but the fact remains that acne is on the upswing and doctors are now treating more adults than they are treating teenagers. There may be many different reasons for this with one being that there are treatments now available for adult acne where there wasn't much available a few generations ago.
Some dermatologists claim approximately eighty percent of people, children and adults alike, will come down with some degree of acne during their lives. It is an extremely common skin problem in the United States and many over the counter treatments are available which may help alleviate the symptoms.
Acne is generally associated with pores. Pores are the tiny openings located within the skin and are basically found almost everywhere on the human body. Unknown by many people is that most of these pores have tiny little hairs that extend out of them.
Pores that are diagnosed with acne tend to have the inner lining cells, hair and all, abnormally sticky and clogged. The resulting appearance of what we call blackheads or pimples become present and eventually the ever common whitehead.
The bottom line is that acne really is all about your hair follicles and your hormones. There are hundreds of hormones in the body, which are responsible for controlling much of the way we look, feel and think. The hormones called androgens seem to be responsible for the cause of acne. Androgens are made by both sexes and once they are produced, these hormones are constantly flowing throughout the system.
Androgens will be produced by the testes and ovaries once the child reaches a certain level of maturity. When this maturity occurs, pimples may start to appear but not any time sooner. It's all about hormones. What follows is that the hair lining in the pores overreacts to this hormone androgen and then become enlarged and irritated.
Some studies indicate that stress is an acne related factor. Stress affects many different functions in the body, which very well may result in elevated levels of androgens in the system. This then leads to the overreacting of the follicles resulting in the inflammation once again. Stress may interfere with sleep, eating and general hygiene, which all may contribute to the skin problems. Normally, our skin does reflect our physical and emotional well-being.
What can one do about preventing and or correcting the problem of acne is of primary concern. Probably, the main practice needs to be the cleaning and improvement of the abnormal pores that are inflamed. They need to be made healthy again to state it simply. Once this is achieved, the unsightly pimples and blemishes will no longer be present and new pimples will not reappear. Without the clogged pore in the first place, the whole process of becoming inflamed will be prevented.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Acne | |
