Acne Breakout Causes

The problem of acne is common, yet it is poorly understood by many. Because of ignorance, many people try harsh acne treatments that do not necessarily treat it but surely damage the skin. Many-a-times, they start trying out acne home remedies that sometimes cause no effect on the condition of acne, as the underlying reason still persists. Therefore, it is very important to learn the exact reason behind acne breakouts so that you yourself can think of the ways and preventive measures to foreclose it in the future.

How does Acne Occur
In the human body, the skin has mainly three layers. These are the epidermis, dermis and inner dermis. The dermis is the middle layer, sandwiched between the upper epidermis and lower, inner dermis. It comprises living cells. The dermis contains bundles of tough fibers that give the skin its elasticity, strength and firmness. It also contains countless blood vessels, nerves and muscles, like the arrector pili muscles that provide support to hair and aid it to stand erect. Dermis also consists of hair follicles and a few glands such as sebaceous glands and sudoriferous glands. All the components of dermis perform some functions specific to them. The sebaceous glands produce sebum, an oily substance that lubricates the skin. Sebum reaches the skin's outermost surface, called stratum corneum, through hair openings called hair follicles. In stratum corneum, sebum and dead cells shed off, giving way to newer forms of them. The erring of this process results in the accumulation of sebum and cellular debris in the hair follicle. This clogging up forms a hard plug that blocks the pore opening. Such a pore plug is termed as comedo. It is commonly referred to as a blackhead on the skin surface. A comedo creates an anaerobic environment in the hair follicle. It, along with an excess of sebum, favors the reproduction and growth of Propionibacterium acnes (P.acnes). It is the bacteria that is normally found to be present in the hair follicle. It is harmless in nature but its abundance along with cellular debris cause the wall of the hair follicle to swell. A stage comes when the swollen hair follicle bursts out and spills into the dermis. This stimulates the immune system of your body. White blood cells come in to fight the bacteria. The affected region is now red, swollen and filled with pus. This is the basic acne breakout cause.

What are the Causes of Acne
As has been discussed in the upper part of this article, acne breakouts happen when the natural exfoliation process of the skin goes awry. This can be caused by a number of factors. The most common among them is the imbalance of sex hormones. Such an imbalance is at its peak during puberty. This is the reason that many adolescents and teens get victimized to acne. Secondly, too much of carbohydrates, sugars, fats or oils may disturb the hormonal balance, and thereby result in acne. Thirdly, a weak immune system makes your body more prone to microbial infection. This is the cause of both teens and adult acne breakouts. Fourthly, stress may cause acne. When you are stressed, your body signals the sebaceous glands to secrete more sebum. Excess of sebum clogs up the hair follicle, which eventually results in acne breakouts. Fifthly, environmental pollutants block the skin pores and cause the accumulation of dead cells and sebum. Last but not the least, genetic predisposition is a possible acne breakout cause. Serious cases of acne such as cystic acne occur mostly due to genetic defects.

There are many natural ways or acne herbal remedies to stop acne breakouts. Take a fresh clove of garlic and rub it on the acne. It will destroy the bacteria, and hence will help in treating acne. According to general observation, applying toothpaste directly on the acne heals it fast. Honey is antibiotic in nature and thus will kill the causative bacteria if you place a drop on the acne. It soothes the discomfort as well speeds up the recovery from it. Try all these home remedies to treat and control acne breakouts. Always keep your face clean and free from dust, dirt and other pollutants. This will help a lot in preventing acne breakouts. Take a little care of your skin to maintain its flawlessness and beauty.