What Causes Acne??

Many people are affected by acne but few understand the causes of acne. There are several factors that can cause acne. The main reasons for acne include; overactive oil glands, pore blockage, bacteria, and inflammation. These factors are the main factors in all pimples, blackheads, and whiteheads.

Oil glands are found deep in the skin and are connected to the hair follicles. These oil glands are various sizes and the ones that are larger are associated with the much hated visible pores. The oil glands will make oil when stimulated by hormones, mainly male. Both men and women have male hormones although women have a significantly lesser amount.

When we become stressed out, hormone levels are raised by the adrenal gland which will enlarge the oil glands even further. Puberty can also increase the size and production of oil glands due to higher levels of hormones.

If you suffer from oily skin there is a good chance that you have blocked pores. This is due to your oil glands becoming overactive and making too much oil. The oils then become trapped resulting in the blocked pores.

Tiny skin cells also take a part in the blocked pores. The skin cells will shed from inside the pore and begin to bunch together causing a clogged pore. Eventually a whitehead or blackhead will appear as a result of the clogged pore. Clogged pores are not caused by poor hygiene like many people believe.

Normal skin bacteria are also a factor in acne. The bacteria are not an actual cause for acne; however, it does often make the acne worse. Propionibacterium acne is a bacterium that is a natural part of your skins surface. This bacterium is on your skin to help prevent the penetration of bad bacteria.

When pores become blocked with access oils and skin cells the normal bacteria will also begin to grow in the blocked pore. The bacteria will then begin to produce chemicals that change the oil. This change often makes the oil more irritating to the skin. When the skin gets irritated it can lead to inflammation, which leads to acne.

The factors discussed will often lead to acne. The acne can come in four different forms blackheads, pustules, cysts, and whiteheads.

Blackheads are caused by your pores being clogged near the top of the skin. This type of acne rarely becomes inflamed. Many people think that because blackheads are dark that they are clogged with dirt and associate it with poor hygiene. The truth is that the darkness comes from darker pigmentation not dirt.

Pustules are what most of us consider to be pimples or zits. When the walls of the hair follicle become so blocked that they burst you get a pustule. All of the things that you usually find on the upper layers of the skin then seep into the deeper layers and irritate it. This results in small areas of swelling or inflammation.

Whiteheads are a type of acne that results from a clog deeper in the pore. Due to the blockage, the oil has no where to drain so it accumulates in the pore. This creates small bumps that can be either the color of your skin or even sometimes white. This type of acne is often prone to inflammation; the inflamed pustule is what is often considered a pimple.

Cysts are a type of acne found in the deepest areas of the skin. These tend to become very inflamed and usually indicate that there is deeper infection.

Learn more about this and other natural/herbal cures.