What Causes Acne?

You need to know what causes acne in order to effectively prevent and treat outbreaks of acne. It’s a rare person who does not suffer at least one outbreak. But once your realize the cause of an acne outbreak you can take steps to prevent further outbreaks.

Your skin has many pores, some of which have hairs. And, just below the skin are sebaceous glands that produce sebum, or skin oil, that helps keep your skin flexible. The sebum should be able to flow though the pore to the surface of the skin and lubricate the skin.

What is Acne?

The simple explanation about what causes acne is that it is a bacterial infection within a plugged pore. It typically displays itself as a blackhead or a whitehead. Sometimes, the infection affects the surrounding skin causing it to become irritated and turn red.

The infection actually starts several days before it becomes visible. By the time you see a pimple or zit, the bacteria has multiplied and caused the skin irritation and inflammation to grow large enough to become visible.

What Causes Acne?

Now, what causes that bacterial infection in a blocked up pore?

Acne occurs primarily in adolescents. The reason is that hormones, like testosterone, are beginning to be released. Testosterone is released in both young men and women. This causes many organs to have to adjust to this new stimulus. And, it’s the sebaceous glands just below the skin that interest us.

These sebaceous glands produce a substance called sebum, or skin oil. It enters skin pores and travels to the surface where it helps lubricate the skin, keeping it soft. But, for a while these sebaceous glands don’t deal well with the testosterone and become enlarged and start overproducing sebum.

Additional hormones are released when you are under stress. Most everyone agrees that adolescence is a time of stress. So, these added hormones just add to the sebum production, making the situation even worse.

But, there is finally some good news. Usually in your early twenties you stop having these outbreaks. The reason is that the sebaceous glands have adapted to the new stimulus of testosterone. The production of sebum goes back to normal and the outbreaks suddenly stop.

But, before this happens these glands still produce excess sebum. The sebum flows to the surface of the skin. Here it encounters dead skin cells. Your skin is always renewing itself. Old, dead skin cells rub off your skin and fall away. Anyway, the excess of sebum mixes with the dead skin cells to create globs that can block the pores.

Now we’re in trouble. This is exactly what causes acne!

The glob of dead skin cells and sebum contain bacteria from the surface. It blocks off a pore. As more sebum is produced it starts to back up because the pore’s exit to the surface is blocked.

The bacteria love this warm, oily environment and start multiplying. Pretty soon they affect the surrounding skin and cause irritation.

If there is an opening to the surface, this glob can oxidize and turn dark, resulting in a blackhead. If the pore’s exit is entirely blocked off, no air can get to the glob and it remains light in color or a whitehead, or a pimple or zit.

Now that you know what causes acne, you’re ready to do something about it.

Next, take a look at Acne Medicine to Treat Acne.

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