3/02/2007

Must-Knows Concerning Acne


If you are a teenager, you are sure to have found yourself looking for solutions on your terribly irritating acne. Well, you are not alone. Most teenagers go through a stage when the proliferation of acne is on its peak. Sadly, acne flare-ups don't only occur during the teenage years. Some people may have even been spared during puberty yet the troubles of acne follows through the latter stages of life, more specifically during mid-years.

What causes this deviated variability on acne though during various stages of life is still not known. In fact, while acne has been studied even years before technologies for treatment had been devised, present day medicine cannot still answer issues concerning acne in a more comprehensive manner. Say, "why some people are more sensitive to the causes of acne while others have higher tolerance?"

Acne is caused by a skin bacteria called as propionibacterium acnes. Without this, acne is almost an impossibility. This is not the main culprit though. There must also be a suitable environment that would accommodate the accumulation of its growth.

Some people have excessively oily skin. These are those who are most prone to the development of acne since propionibacterium acnes thrive on sebum that accumulates on the follicles of the skin. The sebum, on the other hand, is an element of lubrication for the maintenance of healthy skin. Otherwise, the skin would be dull ad dry.

There are various misconceptions concerning acne. These may often provide logical claims yet it will always be good to verify information first before jumping to a conclusion that your acne is caused by another factor. Let us discuss in brief some of the common misconceptions related to acne.

Issues concerning foods

There are numerous studies which either claim that foods are related to acne or that there is no direct link between acne and foods. However, many stand on the account that some foods, especially those that contain excessively high content of oil can cause acne.

Because there is relatively high number of studies and many of them provide proofs on their claims, it is no longer certain whether such claims are fallacious or plain truths.

Nonetheless, there are a number of cases where proofs go deeper to concluding that while there may not be "direct" connections with regards to foods and acne, there are various instances when elements from certain foods can stimulate various hormones that ultimately cause acne. Well, it makes sense after all to refrain from eating foods that can excite the Pilosebaceous units to produce more sebum.

Hygiene and acne

This fact is as plain as the nose on your face- acne is not caused by dirt.

This may have been the belief since most people link acne with skin infections. Fair enough, acne has some relevance with some skin conditions but this truth is still not enough to conclude that dirt truly can cause acne. In fact, the blockages on the skin that lead to acne are found deep into the roots of the hair follicle. Thus, it is impossible to wash acne away if you are targeting to "clean" the inner sections of the pores.

These classic examples are only two of the many myths that are often associated with acne. Be sure to check on the actual causes of acne first before falling into the trap of believing in misconceptions. After all, you would not want to fall victim into exacerbated acne flare-ups, would you?

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