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Acne or acne vulgaris is a problem of the skin. There are spots which appear on the skin. The reason the spots are caused can vary. It is usually found occurring in the face, back, neck and the chest.
What causes acne?
Acne is a problem related to the sebaceous glands found in the skin. Normally the sebaceous glands produce “sebum” which is an oily substance that gives lubrication and also protects the skin. At puberty, these sebaceous glands are stimulated to make more sebum due to the excess hormone secretion. This leads to blockage of the opening of the sebaceous glands. This causes a whitehead or a closed comedo.
Now the gland grows and the closed comedo becomes an open comedo with a lot of dust and grime. This is the blackhead. Now, if bacteria get into the pimple, then an infection is caused. This infection causes pus and redness around the area and a small pimple grows. This later becomes a nodulocystic. Exactly what causes acne is entirely dependent on the individual, his lifestyle, diet and the basic climatic factors around.
- Hormonal secretions : It is seen that at puberty, both men and women secrete more hormones. Both of them produce the male hormone testerone in plenty. This is the reason why the skin has sebum secretion in excess. This makes the skin greasy and the spots of acne start developing. Thus this kind of hormonal secretion is supposed to be a cause of acne. Besides, women in their menstrual cycle or women who are pregnant also have a higher chance of developing acne due to the high hormonal secretions. But acne is not mainly caused due to hormonal secretions. Acne is aggravated by the hormonal changes.
- Hereditary reasons : Sometimes acne has been found to be hereditary. When the parents have acne problems, then the child has a greater chance of having acne.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome : This condition in a woman leads to infertility. Sometimes this is the cause for acne.
- Cosmetics : Many of the available cosmetics are greasy and very oily. Many times these cosmetic products have been responsible for acne to happen.
- Steroid creams etc : Some of the creams and ointments used for eczema etc are considered bad for the skin and could result in an eruption of acne.
- Friction : Sometimes pressure is applied on the face by using helmets, backpacks, or tight collars of T- shirts, shirts etc. This causes lot of friction. This results in the formation of acne.
- Environmental irritants : Pollution, high humidity, etc contribute to clogging of the pores and result in acne. There are cases where acne has increased because of picking on the blemishes and pimples. The face should never be scrubbed hard. It leads to conditions like acne.
Myths about the Cause Of Acne
It has always been debatable exactly what causes acne. While one believes that the blemishes should be cleaned, there is another group of people who think otherwise. Let us understand some of the myths about the cause of acne:
- Chocolate and greasy foods : People believe chocolates cause acne. Consumption of these foods does not necessarily directly cause acne. They could aggravate it. But they are not the chief causes.
- Hygiene : It is often felt that a dirty skin causes acne. But blackhead and other acne lesions are not caused by dirt. They are caused due to the blackening of skin blemishes. An oily skin gives rise to acne.
Acne In Childhood – Why It Occurs
Acne in childhood is an abnormal condition. Adolescent acne is common. But cases of baby acne require investigation. Childhood is the time between infancy and adolescence. Acne at such times is rare. It has been noticed that the puberty age recently has dropped down to eight years of age. Thus a child between the ages of one to eight can be put under the child category. A child who gets acne at these ages is said to be a victim of acne in childhood.
Causes of Acne – Acne in Childhood
Children generally have sebaceous glands which are not really active. Seborrhea is the chief ingredient for acne. As these are normally missing in children, they don’t develop acne. Yet since acne is seen in children it could be attributed to be drug induced.
Acne in children has to be treated immediately as it could lead to other related health problems and is sometimes embarrassing for the child.
