Although typically seen on teenagers, acne is a condition that can affect anyone at almost any time of life. Understanding what acne is, how it is treated and how we aggravate the symptoms are important to managing an acne outbreak. Most of us suffer or have suffered from at least an occasional acne outbreak somewhere on our faces, backs, upper shoulders, chest or neck.
Acne can be caused by many things: blocked pores, hormone imbalances or changes, poor dermal cell shedding, genes and/or excessive production of sebum. Any of these health circumstances can cause the typical acne reaction of pimples, papules, whiteheads and blackheads. Sometimes, in very severe acne cases, a person may also develop cysts or lesions. These serious symptoms usually have to be professionally treated.
We often see acne in teenagers due to hormonal changes. An increase in sex hormones like estrogen, estradiol and androgens stimulate oil production, which in turn blocks the skins pores. This blockage traps bacteria in the deeper skin layers, triggering the production of white blood cells. All of this activity wreaks havoc in the skin, resulting in an accumulation of skin debris, bacteria and other toxic substances, and fluid. This gunk is the pimple, pustule, whitehead or blackhead that a sufferer experiences. In addition to the pimple itself, redness, swelling and releasing heat are commonly experienced.
Women who are premenstrual also may suffer with temporary acne due to hormonal changes. Thankfully, these outbreaks tend to come and go with a womans cycle, but if it becomes a serious problem, it can be treated. Ortho-tricyclen, originally used solely as a birth control pill, is helpful in some of these cases.
Retention keratosis, which is the inability of skin to shed its lining, also can cause acne. This blockage clogs pores and the dead cells are a perfect place for bacteria to grow.
A person can also simply inherit a tendency to have acne. A parent or grandparent may have passed on this genetic “gift” to an unfortunate teenager.
Sometimes, its difficult not to touch or pick, but doing so absolutely aggravates an acne condition! Bacteria on our hands can create a secondary infection near or on the “pimple site”. This, of course, means that not only is it not fixing the pimple, it is making it worse — potentially much worse. It will probably become redder and more inflamed and it will definitely take more time to heal. So, do not ever touch a pimple if you can help it!
