By Terrie Dawson
I often wondered why some people have acnes and others don’t? Even dermatologists don’t have a gratifying answer to this. Nonetheless, my quest for knowing the reason behind this troublesome skin condition-acne forced me to do some study on this subject. I came across many startling facts which helped me burry many myths as well that I have been living with hitherto.
Acne is a skin condition which comprises of blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, or cysts. Acne usually starts in the teenage. Teenage is a transitional stage of physical and psychological human development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood.
Common Causes of Acne in Teenagers
Hormonal change
At puberty, hormone levels change severely as this a phase that eventually culminates into sexual maturity. Androgens, the hormone increases in both girls and boys in puberty. Androgens play a significant role in acne formation as the sebaceous glands are particularly sensitive to hormones. People susceptible to acne are sensitive to normal blood levels of testosterone – a natural hormone found in males and females. Androgens cause the skin’s oil glands (sebaceous glands) to expand and produce more sebum. At this point, bacteria get trapped inside the pores and multiply, causing swelling and redness —initiating acne formation. Good acne creams can be applied to get rid of acnes at the prescription of a doctor. It is often genetic, which means that if your parents had it, chances are that you may also have them. Alas! Unfortunate!
Hygiene
The hair follicles, or pores, in skin contain sebaceous glands or oil glands. As the body starts maturing, the sebaceous glands become more active than usual. The increased levels of hormones stimulate the oil glands to produce more sebum. Due to lack of hygiene (if cleanliness is not taken care of), then the skin pores may become blocked due to excess sebum and dead skin call accumulation. The bottom-line is that skin care should start from teenage itself. There is a myth that washing your face too many times can help avert acne if you have oily skin. No. doing this can aggravate the condition.
Nutritional Imbalances
In some people, dairy products can cause acne. Reason: milk contains a biological product similar to insulin and alpha reduced sex hormones. These are good for growth and development of the calves, but if taken in excess can increase sebum and can clog pores of the skin. Again, some may have a breakout and others not for some inexplicable reasons.A low carbohydrate condition can worsen acnes. Researchers believe that a high protein diet can help in combating acne. Low carbohydrate diet combined with whole grains helps achieving even, smooth skin.
A diet minus these is not a good diet plan. Another dietary supplement useful in fighting is Omega-3- fatty-acids. Increased sebum production causes inflammation. Omega-3- fatty-acids stop excessive sebum productions. Junk food may also cause flare-ups. Teenagers indulge in these excessively which leads to acnes.Such nutritional imbalances are definitely bad for people who are prone to acnes.
Stress
Unfortunately, the teen life today is also not unscathed of stress. Stress hormones are believed to exacerbate acne. Some steroid hormones such as glucocorticoids and adrenal androgens get release during stress. They trigger the oil gland and clog the pores, the outcome is breakouts.
Acne can have great psychological effects on teenagers. They often feel ashamed and get depressed. The good news is that most people get out of this problem as they near adulthood. Cheer up! This is just a phase of life. Live it happily!
– Terrie Dawson is a freelance writer by profession and fitness enthusiast at heart. At present she is working for beauty care and mainly covers topics related to beauty, skincare, fitness and health. She prefers natural remedies for skin such as dermology skin care products, dermology skin brightener cream and dermology cellulite cream for natural glow and shine.