Acne How to cure Acne

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What is  acne

How to cure it

Acne is a pustular infection of the skin, caused by changes in the sebaceous glands. Excessive secretion of oils from the glands combine with naturally occurring dead skin cells to block the hair follicles. Oil secretions build up beneath the blocked pore, providing a perfect environment for the skin bacteria Propionibacterium acnes to multiply uncontrolled. In response, the skin inflames, producing the visible lesion. The face, chest, back and upper arms are especially exposed.

The infection is common in puberty as a result of an abnormal response to normal levels of the male hormone testosterone. The response for most people diminishes over time and acne thus tends to disappear, or at least decrease, after one reaches early adulthood. There is, however, no way to predict how long it will take for it to disappear entirely, and some individuals will continue to suffer from acne decades later, into their thirties and forties and even beyond.

Acne affects a large percentage of humans at some stage in life. Aside from scarring its main effects are psychological, such as reduced self-esteem and depression. Acne usually appears during adolescence, when people already tend to be at their most socially-insecure. For this reason acne should be treated if severe.

Causes for acne

Exactly why some people get acne and some do not is not fully known. It is known to be partly hereditary. Several factors are known to cause acne:

• Hormonal activity
• Hyperactive sebaceous glands
• Accumulation of dead skin cells
• Bacteria in the pores
• Skin irritation or scratching of any sort
• Anabolic steroids
• Birth control pills, however many women have reported reduced acne while on the pill
  Those exposed to high levels of chlorine compounds, particularly chlorinated dioxins, often develop severe, long-lasting acne, known as Chloracne.

Not causes for acne

Since the medical knowledge about acne is still relatively small, many misconceptions and rumours about what causes acne exits:

• Diet. It is not impossible that a changed diet can help clear acne for a certain individual. But no general correlation has been found. Chocolate, chips, sugar, milk and seafood among others have not been shown to effect acne.
• Deficient personal hygiene. Acne is not caused by dirt. This misconception probably comes from the fact that blackheads by their nature are black and the acne infected skin, therefore, looks dirty.
• Sex. Rumours have had it that both celibacy and masturbation are causes for acne. This is not the case.