Causes and Effects of Acne

Today, people are so unsure about the causes and effect of acne. Acne causes & effect can vary in different people. Many people have the misconception that acne is caused due to poor diet such as the consumption of greasy foods. Understanding the causes and effects of acne can help us deal with our acne problems better.
What is acne? How and why does acne develop? And, most importantly, what can be done to treat acne? According to the American Academy of Dermatology, acne is a disorder of the pilosebaceous unit, or what is commonly called the hair follicle or pore. It is classified as a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin. Acne is characterized by the presence of pimples or "zits", blackheads, and whiteheads. Frequently, acne appears on the face, neck, chest, back, and upper arms of the human body. Acne is formed by blocked pores on the human skin. Pores could get blocked due to oil, dead skin cells, and bacteria. Blocked pores create an ideal environment for a bacterium called Propionibacterium to flourish, which eventually leads to blackheads or whiteheads.
There are many myths about what causes acne. Chocolate and greasy foods are often blamed, but research has shown that foods seem to have little effect on the development and course of acne in most people. Another common myth is that dirty skin causes acne; however, blackheads and other acne disorders are not caused by dirt. The exact cause of acne is unknown, but doctors believe it results from several related factors. One important factor is the increasing levels of hormones. These hormones, called androgens (male sex hormones), increase in both boys and girls during puberty and can cause the sebaceous glands to enlarge and make more sebum. Another factor is heredity or genetics. Researchers believe that the tendency to develop acne can be inherited from parents. For example, studies have shown that many school-age boys with acne have a family history of the disorder. Stress can also cause the production of hormones, such as cortisol, which can aggravate the disorder of acne. Stress brings upon different hormone levels. With hormone changes, the body prompts the skins oil glands to enlarge, producing more oil – which causes white heads, black heads and pimples. Moreover, environmental irritants (such as pollution and high humidity), squeezing or picking at blemishes, and hard scrubbing of the skin can make acne worse. Using oily skin cosmetic products such as heavy make-up will clog the pores and definitely add more oil onto your skin. Friction caused by leaning on or rubbing the skin or the pressure from bike helmets, backpacks, or tight collars can also contribute to or worsen acne. In addition, there are cases where acne is caused by medications or drugs. It is a fact that people have various skin reactions to medications. Accordingly, people’s oil glands react differently to drugs. Certain drugs including androgens, lithium, and barbiturates, are known to cause acne.
Acne is skin condition that is able to affect the most important parts of our bodies. It mostly affects the face which is the first part of the body that people see. Some of the effects of acne include physical, psychological and social effects. The physical aspect is the formation of the pimple and the scar that it leaves behind. Squeezing and popping of any type of acne will cause scarring. Acne scars are the most severe physical effects of acne. They are mostly caused by moderate to severe acne forms and may take a long time to deal with. The solution to acne scars can also cost a lot in terms of money as the methods of dealing with them are most times highly technological and complex. The psychological aspect is the mental anguish that a person suffering from acne undergoes. It is this acne effect that leads an individual to either act on his or her acne condition or develop negative feelings towards him or herself. Some of the psychological effects include: depression, low self esteem and low self confidence. Depression is mostly common in situations where an individual has tried to treat the acne to no avail. The person becomes depressed over time and is not able to function like he or she did before. The other psychological effect, low self esteem and low self confidence, is especially common with teenagers. They are at a stage in their lives when image plays an important role in their relationships so much, so that skin conditions such as acne can easily affect how they relate with others. As of social effects, acne has a way of affecting how we live with the people around us. It affects our jobs and our academic goals. This is mostly because an individual with acne will tend to withdraw from others or equally get preoccupied with his or her acne condition so that he or she is not able to perform at work or in school.
I always asked myself, why, why do I have acne and other people not? But in worldwide, there are about 60 million people who are suffering the same problem as I am. As I did some research and talked to my dermatologist, I’ve finally perceived the most common causes of acne. The occurrence of pimples may increase during circumstances such as hormonal fluctuation in the menstrual cycle (puberty), family genes, stressful situations, on using oily skin products and dosage of certain drugs/medications, and on exposure to environmental factors like pollution and humidity. Many people need psychological counseling to get over their acne effects: the physical, psychological and social effects. Despite all the above acne does not have to cause so much unhappiness to a person. It is treatable in the shortest and least painful manner. Fortunately, there are solutions available to acne sufferers from home remedies to professional treatments. However, all it requires is an understanding that it is a normal biological consequence. Further, one should also be able to have a lot of patience as he or she waits for the condition to get better.