Acne

What Causes Acne? 

Acne is the most common skin disorder, and while it usually appears in adolescence, adults can get it too.  Acne occurs when hair follicles and the sebaceous glands inside the follicles are inflamed.  Sebaceous glands make an oily substance called sebum. Too much sebum can clog the follicles and lead to bacterial growth and inflammation, also known as acne.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, the four basic mechanisms contributing to acne are hormones, increased sebum production, changes inside hair follicles, and bacteria.  Acne usually occurs at age 11 to 14 when the body starts producing male hormones called androgens. Androgens can over-stimulate sebaceous glands and make them produce more sebum.

Dead cells inside the follicles normally are shed and come out onto the surface of the skin.  But in people with acne, the cells are shed faster, stick together, mix with sebum, and clog.  Then bacteria contaminate the skin cell and sebum mixture and grow.  When the body's immune system tries to destroy the bacteria, inflammation results, also called acne. 

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Why do some people get Acne and others don't?

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 be linked to acne:

• Stress
• 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
• Any medication containing halogens (iodides, chlorides, bromides), lithium, barbiturates, or androgens
• Exposure to high levels of chlorine compounds, particularly chlorinated dioxins, can cause severe, long-lasting acne, known as Chloracne.

Traditionally, attention has focused mostly on over-production of sebum as the main contributing factor of acne.  More recently, more attention has been given to narrowing of the follicle channel as a second main contributing factor.  Abnormal shedding of the cells lining the follicle, abnormal cell binding ("hyperkeratinization") within the follicle, and water retention in the skin (swelling the skin and so pressing the follicles shut) have all been put forward as mechanisms involved, but there does not appear to be much conclusive medical research on the subject.  

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Acne Misconceptions"