Acne Health and Prevention

Introduction

Acne will affect more than 50 million people in the United States today. However even with the large number of people affected, mostly teenagers, there are a number of myths or old wives tales on the causes of acne.

Once you understand the real cause of acne, you can easily dispel these myths and prevent an attack of acne and even stop acne with confidence.

Where Acne Comes From

Researchers have determined that acne is a result of a hormone imbalance in the body. This hormone imbalance is caused by puberty, which is why teenagers have a majority of acne problems, and stress.

A hormone imbalance results in an increase amount of sebum (oil) being secreted by the skin. This sebum will cause dead skin on the face to clump together block the pores.

When the pores are blocked, it creates an oxygen-starved atmosphere that allows bacteria to grow. When the bacteria start to grow, the body’s immune system attacks the bacteria resulting in inflammation or acne.

Where Acne Does Not Come From

When I was growing up and in my teen years, I was bombarded with things I should not eat so as not to develop acne. Such foods as chocolate, French fries or any greasy types of foods were out-of-bounds for me to eat, all because my mother thought I would develop acne from consuming those types of foods.

But with the findings that acne is a result of hormone imbalance in the body, these foods were determined not to be a cause of acne. Of course this was after my teen years and my risk of developing acne was significantly reduced.

I missed out on those foods teens love. Now I cannot eat them because of the saturated fats they contain and the risk to my health. I guess I was just born at the wrong time.

Stop Acne

So with all this in mind, how can I prevent acne from developing and if I have it how do I get rid of it?

Diet may play a part in stopping and preventing acne, but you get more bang for your buck if you properly cleanse your face twice a day. This cleansing should be done once in the morning and once before retiring.

Cleansing is not the same as washing your face with regular bar soap. You should use a cleanser especially designed for your skin type and not use bar soap.

Also you should exfoliate your skin once or twice a week.

Both cleansing and exfoliating will remove excess dead skin, bacteria and sebum from you skin, removing the material needed to create acne. This action will not only prevent acne, but help in removing the acne you already have.

Conclusion

The true cause of acne is because you are undergoing or have a hormone imbalance in your body. Some how these conditions lead to an excess amount of sebum, which leads to clog pores and acne.

Jimmy C has been studying skin care for many years because of his skin problems in his youth and he is the Editor in Chief of a number of skin care web sites. Being a victim of acne in his younger days, he has researched this subject to help people prevent and stop acne. He has also studied many aspects of caring for the bodies skin and keeping it youthful and free of irritants.