What Causes These Zits On My Face?

by Steve Meyer

Knowledge is one of the most favorite weapons in the war against acne; knowing the main causes of acne, makes it easier to decide how to combat it. During the teen years are when hormone levels increase along with androgen in both males and females. Over 85% of teens have to cope with this annoying problem.

The largest increases occur on the back and upper chest and unfortunately on the face. This happened because the sebaceous glands are now actively producing sebum. We actually need sebum, because this natural oil is found in hair follicles. If the excess oil is washed off using soap and water, or alcohol it doesn't present a problem. But, still the excess oil may cause blackheads.

The problem gets increasingly worse when the pores close, because they have become trapped from the excess sebum. Then whiteheads can form from increasing pressure and may burst. Now the bacteria are on the outside, on your face, for instance and it gets spread around. The bacteria create pus and inflammation, which causes acne.

Have you ever had the thought come to mind, that stress can affect your acne? That would be great to know since we can't eliminate the stress completely. Here's the verdict, stress weakens the immune system which would make it harder to defend against the bacteria causing acne. By itself, it's not a major factor though.

Another question that I have been asked is how much influence do illegal drugs have on acne. First, if you are taking illegal drugs, you just need to stop! If you don't you are going to have worse problems than acne. But, let's see what the dermatologist had to say. I was told that anabolic steroids can be a major contributor toward acne, as well as barbiturates and tetracycline.

People have often inquired about the role genetics plays in the acne field. The results I found from researching say there hasn't been any infallible studies to confirm it. In contrast, documentation shows that acne can be passed along in the family tree. But, that's partly due to family living.

This is a question I get pretty often. Do I have to watch what I eat? Will it make a difference? You may think that if you eat greasy food, your skin would be greasy. Actually, some foods that should be avoided like soft drinks, chocolate, and greasy cheeseburgers, will not have any impact on your skin. But, if you are eating a food that increases production of sebum (oil) or a certain type of hormone, it will have a large effect on your skin.

If you can remember that hormones cause the sebaceous glands to secrete too much sebum (oil). The hormones are more active because you are going through puberty. All the acne products work on the principle of controlling the sebum and keeping the pores unclogged. It's important to control the production of the sebum (oil), because if the sebum gets mixed with bacteria deep in the pores of the skin that is clogged, the result is acne.
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