Acne Vulgaris

Acne Vulgaris - Learn Where Those Zits Come From
by Aaron Walker


Zits, spots and pimples (the medical term is acne vulgaris) are a fact of life for 85% of the population and are something many of you reading this will have to deal with. Or maybe you're currently dealing with an acne problem? Acne is most common during those troublesome teenage years but can also occur in adults; although this is somewhat rarer. So what causes this embarrassing skin problem? More importantly what can you do to treat it?

Acne, as a skin condition, is far more complex than most people think. As skin pores become blocked and the sebaceous glands in your skin become overactive (hyperactive in some cases) you begin to see spots and pimples all over your skin. These blocked skin pores then provide the perfect breeding ground for a bacterial infection which spreads rapidly across the skin and leaves you with an acne outbreak. As the bacterial infection spreads your skin becomes inflamed and sore as your body reacts to the presence of yeast in the bacterial infection.

A commonly held belief is that acne is caused by excessive oil and grease from your skin. This then clogs up your skin pores and causes blackheads, zits and pimples. Here's an interesting fact - the oil that many people believe causes acne actually moves through the blocked pore and out onto your skin. This then gives you the double whammy of having both acne and oily skin. The fact remains, however, that the oil itself is not the actual cause of your spots and pimples.

So what is at the heart of your acne problem? There isn't one single cause for acne itself - there are several. What may surprise you is that the ones you expect to find here aren't the ones you may expect. Hormonal activity (puberty and the menstrual cycle for examples), family history, poor skin care, steroids and stress are amongst the most common causes of zits, blackheads and pimples. You may have noticed that junk food wasn't included and that's simply because there's no proven link between junk food and acne.

The appearance of spots and blackheads isn't the only thing to be concerned about if you suffer from acne. If you leave acne untreated and to spread all over your face or body it can have longterm consequences in the form of scarring. Just ignoring it and pretending it will go away on its own isn't an answer. Those scars can be there for life so why not take steps to prevent them right now?

What acne treatments are available to you? Fortunately the treatments for acne are many and varied. You can start with basics of skin care which is exfoliation. Then you can start looking at natural treatments like taking lots of Vitamin A. Next we have the topical and oral antibiotics, Retinoic Acid (also called Retin-A), laser therapy and light therapy. Last (and by no means least) is the simple option of following a healthy lifestyle, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, drink lots of clean water and get a fairly reasonable amount of exercise. This puts your body in balance and allows it to function properly and prevent skin conditions like acne.

Acne is something which can be dealt with so take action today - your skin will thank you.


About the Author
Zits? Embarassed? Of course you are. Why not learn how to get rid of acne fast. Click on over to www.AcneOrPimples.comfor more information.Click here for other unique acne articles.