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Acne affects a majority of people all over the world. There are some estimates which state that as many as eight out of every ten people on the planet today have suffered from acne at one time or another in their lives. And there are mentions of acne and skin problems in historic medical writings that go back as far as the Roman Empire. So just what causes acne and, more importantly, why haven’t we been able to cure it? First, the cause.

Acne is caused by a series of events coming together in the skin. These are natural events to be sure and when they occur the way they were designed to, your skin suffers no acne breakouts. But when one or more of them becomes imbalanced, they combine to produce whiteheads, blackheads, or acne cysts. So you could say that the real cause of acne is a metabolic imbalance in the skin.

You see our skin is covered with hair. In many cases that hair is very fine in nature and hard to see, but it’s there nonetheless. Each hair springs from a hair follicle which is a sack-like container in the dermis and grows out through the skin pore.

Also located in the dermis are tiny oil glands called sebaceous oil glands. They’re attached to the hair follicle and in fact open up at the follicle. These glands produce an oily substance called sebum whose job it is to lubricate the hair and the skin.

Lastly, located in the pore is a constant supply of dead skin cells. As our skin grows every day, it produces new cells and pushes off old ones. As a result our pores are filled with the old cells.

So the sebum coats the hair. The hair grows up through the epidermis. And the dead skin cells and sebum are pushed to the top of the skin’s surface and we end up with beautiful skin. At least that’s the way it’s supposed to happen. But when one or more of these processes gets out of whack, acne skin breakouts occur.

For instance, during adolescence hormone levels change dramatically. When that happens, the sebaceous oil glands can create an overabundance of sebum. Also, there may be more general growth at that time too which means more dead skin cells can accumulate. However, even after adolescence, the causes of adult acne can be traced to the same changes.

This mix of sebum and skin cells can form greasy plugs in our pores. The plugs themselves grow, harden, and resist being pushed to the surface. This is what causes acne breakouts – the whiteheads and blackheads that typify acne.

These plugs can also provide a breeding ground for bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes) and when that happens they become inflamed and grow even larger until they tear the follicle walls creating an acute form of acne known as cystic acne.

So acne is caused by the skin’s inability to handle the buildup of excess oil and skin cells – period. It’s not caused by certain foods. It’s not caused by lack of sleep. And it’s not caused by poor personal hygiene (see Fact and Fiction Concerning Acne). But does knowing this put us closer to a cure?

To cure acne we would have to find a way to regulate the skin’s oil production and skin cell growth. That’s difficult at best, especially during the teenage years. So until science discovers that magic pill that will work just right for every individual, we’ll have to settle for acne remedies and acne treatments that target the causes of acne and attempt to control it.

We’ll need to find the right acne cleansers that help our skin expel dead skin cells easier and create new ones faster. We’ll need to try to reduce the sebum production in our skin with acne gels and lotions. And we’ll need to fight the bacterial inflammations that can occur with still other gels or lotions, or even antibiotics. There are no acne cures but there are effective ways to treat acne.

It’s an uphill battle for sure but it’s one everyone can win. Understanding what causes acne is the key first step. Armed with that knowledge you can begin to make the right choices and those choices will lead you to victory.