Men’s Health and Fitness

Many people have suffered from acne at one time in their lives. This skin affliction, though it’s common, has negative connotations attached to it that cause self-esteem issues among some. In addition to these negative connotations that this affliction has, there are misconceptions over what causes people to suffer from it. In order to better understand the truth about what causes acne and to better understand how to treat it, let’s discuss what can and can’t lead to an outbreak of this skin problem.

Hormones Lead To Outbreaks

One thing that is often linked to acne outbreaks is the presence of extra hormones in the body. For women, this can mean that outbreaks are more severe during one point in the menstrual cycle than during others. In all people, the extra hormones the body produces during puberty often results in outbreaks of acne, making it a normal part of growing up. In the same way, increased stress often leads to an outbreak, since stress stimulates the adrenal glands to produce more hormones.

Dirt Is Not A Culprit

Often, the appearance of acne on the face includes blackheads, which are little black spots in the skin. Because of the way these look, people often misinterpret acne as a result of dirt on the face, meaning that those with acne have poor personal hygiene. In reality, those black spots are usually composed of keratin, which is the substance that makes up skin and hair cells. Because this affliction is caused by unshed skin cells blocking pores, these black spots often show. This is normal, and reflects a symptom, not a cause.

Bacteria

The ultimate cause of acne is small bacteria that infect the clogged pores mentioned. These bacteria breed and result in the inflammation that usually shows itself as reddened skin or as pimples. The whiteheads that often form from these pimples come from your body’s immune response, with that white fluid consisting mostly of white blood cells. So though whiteheads are unsightly, it’s a sign that your body is working to wipe out the bacteria.

Food As A Contributor

Currently, the jury is still out as to how much or how little food contributes to outbreaks of acne. While old-fashioned suggestions for preventing outbreaks includes cutting out things such as chocolate and fried foods, studies have not proved that easing up on consuming either definitely helps. Milk, however is a culprit in causing acne, though doctors aren’t sure why yet; they suspect it’s the hormones in the milk. Similarly, some studies have suggested that cultures in which few people eat refined sugars have fewer cases of acne, but since outbreaks are sometimes determined by genetics, that’s not certain yet. However, with this information at your fingertips, perhaps you will better understand what can and can’t cause outbreaks of this skin problem.