Thursday, August 28, 2008

Medical Advisor Journals----Acne and Acne Care Articles Written By Friends and Health Experts

What Causes and Aggravates Adult Acne?
By Suzanne Barnes Platinum Quality Author


Adult acne is no laughing matter.Being an adult doesn't give you an automatic pass to have clear, blemish free skin.

But what causes the onset of adult acne? And if you've always had Acne, what makes your Acne worse?

• Hormones: The number one cause of acne is the production of the hormone androgen, which begins at puberty. Hormones are responsible for the acne flare-ups during menstruation and pregnancy, during fertility treatment or even during menopause.

Androgens cause the skin to produce an oily substance called sebum. In its journey up the follicle-where the sebum is produced - toward the surface of the skin, the sebum mixes with common skin bacteria and dead skin cells that have been shed from the lining of the follicle. Whilst this is a normal process, the presence of extra sebum in the follicle increases the chances of the pores clogging and leads to acne.

• Stress cause the production of hormone cortisol, which can aggravate acne. Stress plays havoc with the hormone levels which in turn plays havoc with your skin.

• Oily or heavy make up: You may be tempted to try and cover up your acne with heavy make up but this is the worst thing you can do. Heavy make-up clogs the pores and oily make-ups add more oil to the skin, which will only aggravate acne.

• Certain medications and steroids: Vitamins are generally good for you, but an excess of the vitamins B1, B6 and B12 can cause acne flare-ups. These vitamins are good for the skin, but avoid overdosing.

• For individuals who are sensitive to insulin, a diet that is high in refined carbohydrates and sugars can actually aggravate acne.

• Over abrasive cleansing aggravates the skin and can lead to acne flare-up's and scarring. Harsh exfoliators can damage your sensitive skin and spread the infection.

• Picking and squeezing your zits can be tempting, but it's actually one of the worst things you can do. Picking at your acne simply sends the infection deeper into the skin and can cause permanent scarring.

• Environmental irritants such as high humidity and pollution are also detrimental to the skin. High humidity levels can actually causes swelling of skin which makes acne prone skin look worse. Pollution clogs your pores and clogged pores lead to acne.

• Whilst there may be quite a lot you can do to control the other acne inducing factors there is nothing you can do to alter this one, and this is Genes. You are more likely to get acne if other family members also acne sufferers. Acne is inherited and severe cases known as cystic acne are usually heredity.

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