What Causes Acne

The challenge of acne and other skin disorders is the bane of many an adolescent existence. The physical pain as well as other symptoms are quite hard enough to deal with, but when taken in addition to the psychological ill effects of the syndrome the overall effect can be devastating.

Treating the symptoms is of limited use to anyone, as it fails to tackle the root causes of acne, and can only ever work in a temporary sense. To know how to get rid of acne, it is instructive to first look at why it happens. Knowing this enables us to address why we are suffering from acne and get rid of it once and for all.

One of the major causes of acne is heredity. This, unfortunately, is unavoidable, as we all need to have DNA. However, there is an upside to this. Knowing that you are likely to be at a high risk allows you to tackle the other causes before acne flares up. Another known cause of acne is stress. Stress may seem like an adult problem, but the pressures of school in addition to peer group pressure can cause an adolescent to have more than their fair share of stress. This is also a highly probable cause of adult acne.

There is also some suggestion that dietary factors can help trigger or aggravate acne. It was once thought that chocolate was one such dietary element in causing the problem, but studies have proved this to be false. It is, however, advisable to steer clear of excessive dairy intake and junk food.

There are also some other factors that can cause acne like when a person is experiencing a lot of stress. It is also not advised to touch your face a lot because you can transfer bacteria from your hands that can cause acne.

Does stress cause acne?

Stress is not a direct cause of acne but it is true that some types of stress can cause the body to produce a hormone called cortisol, which can irritate existing acne.

Anxiety and stress can lead to hormone imbalance and cause acne. Stress prevents digestion and messes up sebum production. Lowering stress levels may help to decrease oil production, and thus decrease the symptoms of acne.

Indirectly, some medication that we take to alleviate or control extreme stress or emotional problems like depression can be factors in the production of acne. In fact, some medicines have acne listed as a possible side effect.