What Is Acne?

Introduction

Teenage years are ones filled with excitement, change, and the feeling by each and every teen that they are "different." There is one aspect of the teen years, however, that unfortunately is shared by most if not all teens, and this is acne. Whether your teen's acne is mild or severe, your teenager deserves the very best information available to help understand and control this most frustrating condition.

What causes acne?

Pimples (acne) are the result of overactivity of the oil glands, which are located at the base of the hair follicles, especially on the face, back, chest, and shoulders.

When these oil glands become plugged up, the overactive oil glands become red and inflamed. There are many theories about acne, many of which are myths! Scientific research seems to indicate that there are four key factors involved in the acne process:

Natural hormones that are produced by the body throughout life undergo a drastic increase during the teen years. These hormones carry out many healthy jobs in the body of a rapidly developing teen. However, they also cause the oil glands to become overactive.
Family background or heredity plays a very important role as well. If many members of a teenager's family had or now have acne, it is likely that the problem of oily skin has been inherited and the teen's skin will be more sensitive than most people's to the effects of the hormones generated by the body.
If the skin cells that line the oil glands or pores are present in unusually large numbers, they tend to stick together, clogging the openings to the pores. These "plugs" can be plain white (whiteheads) or if they contain mixtures of skin cells plus skin pigment, they can be darker in color (blackheads).
When bacteria are present on the skin, they tend to infect the oil glands. Bacteria thrive on this oil, growing readily beneath the skin cells and leading to infection. This produces redness and pus formation (the classic "pimple"), or in more serious cases, the infection spreads into deeper skin layers and causes cysts. Cystic acne is a deeper infection of the skin and is more likely to lead to permanent scarring.

What doesn't cause acne?

Myths are often perpetrated that consumption of rich oily foods, soft drinks, chocolate, and many other foods commonly eaten by the average teen cause acne. This has clearly been proven to be FALSE, though this myth remains the one most commonly held! Likewise, acne does not indicate that the teen's face is too dirty. As noted above, blackheads are colored by skin pigment cells, not dirt. Furthermore, "impure thoughts" or being a "bad person" have yet to be implicated as causes of acne!

What makes acne worse?

It is known that squeezing or "popping" pimples tends to force the oil and bacteria into the deeper skin layers, making cysts more likely to occur. It is these cysts that are more likely to cause scarring, the most serious complication of acne. Excessive scrubbing of the skin actually irritates the skin and increases the number of loose skin cells, leading to increased pore clogging. Anything that puts pressure on, or rubs the skin excessively will aggravate acne. These include headbands, straps securing helmets, hats, hair, and even the teen's own hands, if they are used to support the cheek or chin while in class or watching television. Certain medications, especially hormones taken orally or by injection can increase acne as a side effect. Females often observe that their acne increases before or during their menstrual periods, as a result of the increased hormones present at this time. Every teen knows that stress and tension can induce acne flare ups.

POWER POINTS

Acne is the result of overactivity of oil glands at the base of hair follicles.
Hormone changes during teenage years cause oil glands to become overactive.
Family background (heredity) plays a role in oily skin, and in increasing sensitivity of the skin to hormonal changes.
Skin cells can "plug" skin pores causing "whiteheads" and, with pigment, "blackheads."
A "pimple" is an oil gland that is infected with bacteria, resulting in an inflamed area with pus formation.
Acne is NOT caused by eating oily foods, soft drinks, or chocolate.
Although there is no true "cure" for acne, proper skin care, skin gel, oral antibiotics, and other oral medications are available to control the more severe forms of acne.

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