Causes of acne are many

Plugged skin pores, improper shedding of dermal cells, hormone imbalance, genetic inheritance and excessive production of sebum from the sebaceous glands are some of the major causes of acne.

Acne is most commonly seen among teenage boys and girls though it can occur in babies or adults also. Its most visible external symptoms are pimples, papules, whiteheads and blackheads. In severe cases of acne, acne cysts or lesions are also noticed. They are mostly found in the face, neck, upper shoulders, chest and the back.

During puberty, there are a number of hormonal changes that occur in the body. There is an increased production of sex hormones like estrogen, estradiol and androgens. Androgens stimulate the production of oil in the sebaceous glands, which tends to block the skin pores. As a result the normally harmless skin bacteria present on the skin gets entrapped in the deeper layers of the skin.

Infection of the skin pore triggers the production of white blood cells to destroy the bacteria. The result is an accumulation of skin debris, toxic substances produced due to chemical reactions, fluids and dead bacterial cells. These push the skin to from pimples or pustules. They can also form whiteheads or blackheads. Further, there is redness, swelling, localized inflammation and release of heat.

Acne also results on account of Retention Keratosis. This happens because of improper shedding of the skin lining due to which the skin pores get blocked. The blocked skin pores containing dead cells serve as a medium for bacterial growth, and the development of acne.

Genes also exert an important influence in acne. It is likely if your parents have suffered from extensive acne problems you might also suffer from it. Sometimes your grandparents’ genes get expressed in your generation.

For women there is an increase in the number of acne outbreaks during the pre menstrual period and during pregnancy. This is mainly due to hormonal changes that occur in the body during this time. It is, however, not a persistent case of acne. Ortho tricyclen, a medicine originally used as a birth control pill, can be used for treatment.

Acne becomes worse when we frequently keep touching the pimples or the papules. Bacteria present on the skin of our hand get lodged onto these pimples resulting in secondary infection. It causes more pain and inflammation. Eventually the healing time also becomes more.