Causes of "Genital Acne"

From time to time, one may experience itching and discomfort in your genital area that comes with a condition that suspiciously resembles acne. This condition is generally referred to by the people who suffer them as "genital acne," but there is no evidence to suggest that genital acne is in fact possible.

First of all, we have to establish if there is such a thing as genital acne. Acne is characterized by inflammations that cause a varying degree of swelling under the skin, resulting in small slightly painful bumps along the dermal surface. There are different kinds of acne - blackheads, whiteheads, papules and pustules are examples - but the majority of acne is caused by the overproduction of sebum.

Sebum is a substance that is generated by the skin and trapped inside follicles, which cause the irritation and swelling that characterizes pimples. Sebum deposits do not normally occur on the skin over the genital area. However, afflictions that resemble pimples would sometimes appear on the genital area nonetheless. These may be caused by a number of factors.

The most common cause of uncomfortable inflammations in the genital area is poor hygiene. Sweat builds up in the apocrine gland located in the genitals, and if it is not cleaned off immediately, it causes an irritation similar to what occurs when sebum is trapped inside the follicles in the face. But because the sebaceous gland is not involved, this technically invalidates its definition as "acne."

Tight clothing also contributes to the appearance of acne-like formations. Lesions may appear where clothing rubs against skin too many times. These lesions only indicate abrasion, though irritation of the apocrine glands could also occur in this manner.

One should bear in mind also that some forms of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) may become manifest in skin disorders around the genital area. If a sexually active person starts experiencing some especially troublesome genital "acne," he or she should not hesitate to refer the matter to a doctor. Genital herpes is an STD that may cause lesions. Quite a few STDs are treatable, though if left untended, any STD may progress to worse ailments, such as uterine cancer.