Causes Of Acne: Tips For Prevention Of Acne And Pimples

By Sughra Hafeez in Health and Fitness On 22nd January 2018
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What is acne?

Sebum, skin cells and hair follicles bunch together to form a plug, and when this plug gets infected by bacteria, the resulting swelling is called Acne. It can appear on the face, neck, shoulders, chest, and back. There are two kinds, namely, acne vulgaris, seen in children during puberty and acne rosacea, which is basically adult acne. The latter is more chronic. Acne can be a result of genetic factors.

What is a pimple?

A pimple is what is created when the skin pores suffer blockage on account of dead skin cells being held back by sebum. A case of severe acne will almost always lead to the formation of pimples. Pimples are generally never caused due to genetic factors.

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Symptoms

Acne signs and symptoms vary depending on the severity of your condition:

Whiteheads (closed plugged pores)

Blackheads (open plugged pores)

Small red, tender bumps (papules)

Pimples (pustules), which are papules with pus at their tips

Large, solid, painful lumps beneath the surface of the skin (nodules)

Painful, pus-filled lumps beneath the surface of the skin (cystic lesions)

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Major Causes of Acne

What Causes Acne? - Hormones

Common acne, known medically as Acne Vulgaris, is generally caused by hormonal changes in the body, and its onset usually can be found in teenage years when puberty rears its head. As androgen levels rise, the oil glands sitting directly underneath the skin enlarge and produce increased levels of oil, also known as sebum. When pores are filled with excessive sebum, it can cause surrounding skin cells’ walls to rupture and create a breeding ground of P. acnes bacteria. As the sebum attempts to push out of the pore, it can attach to this infectious bacteria and dead skin cells, causing a blockage that begins the formation of a pimple.

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Certain medications

Examples include drugs containing corticosteroids, testosterone or lithium.

Diet

Studies indicate that certain dietary factors, including skim milk and carbohydrate-rich foods — such as bread, bagels, and chips — may worsen acne. Chocolate has long been suspected of making acne worse. A small study of 14 men with acne showed that eating chocolate was related to a worsening of symptoms. Further study is needed to examine why this happens and whether people with acne would benefit from following specific dietary restrictions.

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Stress

Stress can make acne worse.

Does Diet Affect Your Skin?

You may have been told that what you eat affects your skin and that it can be the cause of pimples and outbreaks, but the debate about diet playing a role in acne frequency still rages on. Many dermatologists will vehemently dismiss the claims that food and acne are linked, as so much of the research surrounding this aspect of skin care has been inconclusive.

Spicy Foods

Spicy foods often contain tomatoes and peppers, which contain acidic lycopene that can be an irritant to some people, throwing off their skin's pH levels and triggering breakouts. However, it isn't just spicy foods that can irritate your skin.

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Rice Cakes

Contrary to popular belief, rice cakes are in no way healthy. Eating them can only lead to wrinkles and can even influence your brain’s functionality. More importantly, it often leads to gaining more weight, as they are so easy to overeat.

Processed Meats

Have you wondered why you usually get swollen skin? Or, at least, your skin gets irritated after eating at a restaurant or café? Well, that is because you consumed too much meat such as bacon, ham, chicken brine, and burgers, among others. They contain nitrates that destroy your skin’s elastin and collagen. Add to this the fact that their salt volume is quite high.

Bread

Bread is problematic for many reasons. But when it comes to acne-causing foods, the main culprit here is gluten. Gluten can not only lead to small intestinal damage, but it also increases systemic inflammation.

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Potato Chips

Potato chips (made with white potatoes) are one of the most popular junk foods in the United States. However, not only are chips fried in nasty oils and lacking in almost all vitamins and minerals, they’re also one of the major acne-causing foods that ruin our skin. The reasoning here is largely the same as our first two points: chips contain far too many carbs, produce a quick insulin spike, and lead to systemic inflammation. On top of that, the industrial seed oils used in making potato chips are very high in omega-6 fats, which is very bad news for your body.

Cheese

A body of research has also found a link between cheese (or dairy) and acne breakouts. According to research from the book The Clear Skin Diet, certain foods trigger your body to make a burst of certain hormones, which help your cells absorb sugar. If throughout the day you’re pushing your blood sugar up high and fast [by eating a lot of sugary foods], you’re going to increase the hormones circulating in your bloodstream.

In fact, a 2007 study published by the American Academy of Dermatology, backs this link between dairy and acne. The study monitored 43 young men (many teens) with acne over a 3-month period. Researchers discovered that those men who consumed a low glycemic diet (measuring blood sugars regularly).

Trans Fats

These no-good-for-you fats typically come from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, a common ingredient in many processed foods ranging from cookies to chips to cake mix. Be sure to check the ingredients on anything packaged to ensure that you're steering clear of trans fats. "Just like they can lead to clogged arteries in the heart, trans fats also cause blockages in the tiny blood vessels in the skin," says Bowe. Not to mention they trigger inflammation, which can exacerbate acne flares. Don't fear all fat though; polyunsaturated, omega-3 fatty acids are incredibly beneficial for healthy skin. Flaxseed oil, walnuts, and chia seeds are all good sources.

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Shrimp

The peel of shrimp can trigger acne conditions. Furthermore, shrimp contains allergens which can lead to acne and skin rashes. On the other hand, shrimp also contain high levels of iodine which is totally not good for skin. Shrimp, crab, lobster and certain green leafy vegetables such as seaweed, spinach is also high in natural iodine. Therefore, eating too much this stuff, you are susceptible to acne.

These acnes appear when your body accumulates iodine for too long. Therefore, if the day before, you eat too much these foods, it is necessary for you to reduce the following day. Actually, this is also a food on the list of foods that cause acne breakouts you should avoid.

Fried Foods

Grease and fat makes your skin looks unhealthy and they will even lead to the accumulation of fat. Experts agree that foods high in fat are the enemy of human skin. It is very easy to make your skin more acne-prone. You should minimize the fat-rich foods consumption to improve the vitality and radiance of your skin noticeably.

Smoking

Every time you light up a cigarette, you decrease the amount of oxygen that goes to your face. This not only predisposes you to cancer, and causes the breakdown of collagen and elastin that leads to wrinkles and increased pore size, but the carcinogens in the smoke also irritate your skin and dry it out, triggering your skin to produce more oil and possibly more breakouts. (Tip via Dr. Downie.)

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Tips For Prevention of Acne and Pimples

Whether or not you have acne, it's important to wash your face twice daily to remove impurities, dead skin cells, and extra oil from your skin's surface. Washing more often than twice daily is not necessarily better; it may do more harm than good. Use warm, not hot, water and a mild facial cleanser. Using a harsh soap (like deodorant body soap) can hurt the already inflamed skin and cause more irritation.

Many acne products contain ingredients that dry the skin, so always use a moisturizer that minimizes dryness and skin peeling.

Look for "noncomedogenic" on the label, which means it should not cause acne. There are moisturizers made for oily, dry, or combination skin.

Over-the-counter (OTC) acne treatments may help zap pimples fast or prevent them in the first place.

Most contain either benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, or sulfur. Use an OTC treatment with spot-treat pimples. Or use it as a maintenance regimen to control outbreaks. To help prevent side effects such as redness, irritation, and dryness, precisely follow the manufacturer’s usage instructions.

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Quit touching your face with your hands often because your hands collect plenty of bacteria throughout the day.

Avoid makeup as often as you can. And when you can’t make sure you wash it off before hitting the sack. You can also get rid of pimples using beetroot face packs!