Causes of Acne

Millions of people around the world suffer from different types of acne. There are several treatments available to cure these varied forms of acne. But before treating acne let’s study the causes of acne. The exact cause of acne is not yet discovered but doctors believe that acne lesions are caused due to the combination of two or several related factors like Overproduction of Sebum, Bacteria, Hormonal Imbalance, Stress, Diet, Nutritional Deficiency, Drugs, Cosmetics, Hair Dandruff, Constipation, Blood Toxins, Lack of Personal Hygiene and Environmental Factors. Let us discuss the above factors in detail.
1) Activation of Sebaceous Glands:
The primary factor responsible for the cause of acne is the activation of oil secreting glands called as sebaceous glands. Several factors like hormones, stress etc stimulates these glands which surround the hair follicle to produce excess sebum or oil. The overproduction of oil would block the follicular pore. This blockage leads to accumulation of sebum and dead cells inside the pores. The accumulated oil stimulates the bacteria to multiply which in turn cause inflammation in the surrounding tissues. This inflammation produces whiteheads and pustule while deeper inflammation can result in a papule, nodule or cyst.
2) Hormones:
The hormones like Androgen (male hormone) and Estrogen (female hormone) play an important role in the maturation and activation of sebaceous glands. Acne is caused due to imbalance or overproduction of these hormones at some stages of life like puberty, Menstruation, Pregnancy, and Menopause. This hormonal imbalance stimulates the sebaceous glands for the overproduction of oil and as a result the bacteria grow and leads to a formation of patch called pimple. Thus, hormones are responsible for the onset of teen acne during puberty, the formation of acne 2-7 days before the onset of menstruation cycle and the development of acne during pregnancy or starting or stopping birth control pills. However, the hormones shows a variable effect on acne during pregnancy because some women report that they clear up completely while others gets worse acne and some shows no overall changes.
3) Stress:
It is believed that internal stressors like tension, anxiety, fear, anger, worry, depression and physical stress can induce the adrenal glands for the overproduction of stress hormones mainly Androgen. These hormones stimulate the sebaceous glands to produce more sebum, which ultimately leads to formation of acne. Stress can also slow down the acne healing process. Stress can also worsens teen acne and causes cystic acne.
4) Heredity:
Research carried out in the field of genetics proved that several genes responsible for hereditary acne may be transmitted from parents to their offspring and thus leads to the formation of hereditary acne outbreaks of the same type and in the same place as their family members have. Thus, acne has strong ties with genetics.
5) Diet:
The role of diet in the development of acne has been a controversial topic since a very long time. However, research proves that in order to completely clear your acne it is very important to avoid certain food stuff and faulty food habits.
Foods to avoid:
1) Avoid junk food with high amount of refined sugar and processed flour like sweets, pastry, cookies, ice-cream, chocolates, cold drinks, pizza, burger etc
2) Avoid junk food with high amount of Trans and saturated fats like French fries, cheese burger, pickle, spicy and oily food, Punjabi sabji, packed foods etc
3) Reduce sources of vitamin B12 especially milk and milk products like butter, cheese, buttermilk, margarine etc
4) Avoid allergic food
5) Reduce excess intake of tea and coffee
6) Reduce intake of nuts
Avoid Faulty Food Habits:
1) Do not consume food at short intervals
2) Do not fast when hungry and do not eat when not hungry
3) Do not consume incompatible and opposite foods like salt, sour fruits, curd, meat, fish and mushrooms with milk, honey and sprouts
4) Do not consume foods which lead to indigestion and constipation
5) Do not exercise after heavy meals.
6) Vitamin Deficiency:
Several vitamins like vitamin A, B-Complex, C, D, E and zinc play an important role in heeling acne fast. This is because these vitamins are powerful antioxidants that clear the pores by flushing toxins and free radicals outside the body. Some vitamins have antibacterial properties which help in healing the damaged skin tissues by promoting immunity. Thus, it is recommended to have 3-5 servings of different fruits and vegetables to obtain all essential vitamins and minerals.