What Causes Acne and Pimples

Your skin contains millions of tiny sebaceous glands underneath its surface. These glands, as a way to keep the skin smooth and supple, excrete an oil known as sebum. The oil is released through our pores, which are the small holes on the surface of our skin. Hair also grows out of these pores.

If your body creates an excess of sebum, the extra oil can end up clogging your pores. When the skin pores become clogged, germs and bacteria begin to grow and thrive, resulting in your skin becoming prone to pimples.

Even though acne isn’t a dangerous or harmful condition, you can end up with pimple scars that can significantly change how you feel about yourself for the rest of your life. Below you can find the ten most common causes of acne.

Stress

When you become stressed, your body experiences a fluctuation in hormones, which has a direct correlation to the amount of oil your skin secretes. This excessive oil is directly related to the formation and worsening of acne.

Dehydration

Dehydration is a serious condition, but one that can be easily fixed. Dehydration has many severe effects, such as nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. It is also known to clog pores.

When your body isn’t properly hydrated, your pores can become clogged because there is an overabundance of dead skin cells which can start to accumulate inside the pores. This can be further compounded if you have dirt and bacteria on your face.

Your genes are what make you who you are. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything that you can do about your genetics. If your mother suffered from acne as a teenager, then chances are you will probably have a predisposition to suffer from acne.

Medications

There are certain drugs, including lithium, corticosteroids, anticonvulsants, androgenic steroids, barbiturates, DHEA, and medicines that contain iodides or bromides, that can cause acne and pimples. The potential side-effects of these types of drugs it depends on the person.

If you are taking a drug that has the potential side effect of acne, you can talk to your physician about your concerns and find out if there might be an alternative medication that you can take.

Hormones

Other than genetics, hormones are quite possibly the leading cause of acne. For many people, they have their most severe problems with acne during their teenage years. The main reason behind this is that during this period, their bodies are changing and developing through the release of hormones.

Women, unfortunately, are especially vulnerable to breakouts as a result of a fluctuation of hormones during their menstrual cycle and is entirely unavoidable.

Oils

While the natural oils that are secreted by the skin are ultimately beneficial, other foreign oils that come in contact with our skin increases the chances of it clogging our pores. Oil-based makeup and oily hair can quickly clog pores and cause an acne problem.

Topical Agents

Since not everyone is created equal, different things can affect people differently; what might be good for one person, could end up being disastrous for someone else. Many people can slather lotion on their skin and never suffer from a breakout.

There are others, however, who are not as fortunate. If you have sensitive skin, even a small amount of lotion or oils can create a problem with acne.

Hygiene

It wasn’t too long ago that bathing was considered taboo. The idea of cleaning yourself was a suggestion that you were dirty, and a proper person would never be dirty. However, if you don’t practice good hygiene, you can find yourself with pimples and acne.

To prevent acne from forming, it is imperative that you clean your face and body on a regular basis. You should use a mild soap daily, and women need to remember to wash off their makeup at night to keep their pores from becoming clogged.

Sports Activities and Equipment

Everything from the helmets to the face guards, hats, and sports bras that you wear during sports activities can cause acne. You can also develop acne if you leave sweaty clothing on too long without showering.

Diet & Foods

Whether you know it or not, what you eat has a lot to do with whether or not you will be prone to breakouts. Recent research has shown a direct correlation between acne and blood sugar. There are also some specific kinds of foods that have been known to trigger breakouts.

If you’re looking for a solution to get rid of acne naturally, you may want to consider cutting out those foods that are known triggers. If you’re going to make sure that you are still getting the beneficial nutrients from these foods, you should consider taking a daily supplement.