Acne Vulgaris - Learn Where Those Zits Come From

Zits, spots and pimples (the medical term is acne vulgaris) are a fact of life for 85% of the population and are something many of you reading this will have to deal with. Or maybe you're currently dealing with an acne problem? Acne is most common during those troublesome teenage years but can also occur in adults; although this is somewhat rarer. So what causes this embarrassing skin problem? More importantly what can you do to treat it?

Acne itself is a more complicated problem than most people think. Acne is the inflammation of skin caused by blocked skin pores and over-production of sebaceous fluids. Once the skin pore becomes blocked a bacterial infection begins to multiply rapidly and cause an infection very quickly. The skin then becomes inflammed because of the presence and growth of this bacterial infection.

One of the most popular misconceptions is that spots, zits and pimples are caused by oily skin. This excessive oil then causes your skin pores to become blocked and all of a sudden you've got acne. There's only one problem with this theory - the oil produced in the skin pores actually moves through the blockages and onto your skin. It's part of the process but not actually the cause at all. This of course means you now have oily skin and an acne outbreak so it's easy to see why people might make this connection between the oil (sebum) and the development of the acne itself.

So what causes acne? There are numerous different causes for this annoying and embarrassing skin problem. Amongst these are genetics, stress, hormonal activity (puberty and the menstrual cycle), excessive dead skin cells and the use of steroids to list just a few. You'll have noticed that poor diet wasn't listed. Why? Because there's no definitive link between poor diet and acne. Eating lots of junk food will make you fat but it might not cause zits.

The spots and pimples are not, however, your only concern when you have acne. Acne that's left untreated and allowed to roam wild over your face can and will leave your face scarred with dozens of tiny holes. Don't just ignore the problem and hope that it will vanish. You'd be better off taking action now to treat it instead of living with the scars for the rest of your life.

So what can you do to treat your acne? Your options are exfoliation, topical and oral antibiotics, Retinoic Acid/Vitamin A, Photo/Light therapy and last but not least laser therapy. One of the easiest ways to prevent acne is to life a healthy lifestyle, eat a balanced diet, drink plenty of fluids and get regular exercise. This will help the body provide the balance you need to maintain healthy and glowing skin.

Acne is something which can be dealt with so take action today - your skin will thank you.