Acne is the most common skin condition in the world, affecting 25% of adults and 90% of teenagers at some point or other in their lives. The actual underlying causes of acne can vary although the process for how spots occur is quite well understood. Basically, the pores of our skin contain hair follicales and the sebum (oil) producing sebaceous gland. These glands are designed to produce a ‘healthy’ level of the sebum oil which helps lubricate the skin and helps the dead skin cells to part from the skin surface to be replaced by new ones. When these dead skin cells around the follicles do not shed away from the pore boundary properly they can lead to the pore becoming blocked. The clogged follicles first turn into whiteheads, and then into blackheads as they reach the surface of the skin and become oxidised. If bacteria are present then these can turn into inflammed spots.
The bacteria present on everyone’s skin (Bacterium Propionibacterium Acnes for example) form part of the skin’s natural oil maintenance system. When a pore gets clogged however, the bacteria on the skin multiplies and exacerbates the inflammation in and around the clogged pore. This is the cause of unsightly red pimples and spots.
Teenagers are generally more prone to developing acne because of hormonal changes as they reach puberty (read ‘What Controls Healthy Skin‘ for more information). During puberty, the body produces androgen hormones which stimulate the sebaceous oil glands to both enlarge and produce more sebum oil, making them more prone to becoming clogged and causing acne. An increase in the amount of oestrogen hormone in women during pregnancy and fluctuations during the menstrual cycle can have the same effect. Acne is not generally caused by dirt although dirty skin can be more prone to clogging. Blackheads may look like dirt stuck in the pore, but this is actually oxidized keratin, caused by cells that didn’t separate from the pore and shed from the skin.
Acne in Adults
Recent medical research suggests that the causes of spots in adults is more attributed to inflammation at the cell level rather than being the result of a blocked pore. African skin types, which are very rich in sebum, conversely seem to suffer much less from acne and so challenge the traditional view of over-active sebaceous glands been the only cause of acne. Medical practitioners also report seeing more adults, generally women, that are suffering with acne in adulthood, yet their skin is confusingly often of a dry type. Stress has been identified as significant factor in acne in adults. When we are stressed and/or eat a poor diet, our bodies can increase in oxidative stress (see Free Radicals, oxidation and antioxidants), which causes our cells to produce inflammatory checicals called cytokines. These cytokines have been shown to interfere with the process of shedding dead skin cells since they tend to make the keratinocytes (skin cells) sticky and more prone to bond togethor causing more clogging of the pores and the build up of blackheads and spots.
Holistic Steps for Dealing with Acne
- keep your stress levels down as much as is possible, and if you are a stressful person then make some lifestyle changes that you think will help – stress is bad for the whole body not only the skin
- try and get at least 7 hours of sleep each night since this is when your body helps clear itself of stress and toxics
- try and adopt an anti-inflammatory diet. Take oily fish, chicken, turkey, soy products, at every meal, along with fresh vegetables (especially Advocado), fruit, salad, nuts, flaxseeds, yougurt and olive oil
- drink plenty of pure, still water, at least 2.5 litres a day, this will help you stay hydrated which is very important for all your bodily functions and is especially important for freeing the body of toxins and waste
- treat open spots with anti-inflammatory topical creams and lotions
- conventional medecine may be useful in the short term and may help prevent scarring in severe cases
- take supplements to control inflammation - Omega-3, found in oily fish, helps balance the inflammatory agent prostaglandin 2 and so may help with inflammatory causes of acne in adults
Medical Treatment Products
- Benzoyl peroxide in low doses is effective for treating inflamed acne by oxygenating the pore and destroying the bacteria that help cause the problem
- Treatments containing salicylic acid penetrate deep into the skin’s pore, reducing excess oils and dead cells
- Medicated acne scrubs are also a good way to remove excess skin cell buildup and prevent and treat blackheads and blemishes. They should be used sparingly, once or twice a week, since overuse can cause irritation
- Retinol, glycolic acid and mandelic acid, and are all ingredients to look for to help with the process of reducing excess skin cell buildup
Summary
When using any skin treatment for acne its important to bear in mind that results only come slowly through persistence. Spots begin to form two to three weeks before they even appear on your skin, so do not get discouraged if your treatment does not have any immediate effect. Likewise, its important to continue treatment in the long-term to help prevent problems in the long-term. If you are using prescribed medication then always follow the instructions of your GP or pharmacist.