Adolescent Acne – What causes it?

Many people are confused about Adolescent Acne – What Causes it? Today we will look at what causes adolescent acne to help you understand it better. Acne Vulgaris, the most common type of acne afflicting adolescents and teenagers. In America and developed Western countries it affects around 85% of adolescents and surprisingly is reported to affect more boys than girls.

Even though most people experience some acne between the ages of 9 -17 years, it can also remain a problem in early adulthood as well. Some people even experience acne well into adulthood. Often this is not acne vulgaris but develops into cystic or bacterial acne.

In the most severe cases acne can cause permanent scarring and it is also reported as likely to cause significant psychological problems as well. Psychological factors can include:-

Anxiety

Depression

Lack of Self Esteem

Lack of Self Confidence

Embarrassment and Shame

Of course all of these psychological factors can be real or imagined but are real to the teenager experiencing these feelings. These factors can also be greatly exaggerated during adolescence when young people place so much emphasis on their personal appearance.

So what does causes Adolescent Acne?

Adolescent Acne is closely associated with overactive sebaceous glands, which are tiny glands found just under the skin’s surface. Typically the sebaceous oil glands serve and important function by producing an oily substance called “sebum” which has a natural but significant function that is designed to lubricate and protect the top layer of skin.

When Does Adolescent Acne Start?

Generally, just prior to puberty, the body produces many hormones, essential to normal growth and development, but some of these hormones will stimulate the sebaceous glands to produce more sebum than is necessary. Due to the over production of sebum the skins pores get blocked and the normal secretion of sebum does not happen. This blocking of the skin pores causes the growth a closed comedo commonly known as a whitehead pimple.

The blockage of the gland causes the gland to expand and as it expands, it becomes an open comedo filled with darker material which is otherwise known as a blackhead. Many people believe that whiteheads and black heads are different types of acne when in fact a blackhead is, in effect, an older somewhat smaller whitehead. Small whiteheads may go unnoticed if they are smaller and deeper in the skin and then appear as a blackhead as the skin layers naturally shed over time.

What about Blind Pimples?

In most cases a larger whitehead is caused when bacteria found on the skin, that gets into the dermis, under the top layer of skin. This can cause an infection creating pus, swelling, irritation and redness. In severe cases the pimple becomes quite big and is called nodulocystic (blind pimple). Depending on the progression of each individual infection, adolescent acne can range from mild, with small whiteheads without any scarring, leaving no permanent reminder, to the severe nodulocystic type with severe scarring. Acne scaring can be a long term problem throughout adult life.

Is Adolescent Acne hereditary?

If both of your parents experienced teenage acne it is believed to increase your likelihood of developing acne yourself. There is limited scientific evidence to support this theory and the the exact genetic links and patterns passed from parents to children is not well documented or understood.

Acne Free Now hopes you enjoyed Adolescent Acne – What Causes It?