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Acne
Acne is very common in the teens and twenties.
Sometimes acne is not caused by germs or dirt.
The male sex hormones (androgens) cause acne.
When boys attain puberty the androgens cause the voice to break, a beard to grow, the skin to become greasy and spots to erupt.
All women have both female hormones (oestrogen and progesterone) and androgens.
Acne is due to an imbalance of these hormones and not due to extra male hormones. Greasy skin, excess facial and body hair and the thinning of scalp hair can also be due to this imbalance.
Most people grow out of acne in their twenties, some as late as the thirties.
It's a fear and frustration for teens, but acne can affect adults too. Acne is caused by plugged pores and bacteria in the skin. Oil from glands combines with dead skin to plug the pores, also called follicles.follicles bulge, producing acne and other types of blemishes:
- Whiteheads: clogged pores that have no opening
- Blackheads: pores that are open and have a dark surface
- Pimples: reddish spots that signal an infection by bacteria in plugged pores
- Cysts: thick lumps beneath the surface of your skin ,formed by the buildup of secreations
Three or four teenagers have some acne. it is most prevalent in adolescence because hormonal changes stimulate the sebaceous glands during these years .
The sebaceous glands secrete a fatty oil called sebum ,which lubricates your hair and skin .menstrual periods, the use of birth control pills or cortisone medications and stess may aggravate acne in later life.
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