Pimples. Zits. Acne. Whatever you call it, it can be frustrating to look in the mirror and see your face dotted with little red spots.
Why does acne happen? What causes it? And what can you do to prevent or minimize it?
What Causes Acne
Your skin is covered with tiny pores, or openings. Each pore contains a gland under the skin called a sebaceous gland, which secrets oil to help lubricate the skin’s surface and remove dead skin cells.
Problems start when dead skin cells and oil secreted by your glands clump together, forming a blockage under the surface of the skin. Microscopic dirt and bacteria and continued oil buildup eventually leading to an inflamed red bump—a pimple. Since our faces are particularly covered in pores with sebaceous glands (over 2,000 per inch on the average forehead!), acne breakouts are most common there.
Facts & Myths About Acne
Q: Do chocolate or greasy foods cause acne?
Studies attempting to find a link between chocolate or greasy foods and acne have come up empty. On the other hand, diets high in refined sugars (chocolate does have refined sugar) have been shown to contribute to acne (see the main article in the diet section for more information). For some people, certain foods contribute to acne. If you suspect a food causes acne flare-ups, consider removing it from your diet.
Q: Can makeup cause acne?
Yes, makeup can make acne much worse. Because makeup clogs the pores on the face, acne is more likely to form. While some girls may wear makeup to try to cover up acne, they are actually making it worse. Many dermatologists now recommend that girls suffering from acne stop using makeup at all. Hair products can also make acne worse: when using hair sprays, spray away from your face, as the spray can block pores as well.
Q: Should I try to pop my pimples?
No. While it’s tempting, popping your pimples causes two problems. First, when the pimple pops, much of the oil and dirt is ejected back under your skin, meaning you haven’t cleared the blockage, and a pimple will likely form again. Second, it increases the risk of scarring. While acne is annoying, it is temporary. Scars can last for life.
Q: Will scrubbing my face help my acne?
No, it won’t. The blockages that lead to acne happen below the surface of the skin, and excessive scrubbing of your face actually irritates it and makes it worse, according to the FDA. Instead, the U.S. Library of Medicine recommends using a mild soap and warm water to lightly wash your face once or twice a day, and after exercising. This will help keep dirt and bacteria out of the pores, reducing the chance of inflammation.
Q: Will medications help reduce acne?
A number of over-the-counter acne medications are available, and they vary in effectiveness. They work by killing bacteria, drying the skin’s oils, or causing the top layer of your skin to peel. They can have side effects, including redness or peeling of the skin. Talk to your parents about medications if you think you need them.
That explains how acne is formed, but what causes it? No one is completely sure. However, there are some clues.
For one, acne is most prevalent in adolescents. Around the age of puberty, a hormone called androgen stimulates the growth of sebaceous glands. The larger glands produce more oil, increasing the chance of blockages.
In addition, doctors now think acne may be partially hereditary. If your parents had acne, there is a greater chance that you will (sorry!).
What You Can Do About It
While you can’t do much about the biological causes of acne, there are other factors you can do something about. A major contributor to acne is stress. When you are under stress, your body increases hormones that stimulate the sebaceous glands to produce more oil—and you already know what happens next.
How can you reduce stress? Here are a couple ideas:
- Talk to your parents. A lot of times, we stress about how to act in certain situations (on a date, in a crowd, etc.). We worry what others think of us, etc. Your parents have been teenagers before, and they can offer advice to relieve stress.
- Read the book of Proverbs. You might find some of the things you worry about can be resolved by the advice in that book.
- Read the TE article about stress: Are You Stressed Out? for more tips.
A second area you can look at to improve your acne is your diet. As discussed in the sidebar, there are some foods commonly associated with acne that may not have an effect on it. However, recent research has found links between diet and acne. There are some common-sense steps that you can take in your diet to reduce acne:
- Limit your refined sugar intake. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, diets high in refined sugars may contribute to acne. Cut out junk food, candy and soda (which all contain large amounts of refined sugar) whenever possible
- Eat a diet rich in vegetables, fruit, seafood and other healthy proteins. According to Acne.org, these foods help stabilize hormones that can lead to acne flare-ups. You can read more about the study that established the link between diet and acne here.
Improving your diet and reducing stress alone may not completely cure your acne, since there are likely to be other factors involved. On the other hand, they can certainly make a big difference. It may mean the difference between a massive facial explosion and just a few minor spots.
Confession: I have to watch my intake of peanuts (particularly peanut butter), cashews and soy or else witness a flare up of those bothersome pimples. I have heard that the oils in peanuts and cashews may be what causes the skin problem for me, and not necessarily an allergy. I eat an almond butter sandwich almost daily and have no problem. I haven’t been able to account for why I can’t eat soy except to chalk it up as a food allergy. Thought I’d mention this in case anyone is like me and loves nuts.
Also, I spent a couple of summers eating watermelon almost daily, and this really seemed to work to soften my skin.
Acne can truly have control of ones life, just like mines. Not anymore but it’s amazing how low your self esteem can go because of Acne . Thanks for your article Micheal, this would truly help me and others with this Acne problem . ^.^
I never had acne as a teen but now I am almost 35 yrs. old and now I have it. I was told it was due to hormone levels. Too much of one and not enough of the other. Some acne is bacterial and can be treated with face medications and using certain antibacterial soaps while hormonal acne can’t be treated this way. The hormones have to be balanced to cure this problem. I also eat extremely healthy mostly veggies and fruit but it doesn’t help. For bacterial acne and hormonal may I recommend using an organic clay (calcium bentonite)mask 3 times a week, you can get it at health food stores or online its called living clay. Mr. Armstrong talked about this discovery in his 1st autobiography it works well, some organic clays you can make a mask and put it on your face and also take some internally and eat and it clears the toxins from the inside. It works great. I suggest reading about it in the autobiograhy, it makes your face smooth and a lot less breakouts. Just a suggestion. It worked for me in the past and I’m about to get some more.
My acne is hereditary. My mom had it really bad and I’ve got that gene. Something that works for my mom and I is salt water. We live close to the beach and every sumer the breckouts are greatly decreeced. So I wash my face with salt water. It works great! If you also have acne on your back and neck it will help.
Very good article post.Really thank you! Fantastic.