Acne is often considered to be a condition that only affects teenagers, now although many teenagers will suffer with acne when they are going through puberty, it is not uncommon for men and women into their 30's and 40's to still be suffering with acne. The majority of sufferers will be in the age range of 12 to 25. 80% of the population between 11 and 30 will be plagued by acne at some time.
As with all conditions the severity of acne can vary although generally acne is restricted to affecting the face, neck, shoulders, arms chest and back. Acne shows no reverence to ethnicity and will affect all skin colours.
Sebum, an oily substance, is produced in the small sebaceous glands below the surface of the skin to keep the skin smooth and supple. Sebum escapes to the skins surface through hundreds and thousands of tiny pores on the skins surface. Acne is caused when these sebaceous glands become over active and secret too much of the oily sebum onto the surface of our skin. A natural hormone, testosterone, found in both men and women can affect the sebaceous glands and how much sebum they produce. At the same time as this over production of sebum the hair follicles do not shed their dead cells correctly which form a block in the follicle and a build up of excessive oil and this is when blackheads and whiteheads form.
In many people this is as far as acne goes, but for others this becomes the ideal breeding ground for Propionibacterium acnes to grow. A bacterium which leaves normally on the skin but in this excess of oil starts to breed and multiply and feeds off the sebum and in turn creates other substances which generate a response from the body's immune system. This inflames the skin and creates the redness associated with spots. In more severe inflammatory acne cysts are created beneath the surface and when the cysts mature and rupture they spread the infection into nearby skin tissue, which can in turn result in scarring.
There are many myths associated with acne including that acne is contagious, acne is caused by eating fatty foods and chocolate and also that washing more will not help!
