All About Acne
WHAT EXACTLY IS ACNE?
Acne is a general term for a chronic skin condition caused by oil and dead skin cells clogging up your pores. Acne usually shows up as pimples, whiteheads, or blackheads, most often on the face, neck, shoulders, back, or chest. Often, an acne treatment with benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid can help clear it up.
WHAT CAUSES ACNE?
The most common type of acne is the one that starts during your teen years, when changes in hormones (especially testosterone) cause your glands to produce more oil. That oil is supposed to help protect your skin. But if it mixes with dead skin cells and clogs your pores, you’ve got the start of acne. Mix in some bacteria, and you can get swelling, redness, and pus.
Your acne can be made worse by using skin or hair care products that use a lot of oil, or if you wear tight-fitting things that rub on your skin, like a hairband or the chinstrap of a football helmet.
Acne can also be a potential side effect if you take certain medications, including steroids and anticonvulsants.
WHAT ARE PIMPLES?
Pimples happen when you get a clogged pore that becomes infected with bacteria. While they typically look red and often show up as raised bumps above the skin, there are actually two kinds of pimples.
Papules are pimples that burst under the skin, causing bacteria to go into the surrounding tissue. Skin around a papule usually looks red.
Pustules are papules that are located deeper under the skin. The skin around a pustule may not be as red, and they sometimes have a white top. They can also feel really sore.
WHAT ARE BLACKHEADS?
Blackheads occur when dead skin cells and oil plug your pores and then get exposed on your skin’s surface. The plug looks “black” thanks to the melanin pigment in your skin and how the oil in that plugged pore reacts with the air. A blackhead-removing scrub can help remove pore-clogging dirt, oil, and bacteria.
WHAT ARE WHITEHEADS?
Whiteheads happen when dead skin cells and oil plug the upper portion of your pores, but, unlike blackheads, it all remains below your skin’s surface.
IS IT OKAY TO SQUEEZE MY ZITS?
Acne shouldn’t be squeezed or picked at. Squeezing a pimple can force its contents (dead skin, oil, and bacteria) deeper into your skin, causing additional inflammation and even scarring. And if you pop it and the bacteria inside gets into other pores, it can actually cause even more pimples.
CAN OILY SKIN CAUSE ACNE?
Since acne is caused by oil and dead skin clogging your pores, having oily skin can make you more prone to pimples and other blemishes. Whether or not you have an oily complexion is largely a result of genetics, though increased hormones during your teen years can also lead to your body producing more oil. Washing with a skin clearing facial cleanser or using medicated cleansing pads may help.
CAN STRESS CAUSE ACNE?
Stress is commonly blamed for acne because it can, among other things, cause changes in hormones. These changes may theoretically cause your acne to get worse, but a definitive link between stress and acne hasn’t been made. However, even without a direct physiological link, there is a chance that when you’re stressed you touch and pick at your skin more, and that most definitely can cause your acne to get worse.
DOES IT MATTER WHAT I EAT?
Despite what your mom may say, no direct link has definitively been established between acne and eating certain kinds of foods (such as greasy fast food or chocolate). That being said, eating a healthy, well-balanced diet is good for every part of your body, including your skin.
CAN SWEAT CAUSE ACNE?
While sweat isn’t thought to be a direct cause of acne, in some cases it can be a contributing factor or make a breakout worse. This is especially true if you combine sweat with something that’s tight against the skin or rubs against it, like bra straps, football shoulder pads, or the chinstrap of a helmet.
WHY DO ONLY SOME PEOPLE GET ACNE?
The truth is that while people of all races and ages get acne, it’s impossible to tell exactly who will be affected and who won’t. Many experts believe that acne is hereditary—if your parents had acne, you likely will too. However, you might get breakouts but your brother or sister won’t. It is true that teenage boys do tend to get more severe, long-lasting acne, possibly because their bodies produce more of the hormones (especially testosterone) that cause it.
WHAT AGE DOES ACNE STOP?
Acne is usually at its most intense during your teen years, and then eases off when you’re in your early twenties. However, since the hormones that cause acne don’t entirely disappear as you age, some people will continue to get acne (at least the occasional pimple) into their thirties, and a few into their forties.
Acne is a general term for a chronic skin condition caused by oil and dead skin cells clogging up your pores. Acne usually shows up as pimples, whiteheads, or blackheads, most often on the face, neck, shoulders, back, or chest. Often, an acne treatment with benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid can help clear it up.
WHAT CAUSES ACNE?
The most common type of acne is the one that starts during your teen years, when changes in hormones (especially testosterone) cause your glands to produce more oil. That oil is supposed to help protect your skin. But if it mixes with dead skin cells and clogs your pores, you’ve got the start of acne. Mix in some bacteria, and you can get swelling, redness, and pus.
Your acne can be made worse by using skin or hair care products that use a lot of oil, or if you wear tight-fitting things that rub on your skin, like a hairband or the chinstrap of a football helmet.
Acne can also be a potential side effect if you take certain medications, including steroids and anticonvulsants.
WHAT ARE PIMPLES?
Pimples happen when you get a clogged pore that becomes infected with bacteria. While they typically look red and often show up as raised bumps above the skin, there are actually two kinds of pimples.
Papules are pimples that burst under the skin, causing bacteria to go into the surrounding tissue. Skin around a papule usually looks red.
Pustules are papules that are located deeper under the skin. The skin around a pustule may not be as red, and they sometimes have a white top. They can also feel really sore.
WHAT ARE BLACKHEADS?
Blackheads occur when dead skin cells and oil plug your pores and then get exposed on your skin’s surface. The plug looks “black” thanks to the melanin pigment in your skin and how the oil in that plugged pore reacts with the air. A blackhead-removing scrub can help remove pore-clogging dirt, oil, and bacteria.
WHAT ARE WHITEHEADS?
Whiteheads happen when dead skin cells and oil plug the upper portion of your pores, but, unlike blackheads, it all remains below your skin’s surface.
IS IT OKAY TO SQUEEZE MY ZITS?
Acne shouldn’t be squeezed or picked at. Squeezing a pimple can force its contents (dead skin, oil, and bacteria) deeper into your skin, causing additional inflammation and even scarring. And if you pop it and the bacteria inside gets into other pores, it can actually cause even more pimples.
CAN OILY SKIN CAUSE ACNE?
Since acne is caused by oil and dead skin clogging your pores, having oily skin can make you more prone to pimples and other blemishes. Whether or not you have an oily complexion is largely a result of genetics, though increased hormones during your teen years can also lead to your body producing more oil. Washing with a skin clearing facial cleanser or using medicated cleansing pads may help.
CAN STRESS CAUSE ACNE?
Stress is commonly blamed for acne because it can, among other things, cause changes in hormones. These changes may theoretically cause your acne to get worse, but a definitive link between stress and acne hasn’t been made. However, even without a direct physiological link, there is a chance that when you’re stressed you touch and pick at your skin more, and that most definitely can cause your acne to get worse.
DOES IT MATTER WHAT I EAT?
Despite what your mom may say, no direct link has definitively been established between acne and eating certain kinds of foods (such as greasy fast food or chocolate). That being said, eating a healthy, well-balanced diet is good for every part of your body, including your skin.
CAN SWEAT CAUSE ACNE?
While sweat isn’t thought to be a direct cause of acne, in some cases it can be a contributing factor or make a breakout worse. This is especially true if you combine sweat with something that’s tight against the skin or rubs against it, like bra straps, football shoulder pads, or the chinstrap of a helmet.
WHY DO ONLY SOME PEOPLE GET ACNE?
The truth is that while people of all races and ages get acne, it’s impossible to tell exactly who will be affected and who won’t. Many experts believe that acne is hereditary—if your parents had acne, you likely will too. However, you might get breakouts but your brother or sister won’t. It is true that teenage boys do tend to get more severe, long-lasting acne, possibly because their bodies produce more of the hormones (especially testosterone) that cause it.
WHAT AGE DOES ACNE STOP?
Acne is usually at its most intense during your teen years, and then eases off when you’re in your early twenties. However, since the hormones that cause acne don’t entirely disappear as you age, some people will continue to get acne (at least the occasional pimple) into their thirties, and a few into their forties.