What causes acne? In the previous post on this site, I discussed how acne is formed. Basically, it is formed due to a blockage in your pores in conjunction with the production of oil by your oil or sebum glands. Oil trapped in this blocked pores can lead also to infection that is why there are inflamed types of acne and also those that have pus in them.

In this post I wanted to explore more on factors that can contribute to the process mentioned above. There are seven (7) top causes of acne and here they are.

1. Genes.

No, acne is not a hereditary disease. Acne is not passed through the genes. Instead, what are passed are the physiological factors that increase your chance of developing acne.

Small pores or hair follicles, fast oil gland secretion, high levels of certain hormones, and sensitive or easily irritated skin type – these are factors that can be passed from parents to their children and these are factors that increase the chance of getting pimples.

2. Hormones.

Have you ever wondered why children don’t get acne? The reason is that acne is not formed without mature oil glands.

Hormones are responsible for the maturation of these oil glands. More specifically, the balance androgen (male hormones) and estrogen (female hormones) are the ones that play the part. Both men and women have these hormones at specific levels appropriate for each gender.

An imbalance between the two hormones leads to many different negative effects on the body. One negative effect is the enlargement and overstimulation of the sebaceous glands. This oil overproduction causes the clogging of hair follicles where bacteria grows and leads to the development of acne.

Conditions where imbalances in these hormones occur are puberty, pregnancy, menopause, and andropause.

3. Diet.

Though a lot of people reject the relationship between acne and diet, they fail to see that diet has an indirect role in causing acne. It may be indirect but it is a cause nonetheless and thus needs your attention.

Eating foods rich in carbohydrates and sugar leads to an increase the production of insulin and an insulin-like growth factor called IGF-1. This leads to a surge in androgen production causing an imbalance in your hormones. Ultimately, oil glands enlarge and the skin excretes large amounts of sebum.

4. Stress.

Stress can both cause acne and aggravate existing acne.

Just like diet, stress causes hormonal imbalance. Stress causes your adrenal glands (androgen hormone producing glands) to be overstimulated and leading to the process discussed above.

5. Certain Types of Medication.

Medications have varied side effects on different people. Some medications cause people to have skin reactions and acne is one of them. The common reason is that these drugs cause a hyperactivity of your glands.

If you find that these drugs are causing or exacerbating your acne, stop taking them. If discontinuation is not possible, contact your physician for alternative medications.

The drugs that can cause acne are:

a. Lithium

b. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHE)

c. Barbiturates

d. Corticosteroids

e. Anabolic-Androgen Steroids

f. Cocaine

g. Contraceptives

h. Anticonvulsants (such as Dilantin)

i. Thyroid medications

j. Sobriety Medications (such as Disulfuram)

6. Over-abrasive facial cleansing.

The body maintains homeostasis. Homeostasis is a balance in the body’s processes to keep it healthy. An imbalance in the processes will cause the body to react using compensatory mechanisms to regain the balance.

Our body’s skin naturally produces oil to keep itself healthy. There is a balanced amount produced to maintain homeostasis.

When we do over-abrasive cleaning of the skin, the oil is totally removed and when the body senses this, its compensatory mechanism is to produce more oil to counteract the imbalance.

More oil production means more chances of oil getting clogged in the pores leading to acne formation.

7. Some types of facial products.

Some types of facial wash, scrub, and even makeup cause irritation in the skin. Irritation of the skin causes the pores to inflame. This inflammation can close the pores leading to clogging of oil within.

The solution is to use hypoallergenic products to make sure that your sensitive skin is not irritated.

I really hope this page is informative enough to help you in your acne problem. There is more to know with regards to solving acne problems. Knowing the causes of acne equips you to develop habits that will help get rid of pimples.