What's the Deal with Acne?

Hate to break it to you teenagers, but acne can last well into your 40s. While there’s no cure to make them instantly go away, we have a few tips to help minimize the amount of pimples that pop up. When it comes to acne there’s three main players: bacteria, oil, and skin.

P. acnes is the bacteria most commonly blamed for causing acne. It lurks deep within our hair follicles and pores, even when we don’t have a breakout.

Now sebum is the oil that limits the amount of water that gets in and out of our skin. It’s produced in the sebaceous gland that lives inside hair follicles and is made up of different lipids, or fats and oils. This lipid composition changes as you get older, which is one factor why aging means fewer pimples.

Sure, getting older slows down your metabolism, and your skin starts to sag but hey--at least you won’t have zits. Anyway, occasionally you’ll produce too much sebum and when that happens, follicles can become blocked. This leads to oil and dead skin cells building up, which feeds the growth and replication of P.

acnes. This overload of P. acnes, sebum and dead skin disrupts follicle cells, triggering your handy dandy immune system.

Blood rushes to the site, turning your jaunty infection bright red. But it doesn’t stop there! White blood cells are sent in to destroy the bacteria buildup, but they die below the surface of the skin.

So you now have a growing collection of dead skin cells, bacteria and white blood cells at the surface of your skin. This bacterial graveyard leaves you with a big festering pus-filled pimple. Ew.

But why does your body produce excess sebum? It actually comes down to hormones, specifically androgens like testosterone. Sebaceous glands are stimulated by androgens to produce more sebum.

Teenagers are the most likely candidates for breakouts since they’re going through puberty and experience hormonal changes, which can triggers excess sebum to be produced. Women have higher androgen levels before and during menstruation than any other time of the month, which is why acne breakouts sometimes occur before their periods. But what about that age old tale that sugary foods like chocolate and soda cause breakouts?

Well as it turns out, recent research HAS established a link between carb-filled foods and acne. However, they’re still working out why carbohydrates can lead to acne. One study showed that carbs might cause more pimples by increasing a compound called insulin-like growth factor-1, which can increase sebum production.

More evidence is needed, but avoiding refined carbohydrates COULD help with acne. To prevent sebum and dead skin build up, look for face washes and products that are cleansers or scrubs. Benzoyl peroxide is an antimicrobial agent that decreases P.

acnes by preventing them from reproducing. In addition, benzoyl peroxide dissolves oil, so you can just wash away that excess sebum on your skin. Salicylic acid is another acne prevention agent.

Instead of killing the bacteria, this guy loosens and removes the outermost layer of your skin and unclogs hair follicles, disrupting those perfect storm conditions that lead to pimples. If your acne is severe and you need stronger measures, talk to your doctor about antibiotics. The most common prescription medications include retinoids, which are a class of chemical compounds related to vitamin A.

They work as an exfoliator, cleaning off dead skin, and have anti-inflammatory effects. Retinoids can take a few weeks to work, and may make your acne worse before it gets better. For women, birth control pills can also help with acne by regulating hormone levels.

Today there are more ways than ever to remove pimples. Which works best for you? Wearing less oily makeup?

Cutting back on cookies? Let us know in the comments. Simply getting older worked for me.

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