What causes acne?

The causes of acne are complicated and involve several interacting factors. Contrary to popular belief, in most people acne is not caused by bad diet, hygiene or hormone imbalances. Sometimes people that have acne may have inherited a tendency to it from one or both parents. Acne usually starts around puberty when the normal oil producing glands in the skin become more active in response to the normal rise in levels of hormones.

In some people the sebaceous glands are over-sensitive to these normal levels of hormone and the skin can become excessively greasy. Another major problem in people with acne prone skin is the tendency for the opening of the hair follicles (the pores) to block with dead skin cells to produce a skin lesion called the microcomedone. Although invisible to the naked eye, the microcomedone is an acne spot waiting to happen: using a treatment that stops blocked pores is a very important (and sometimes neglected) part of acne treatment.

A bacterium called Propionibacterium acnes (P acnes) is also very involved in the development of inflamed red spots in people with acne. This bacterium is incredibly common and carried by almost everyone, however in people prone to acne the body reacts to the presence of the P acnes in the skin by producing spots. Treatments that control the amount of P acnes on the skin are very helpful.

The final stage in acne is inflammation, in other words redness, soreness and swelling caused by the body’s immune cells surrounding the hair follicle.