Causes and cures for Acne

Clearpores is an entire line of products designed to minimize acne outbreaks. The Clearpores three step acne treatment includes a Deep Wash, Herbal Formula preventative and long acting Fortifying Cream.

Murad manufacturers a wide variety of over-the-counter skincare products, of which Murad Exfoliating Acne Treatment Gel is the most appropriate for acne treatment and prevention. Murad Gel is a thick liquid designed to be applied after cleansing the skin of the face.

Epiclear is an over-the-counter spray-on product applied 1-3 times per day on skin that has been cleaned. After being sprayed on, Epiclear is rubbed in with the fingertips. Epiclear can be used anywhere on the body.

Acne

You know whether or not you have pimples. But what is acne exactly? What causes it? This article will describe what acne is and how it works.

Pores and sebaceous glands

Your skin, especially the skin of your face, is covered with pores. These pores are channels between the surface of your skin (epidermis) and the dermis, the deeper layer of your skin. Your pores have sebaceous glands, which create a substance called sebum (a kind of oil). This sebum drains to the surface of your skin, where it keeps your skin from drying out and keeps it supple.

Sometimes, pores get blocked. When that happens, the sebum that should be travelling to the surface of your skin is trapped below the surface. Bacteria begin to grow in the trapped sebum. This blocked pore is called a microcomedone. At this point, you might not even notice that something is wrong.

As the sebaceous glands continue to produce sebum, the blockage gets bigger and becomes a comedone. There are two types of comedones:

When the trapped sebum and bacteria stay below the surface of the skin, they are visible as a whitehead.
When the pore stays open enough, the blockage is visible as a blackhead. Blackheads turn black from the skin pigment melanin. Blackheads can last a long time because small amounts of sebum are still able to travel to the surface of the skin.

Scientists do not yet completely understand the causes of acne. We do know that diet, hormones, stress and vitamin deficiency all play a role in the production of acne, but we still don't know enough about the causes to make any one-to-one correlations.

Hormones certainly play a role in causing acne. Any time a one's hormones are out of balance (puberty and, for women, pregnancy and menopause) one tends to have an acne breakout. Acne breakouts may be caused by androgens, male hormones found in both men and women. Androgens stimulate sebaceous oil production, which may lead to clogged pores and acne.

Since the causes of acne are unclear, time is better spent researching a tested and reliable treatment for acne. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for acne -- just ongoing treatment for your skin.

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