Acne is one common skin condition that can attack anyone but usually manifests in adolescents. It is a rough skin reaction that comes with pimples seen as swollen spots on one’s skin. The swollen spots usually have blackheads or whiteheads that appear on one’s skin as a result of excessive oil in the skin holes known as skin pores in the face, chest or back. It is a traumatizing experience for some people who get severe pimples with significant wound-like swellings and such victims usually lose self-confidence.
Scientifically, hormonal changes like menstruation as well as pregnancy are considered to be the common causes of acne but also, there exists various myths related to the causes of acne. Many teenagers believe that greasy foods, dirty skin, stress as well as chocolate cause acne but no evidence provided. Given fact that so many people believe in these myths, the prominent causes of acne remain unknown but there are known conditions that can trigger acne. These conditions include;
- Improper use of cosmetics.
Cosmetics such as body creams, lotions, hair gels and make-up are made of chemicals that cause irritations especially fragranced products. These products are also oily or greasy in making which can lead to the blockage of skin pores in cases of excessive use thus inducing acne. In this case, the improper use is not necessarily about using applying a lot of make-up but also mismanagement. For example, when one forgets to clean up their makeup off or failing to completely wash the makeup off after wear.
- Allergies
This is a skin reaction towards certain medications, foods, cosmetics or detergents. It can also be termed as skin sensitivity where one’s skin is intolerant to some ingredients of certain medications, cosmetics as well as foods. This situation can trigger acne on one’s skin, therefore, it is necessary for everyone to be conversant with their bodies.
- Exposure to humidity
This can be through direct sun rays reaching one’s skin especially during sunbathing where people ignorantly lay down under the sun with less cloth on their bodies. These sun rays dry out the skin forcing it to produce more oil that can in turn become excess, thus leading to blockage of the skin pores.
This can also be through wearing tight clothes or hats and anything that can easily trap sweat on the skin for a long time. This sweat contains dirt which blocks the skin pores.
- Smoking
Smokers are usually faced with this skin condition because cigarettes are made of chemicals that irritate the skin, limit the oxygen levels in the face and the smoke also dries up the skin. The skin dryness triggers more production of oil by the skin which results into excessive production and hence clogging of skin pores.
Knowingly and unknowingly, most people fall victims of acne due to the repeated experiences with the above listed conditions. These conditions can lead to mild or severe acne depending on how victims respond to them but can also be greatly avoided as long as one takes good care of their skin.