Recent medical research has highlighted that there exist many more causes of acne than what was previously understood. Teenagers, specifically teenage boys, seem to be more prone to acne because of the effects of the increased levels of testosterone as they reach puberty. This hormone stimulates the sebaceous glands in the skin which results in the production of more sebum oil.
Conversely, African skin types, which are relatively quite rich in sebum, seem to suffer much less from acne disorders. Medical practitioners also report seeing more adults that are suffering with acne in adulthood, yet their skin is often of a dry type, which confuses the traditional line of thinking of the overactive sebaceous gland causing acne by producing too much sebum which generally results in a greasy skin type.
Acne generally occurs when the fine pores of the skin surface become blocked. Each pore contains a hair follicle, containing the sebum producing sebaceous gland. These glands are supposed to produce a 'healthy' level of the sebum oil which helps lubricate the skin and helps our dead skin cells to part from the skin surface to be replaced by new ones.
The main cause of acne is when these dead skin cells around the follicles do not shed properly and this causes the pore to become blocked. Bacteria then turn the blocked pore into a spot and the area becomes inflamed causing the unsightly appearance we associated with acne disorders.
Medical research of late however, suggests that the cause of spots in adults is due more to inflammation at the cell level rather than being the direct result of a pore blocked with dead cells and sebum. Stress, smoking, pollutants, poor diet all contribute to generating high levels of free radicals in our body.
Free radicals are molecules that have an un-paired electron in their outer ring. We generate them naturally in our bodies via the process of oxidation ie. where we take in oxygen which our body then uses directly and converts into other substances to help feed our brain and body.
A free radical is an unstable piece of matter that is searching for an extra electron to make it stable. If it manages to 'steal' that odd electron from another piece of matter then that matter is then unstable and it then searches for an electron to make up its number. This chain reaction can be damaging to human tissue and this is what we mean when we refer to damaging free radicals in the context of skin damage.
The body has a defense system in the form of antioxidants. These are molecules which interact with free radicals in a safe manner, terminating the chain reaction they cause before the molecular structure of human tissue becomes damaged.
Some general tips to help reduce the inflammatory causes of acne in adults by reducing the effects of free radicals:
- There are many acne skin care products and diets which aim to reduce acne by targeting the free radicals in our body by taking on extra antioxidants. Aim to eat oily fish, fresh vegetables and fruit, flaxseeds, nuts and yogurt to help feed your bodies source of antioxidants
- If you are going to take supplements then concentrate your efforts on A, B, C and E, zinc, selenium and Omega-3 fatty acids. These all play a part in supporting the bodies natural mechanism for coping with free radicals
- Try and keep sun exposure to moderate levels as UV radiation from the sun can stimulate the production of free radicals
- along with sun protection, its a good idea to use a face cream that contains antioxidants
- Another positive effect of ensuring you supply your body with enough antioxidants is that they convert the naturally occurring amino acid tryptophan into the brain boosting serotonin which has the effect of making you feel happier
- Inflammation, skin irritation and/or scratching of any sort will flair inflammation. Anti-inflammatories are known to have a positive affect on acne
- hormonal manipulation - you should seek medical advice to find out more about this option. The commonly combined oestrogen/progestogen methods of hormonal contraception have seen some positive effects. The antiandrogen, Cyproterone (Diane-35), in combination with an oestrogen is also particularly effective at reducing androgenic hormone levels. Diane-35 is not available in the USA, but a newer oral contraceptive containing the progestin drospirenone is now available with fewer side effects than Diane 35 / Dianette. Both can be used where blood tests show abnormally high levels of androgens, but have been shown to be effective even when this is not the case
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