One of the most trying periods in a teener's life is the stage when raging hormones give rise to "mountainous ranges" on the face. " These mounds are what dermatologists call acne. But although, acne problems often begin in the adolescence stage,

One of the most trying periods in a teener's life is the stage when raging hormones give rise to "mountainous ranges" on the face. " These mounds are what dermatologists call acne. But although, acne problems often begin in the adolescence stage, the condition can persist until adulthood. Acne is characterized by the inflammation in the sebaceous glands of the skin. The condition can be caused by a whole lot of things, from heredity to hygiene issues.

Causes of Acne problems

Heredity
While it is still not clear what gene plays a role in causing acne, studies have shown family history of acne problems. If, for instance, your parents suffer from acne problems whether during adolescent stages or adulthood, then you will most likely suffer from the same fate.

Hormones
The body's natural hormones often go on the overdrive during adolescence and other stages where the body is changing its physiological make-up such as during pregnancy. This causes the oil glands to over-function, producing too much oil on the skin.

Hygiene
Bacteria on the skin can also cause infections that may eventually lead to skin swellings. Acne can also occur when oil, dirt and dead skin cells clog the pores. While it is a good idea to wash your face everyday with a mild anti-bacterial soap, too much washing can also cause acne. When people over-wash, their skins may dry up and get irritated. Dryness, in turn, will cause the oil glands to produce more oil than what is usually released, thus, setting the stage for acne problem.

Make-up
Make-up can clog the pores especially when left unwashed after a day's work. Coupled with oil and dirt, make-up can eventually lead to acne problems.

Diet
Although there are really no specific foods that cause acne per se, the effects that some foods have on the body can eventually lead to acne. Chocolates and nuts, for example, do not directly cause acne but these food items can increase the production of oil by the oil glands, thus aiding in the beginnings of acne. The same is true with greasy foods such as pizza, potato chips, French frieds and other food items that are deep fried. For people who already have oily skin, it is best to avoid oily and greasy foods so as not to exacerbate their predisposition to acne.

Treating acne
For some, acne will eventually disappear when the body regains its former balance during adulthood but for others, who have family histories of acne, the battle can still ensue even after the adolescence period, even well into adulthood.

Treatment of acne takes many forms. Mild acne, for instance, can be simply treated with the use of lotions and topical medicines, which are applied on affected areas. Moderate to severe acne, on the other hand, are often treated not only with topical medicines but also surgical procedures.

Sometimes, it is not even acne that most concerns dermatologists but the scars that the acne will leave behind after the treatment. This is why, may dermatologists advice that people have their acne treated when it is still starting. Treating acne that is already on its terminal stage can be very difficult and traumatic for the skin. Acne that are left untreated for so long can leave scars that cannot be easily removed.

Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides acne resources on http://www.your-acne-resources.info.