What are the Causes of Acne and Prominent Solutions?

Mehedi HasanLast Updated: September 18, 2024

Acne is a chronic condition caused by blocked pores in the skin causing pimples, zits, or blemishes due to the accumulation of dirt, bacteria, oil, and dead skin cells specifically on the face, neck, chest, and back at the base of hair follicles.

There are several types of acne such as cysts, pimples, whiteheads, and blackheads. Normally acne occurs during puberty as soon as the sebaceous glands activate but it can occur at any stage. It does not pose a serious risk to your health but it can really be painful and progressively cause scarring on the skin.

Acne can usually contribute to emotional distress hence affecting your self-esteem and self-confidence because of the visibility of the acne and the acne scars. As much as acne is very much treatable it can cause feelings of anxiety and depression.

Different Types of Acne

Acne has a mixed type of pimples that vary in size and level of pain.

The subsequent types are possible;

Blackheads: They are exposed at the surface of your skin and are visible. The darker appearance of these pimples is caused by oxygen in the air and not dirt.
Whiteheads: Theyare flesh-colored bumps under the surface of the skin and are usually small.
Papules: Theyare tiny, usually red or pink bumps that are usually visible on the surface of the skin caused by irritated or infected hair follicles.
Pustules: Theyare red pimples visible on the surface of the skin and have an accumulation of pus at their tips.
Nodules are large, solid, often very painful bumps that occur beneath the surface of the skin.
Cysts: Theyare visible on the surface of the skin, contain pus, and are usually very painful. Cysts can cause scarring.

What are the Symptoms of Acne?

Acne is usually a common problem and it can be found anywhere on your body but the most affected areas are mostly the face, neck, shoulders, and chest area.

The most common symptoms of acne are;

Discoloration and scarring give the skin a rough and uneven skin texture.
Pain and tenderness of the pimples on the surface of the skin when touched or not.
Soreness and swelling of the skin.
Hyperpigmentation is caused by spots and redness.

What are the Causes of Acne?

The human skin has pores that connect to the oil glands under the surface of the skin. Occurrence of acne takes place when the pores of your skin become clogged with bacteria, oil, or dead skin. Each follicle connects the glands to the pores. Follicles are made of small sacs made up of hair and sebaceous glands that produce and secrete liquid.

The oil glands produce sebum which transports the dead membrane cells through the follicles to the surface of the skin. A small hair grows through the follicle and out of the skin.

Acne occurs when the follicles get blocked, oil builds up under the skin, bacteria build up in your pores and dead skin cells amass in your pores.

What are the prominent solutions for Acne?

Acne treatment largely depends on its severity.

For mild acne, you can use over-the-counter medicated creams, cleansers, and spot treatments to help cure the acne problem such as benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid.

For moderate acne, reaching out to an acnedermatologist in Austin is the most essential thing to do whereby the health professional will prescribe medications that may help reduce the symptoms and even prevent scarring such as antibiotics and retinoids.

For severe acne, a dermatologist may prescribe a combination of treatments such as topical antibiotics and retinoids, oral antibiotics, and benzoyl peroxide.

Your dermatologist may also recommend medical procedures to treat severe cases of acne and prevent scarring.

Some of the home remedies that help clear up acne and prevent future breakouts are the application of aloe vera, tree tea oil, using a honey mask and avoiding touching your face, and squeezing the pimples to avoid scarring.