Why Do I Get Pimples

What Is Acne

Acne breakouts have been defined as many things; pimples; zits; blemishes; blackheads; whiteheads and just about anything else that makes someone who suffers its attack's, cringe. The condition itself is properly called acne vulgaris. The "little-known" facts that follow about what causes acne— and acne in general—may surprise even the most skin savvy of individuals! Let's find the answers you seek regarding those painful skin breakouts commonly called, acne.

5 Little-known Facts About Acne

1. it can take years to outgrow acne
2. clear-skinned youths can develop acne as adults
3. 85% of Americans suffer with acne at sometime in their life
4. acne attacks every race, ethnicity, age, and gender
5. acne is the #1 skin disease in the world

No Cure, Only Control

An acne problem is a chronic problem—lasting up to decades—which has no cure. Even those outdated prescription pills, and newly devised topical treatments will not cure it. It can only be controlled by a dedicated regiment of medicines and skin-care practices that are successful for each individual; what may work for you, may not work at all for another. For this reason, it is your skin-care practices that are making your skin look clear and lovely, not that the acne has, in any way, been cured. You are simply controlling the problem, so keep it up! You have to be more diligent than is your acne!

NO! A nice bronze colored complexion may camouflage a breakout, but once the tan fades, your skin will shed cells that clog your pores and activate more (and worse) acne in the long run.

Blame Your Family Tree For Your Acne

In no way is acne your fault! It is imprinted within your genes and your hormones. So, blame your chemical makeup before blaming the person in the mirror (unless it's your ancestors you see when you look in the mirror). Now, just because your chemistry is the cause, doesn't mean you can't take action.

Stress Control May Be The Answer For Acne Control

Did you know that stress is the greatest contributor in acne breakouts? Well it is. When you freakout over something, your brain reacts as if you were still in the wild. When this natural "fight or flight" response is activated inside the brain, trouble for acne starts-a-brewin'. What happens is this; the chemical hormone "cortisol" gets dumped into your bloodstream as if a dam has broke inside your body. This reaction causes a worse case scenario for those who are fighting acne to begin with. While eating junk-food or forgetting to clean your face here and there may instigate a flare-up, they really are not the cause at all. It is hormones and how your body handles them that are truly to blame.

Popping Zits Is off Limits

When you press on your pimples to "pop" out the nasty fluids and infection, you are actually making things worse. This pressure pushes the nasty stuff—bacteria—much deeper into the pore. This same habit can tear the flesh around the pore and leave scars forever! They say an ice cube can relieve the swelling and sensitivity, but no matter what, be sure to put a medicated topical treatment on the area to clean deep inside the pore, which is where the trouble begins.

Can I Catch Acne

Not even the worse case of acne is contagious! The P. acnes bacteria—the acne bacteria—can be found on every human's face...even that gorgeous gal with perfectly clear skin has a colony of acne bacteria residing on her perfect skin. How easily each person's pores get clogged, as well as the kind of oil their body manufactures, will determine whether someone breaks-out or not. Touching a face with acne with your face will not give you acne or make yours any worse.

It Takes Weeks To Make A Pimple

Your skin will drop about one million dead skin cells every 45 minutes—which makes up most of the dust you "Lemon Pledge®" away every week. However, when the cells get stuck in the pore, things can get pretty clogged up. This clog prevents proper function of the pore by not allowing the body's oils to freely flow out of them. Remember that P. acnes bacteria we discussed before? This colony of bacteria loves the oil that gets stuck in the pores; which serves to ignite the P. acnes' appetite into a full-on "favorite food" feeding frenzy! Cleaning away the excess cells becomes far more important once you know why it helps control acne. No food for the bacteria, results in far less growth of the bacterial colony. Happily, this makes for far fewer acne breakouts.

Why Do Pimples Get Red And Full Of Puss

When the pores of the body get blocked by dead cells, gooey oil builds up behind the barrier. With this comes the growth of bacteria, which your body's immune system sets out to do battle with. To do its fighting, the body sends out a battalion of red and white blood cells to destroy the problem. As with any conflict, there is bound to be collateral damage. We see these casualties of (acne) war as those red swollen puss-filled pimples, known as whiteheads and blackheads.

• What Are Whiteheads -If the pore is plugged just under the surface of the skin, it is a whitehead.
• What Are Blackheads - If a pour gets plugged so that it expands the size of the opening (widening it) so it is exposed to air, it is considered a blackhead. You are not seeing dirt when you look at this dark plug, you are seeing the effects of oxidation on the oil and skin cells that have been trapped there.

The Black And White Of Acne

No matter if we are discussing blackheads or whiteheads, each of these is referred to as a "comedo"—a hair follicle that has become plugged where the pore's opening is. This plug is caused by those dead skin cells, which should fall off during the day, but instead clump-up to make a thick goo when combined with the body's trapped oil.

If you don't treat these comedos, they can hang around for many weeks to eventually become huge swollen red and terribly infected pores. To alleviate this clogging problem, it is strictly suggested by professionals that you only use products that are labeled "non-comedogenic" or "non-acnegenic" and more importantly "oil-free."

• The American Academy Of Dermatology - Modern excellence in dermatology research and studies.
• The Acne Resource Center - Nutrition and Research on Acne and Important Tips on how to become Acne Free.
• Find A Dermatologist - Find a skin doctor in your area (nation wide) for treatment and prevention of acne breakouts.

Acne Grows Where The Follicles Go

The last place you will find an outbreak of acne is going to be on the bottoms of your feet and the palms of your hands. Why, you may ask? Follicles and glands. Yep, it is all about the hair follicles and oil glands. Wherever you find a large number of densely located hair follicles accompanied by oil glands, you can be sure that a colony of acne will also be hanging around. Because your face, back, chest, and even your rear-end is thick with follicles, this is where we will find the greatest number of acne bacteria. It's good to know that any acne treatment that works on your face, is going to work on those other areas as well.

When Acne Treatments Don't Work

Having to go through life in a constant state of battle with any problem can be frustrating and tiresome. But, when the problem is acne, there is just no hiding it. In some extreme cases, not even the most dedicated treatment program will work. In such situations, the only answer is to make an appointment with a reputable dermatologists. Life can become very lonely behind a painful red and swollen face that prevents you from finding the social life you seek. Getting the best method of treatment for acne can open up an entirely bright and fun-filled world of adventure; one where you can look your companions directly in the eyes.