Who Gets Acne? More than 90% of all adolescents are affected by acne, and nearly 50% of adults. It is one of the most wide spread medical conditions in the world.

Causes of Acne

The condition - Acne - is influenced by a variety of factors, many of them are simplely out of your control. There is no one cause of acne.

Acne usually begins at puberty, in both males and females, when the body begins to produce male hormones called androgens. These hormones cause the sebaceous glands to enlarge - a natural process of the body's development. With acne sufferers, the sebaceous glands are over stimulated by androgens - often continuing well into adulthood.

When the sebaceous glands are stimulated by androgens, it produces extra sebum. During the journey up the hair follicle pore to the skin's surface, sebum mixes with natural skin bacteria and dead skin cells that have been shed from the lining of the hair follicle. This process is normal, but the presence of the extra sebum in the pore increases the chances of clogging and can cause acnr.

On your face there can be as many as 500,000 bacteria per square centimeter. This bacteria is present in all skin types and is part of the skin's natural environment. Once the pore is plugged however, the bacteria can multiply quickly in a closed space which fosters the development of acne.

The body sends white blood cells to attack the unwanted bacteria. This process is called chemotaxis. It results in pimples that become red, swollen, and painful.

Pollution has been proven to be one of the major causes of acne. This is because particles that become trapped in pores will block the pores and the result will in most cases be infections.

Prevention

There are lots of ways to control acne. Cleanse your skin up to three times a day with products containing the mangosteen fruit that will not strip your skin of all its natural oils but will stimulate skin turnover and exfoliation. Change your pillow cases and bed sheets often. The buildup of dirt on your face after a long day adds to the toxins on your face. Also the moisture from sweaty or wet cloths can irritate your skin and cause blemishes. Many don't realize that some of the acne on other areas of the body are worse than the arne on your face.

The sun is not a cure for acne as believed by many people. Small amounts of UV light are essential for skin health, but getting a tan can cause unbalanced skin cell shedding which causes even more acne to appear and it can easily out weigh the benefits of UV light. Cosmetics are another common cause of acne. A lot of the products not only contain dangerous toxins but they plug the pores and most cleaning products are unable to remove the pore plugging debris of the makeup. Smoking is also harmful because it reduces collagen in your skin, this makes acne wore and scaring more likely.

Treatment

The first step is to cleanse the skin with natural plant compounds which stimulate skin growth and help exfoliate old cells. If you have particularly oily skin you may need to cleanse three times a day (morning, afternoon and bedtime).

Using liquid compounds capable of penetrating deep into the pores of the skin to dissolve sebum and dislodge debris is the next step. A product having the mangosteen fruit as a main ingredient will have remarkable natural antibiotic compounds which have been laboratory tested and proven to control p-acne and staphylococcus aureus, - the two bacterial strains known to be involved with acne.

Also products with the mangosteen fruit contain large quantities of anti inflammatory phytochemicals which reduce the severity of acne skin lesions. If these phytochemicals can remain on the face over night in the form of a moisturizer it can be a further benefit. If possible acne sufferers should use a gel moisturizer and not a creamy moisturizer since the high secretion of sebum which is a natural moisturizer may be sufficient.

Conclusion

Acne can be very emotionally and socially damaging whether it is confined to adolescence or continues through adulthood. Studies have shown acne can leave people to feel ugly, dirty, angry and depressed.

Fortunately you do not have to live with acne. There is always something you can do to help the health of your skin. One of the newest plants to be incorporated into skin care products is the mangosteen. The mangosteen fruit has been shown to exhibit anti inflammatory properties, anti bacterial properties and is a potent anti oxidant which are ideal properties to have in the prevention of acne.