Acne vulgaris or what is commonly known as acne comes from a corruption word of the Greek. Acne is a skin disease which is caused by changes in the pilosebaceous unit or the skin structures consisting of a hair follicle and its associated sebaceous gland. Skin spots, pimples and zits are common symptoms of skin acne.

For most people, acne is at its peak during adolescence. But for the unlucky ones this continues even to adulthood if not treated at the onset of the condition. Usually the face and the upper neck are affected by acne and for some people it also go as far as the chest, back and shoulders.

When the follicles in the facial skin are blocked, this could heighten the risk of forming into acne. Whiteheads and blackheads are signs of clogging in the skin pores. This means its being blocked by sebum and dead skin cells. Sebum is natural skin oil produced by the sebaceous glands. This generally moisturizes our skin to maintain elasticity and prevent wrinkles. However, excessive sebum in the face, dead skin cells and bacteria is not a good combination.

According to studies hormonal changes during adolescence causes the sebaceous glands to over produce sebum, hence the awkward oily face. Hormonal activity such as menstrual cycles and puberty causes the glands to get larger and make more sebum. Stress is also said to be a main cause of acne. It increases output of hormones from the adrenal or stress glands. Likewise, family or genetic history of a person is also a significant factor whether a person is more prone to acne. For example, if the rest of the family were suffering from acne during their adolescent period, expect the same with the younger siblings.

Poor hygiene also causes acne. Wiping the face with your bare hands is a classic example of self administered cause of acne. The hands are one of the dirtiest parts of the body. It touches money, it touches objects packed with germs and bacteria. The moment you touch your cheeks or scratch your nose expect bacteria to transfer from the hands to the facial skin. Furthermore, exposure to chemical compounds such as chloracne and halogens are linked to acne.

While there is no direct link between diet and acne, some researches contend that certain foods cause acne. Recent studies hypothesize that milk which contains IGF-1 hormone causes acne. Researchers also suggest that food with high refined sugar and processed foods cause acne. According to them this happens when rapidly digested carbo foods such as white bread and refined sugars produce an overload in metabolic glucose that is rapidly converted into the types of fat that can build up in sebaceous glands. Hence, avoidance of junk food and other food with high fat and sugar content is recommended.

There are also debates whether chocolates cause acne. Some studies have shown that there is no direct link while others argues the opposite. Looks like chocoholics would have to wait and see if they develop zits after a bar of their fave chocolate.