Acne - An overlooked cause

It has long been overlooked that inflammation can play a significant role in acne outbreaks.  This article provides a brief overview of the process.

Why does acne usually start after puberty? The answer to that question is hormones. Our bodies begin to produce the steroid hormone testosterone by the time we enter puberty. Testosterone breaks down into dihyrotestosterone (DHT). This substance then stimulates the sebaceous gland to produce excess oil (sebum). For many reasons, this oil begins the process of retention hyperkeratosis which just means there is insufficient exfoliation within the follicle's lining.

Pretend, for a moment, that you could peek down into the follicle. There you would see dead skin cells that are not being carried away by the flow of sebum (to the skin surface) from the oil glands, due to insufficient exfoliation. Instead, they remain stuck in the follicle where they form into a sticky mass. Soon after, a form of bacteria, Propionibacterium acnes, begins to multiply very quickly. This creates inflammation within both the follicle and the surrounding skin tissue. If new cells continue to be generated, but the dead ones are not exfoliated, the resulting condition is known as retention hyperkeratosis. This term just means that the pores are retaining the new skin cells which results in clogged pores.

The term used in skin care for this blockage is 'comedo'. When the comedo is first formed beneath the outer layer of your skin it is too small to be seen without the aid of a microscope. At this point, it is referred to as a microcomedo. As it grows, it looks like a tiny white bump just below the surface of the skin. When you run a finger over your skin you can often feel these small, hard bumps. As they grow in size, they change from microcomedones into comedones and then eventually into other larger lesions known as pimples .

Scientists have always believed that there are only two types of acne lesions - non-inflamed or inflamed.

Even now, after being studied for 150 years, medical experts still do not believe that inflammation is at the basis of the so-called non-inflamed acne lesion.

This will continue to ensure that they will never develop highly effective treatment options for this common disease. Acne is a systemic inflammatory disease that unfortunately affects many thousands of people, both young and old. To successfully prevent it, and treat it, strategies need to be developed that are proven to reduce inflammation. Reducing inflammation on a cellular level has three components: diet, nutritional supplements and topical applications.