When it comes to treating acne, it can often feel like a hopeless task with most people going through countless different products without ever finding the right one for them. This can, of course, be very disheartening but the way to solving this is to first try and get to the root of the problem. Once you understand the cause of your acne, it can be much easier to find the right treatment and skin care for it, especially when you seek professional help from skin experts. With decades of experience, our team will be able to guide you through the perfect treatment and skin care products for you. Here are our common causes of acne:
Common Causes of Acne
One of the most common causes of acne, at any age, are hormones, whether that be during puberty or as the result of a hormonal imbalance or use of contraceptives later in life. For women, hormonal acne can be a real knock to their confidence, presenting as ugly and often painful cysts around the face, and occasionally even the body.
Stress
A common culprit for many skin issues, stress can trigger an acne flare-up too, most likely due to the increased production of the stress hormone cortisol. While a stressful day itself won’t cause acne, research suggests that chronic stress and the cortisol it produced can create the perfect environment for bacterial acne to thrive.
Environmental Factors
Certain environmental factors, such as pollution, can have a massive impact on your skin. From inner-city air pollution to UV radiation, your skin is exposed to environmental factors each day which can have a negative impact. While medical experts don’t fully understand the link between pollution and acne yet, it’s easy to see that clogged pores and the grime of city air won’t be doing your skin any favours.
Food
Not all food triggers acne, but certain individuals can experience and acne flare-up due to their dietary choices. The most common culprits for this are usually dairy, chocolate, caffeine, and fried foods. Although the jury is still out on a concrete link between the two, evidence suggests that sufferers have experienced and improvement through the use of an elimination diet.
Certain Health Conditions
Unfortunately, in some cases, acne is simply the symptom of another health condition altogether. Sufferers of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) for example, suffer from hormonal acne in nearly all cases. Other health conditions that commonly cause acne include those which need to be managed by certain medication. In these cases, it is the medication rather than the condition which causes acne, including androgens, corticosteroids, and lithium.
