What Causes Acne?(part 2)

Skin Hygiene Dirt does not cause acne. The oil on the skin's surface does no harm and is essential for healthy elastic skin tissue. In most cases, washing the face with ordinary soap strips the skin of oil, prompting the body to over correct and produce more oil. Many acne sufferers continually over-cleanse the face and scrub, which can aggravate acne, by forcing more sebum into the tissues. Picking or squeezing pimples can also result in scarring. Acne causing bacteria is not on the surface of the skin but under the skin. By scrubbing or rubbing you will only spread the infection all over the face. It is essential to cleanse, exfoliate and tone. Use an acne treatment such as Living Natures Manuka and Honey Anticeptic Gel or Devita Essential Control as neededto help reduce bacteria. How Acne Develops The most common form of acne is teenage acne (which can vary in severity). An understanding of what is happening in the body at puberty can prevent more serious acne developing. The acid mantle and its role in acne Our skin's main function is to literally hold everything together, ie. keep our organs in a collective group. To do this effectively the skin needs to be strong, elastic and keep everything in, as well askeep things out. The things we want to keep out are excess moisture, viruses, bacteria, fungi, corrosive things, and keep our body at the correct temperature and moisture level. The pores on our skin regulate the temperature and moisture levels, and the combination of oil and sweat glands (sebaceous and sudoriferous glands) on our skin keep it healthy and elastic. THE COMBINED EXCRETIONS OF OIL AND SWEAT FORM THE "ACID MANTLE" WHICH SURROUNDS OUR BODY AND HAS A pH OF 5.5. The ACID MANTLE is our body's first defense mechanism against bacteria invading it. The slight acid conditions are disliked by bacteria. The acid mantle develops at puberty for our adult system. When we are children we do not have an acid mantle, hence why children are more exposed to disease, viruses and fungal infections like ringworm, that adults do not tend to get. The mantle around a child is pH 7, which is neutral. The change from a mantle of 7pHto a more protective ACID MANTLEhappens at puberty when we start producing more hair on ourbodies. Each hair follicle has at least one sebaceous or oil gland, which becomes active as the hair starts to grow and this changes the balance of oil and sweat on the skin. The hormones that control sweat also become active,hence the whole surface of the skin in a teenager is totally different to that of a child. The body is trying to create a safer, more protective environment. THEOIL ON OUR SKIN PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE!!!! It is now that the problem of acne starts to occur, with the skinbecoming clogged with oil and dead cells, forming small pimples and black heads. A teenager often feels that they are not cleanso they tend to wash until the skin feels "squeaky" clean, stripping the skin of oil, and if using soap, altering the pH to alkaline conditions. This is opposite to what the body is trying to achieve, to protect the body, so it will naturally produce more oil, in order to correct the body to the "safest" condition which is a pH of 5.5. The continued cleansing of the skin with alkaline products like soap create a see-saw effect on the bodies hormonal system, which controls the amount of oil being produced. In order to correct an alkaline skin condition it will haveto produce much more oil than a neutral or slightly acid condition. Therefore one of the simplest ways to prevent an imbalance occurring is to get young teenagers to use an ACID BALANCED CLEANSER. Watch out for the final part.