Acne, what is it and what to do about it?
Where did they come from and why did they suddenly appear on my face, chest and back? Pimples, better known as acne, are a widely discussed and well-known phenomenon among young adolescents. What is acne exactly and what does it mean? And more importantly, what can I do for myself and who can help me? In this blog, I will explain everything about acne and how a skin therapist or dermatologist can help you!
What is acne precisely?
Your skin contains tiny holes called pores. Pores make your skin breathe and have glands that make sebum. Sebum ensures that your skin stays smooth and moisturized. It’s actually a greasy fabric that also protects your skin. These glands are, however, the offender, because they can be inflamed or clogged, causing blackheads and pimples.
How does acne look like?
- Inflammation
- Red bumps
- Closed comedones (whiteheads)
- Open comedones (blackheads)
- Often a greasy and shiny skin
- Scars duet to earlier inflammations
What is the cause of acne?
Acne occurs on parts of the skin that contain many sebaceous glands. There are many sebaceous glands on the face, chest, back and shoulders. Due to excessive sebaceous gland production, the pores can become clogged, this is one of the reasons. The production of sebum is stimulated during puberty by certain hormones. In addition, the acne bacterium plays a role. If there is too much on the skin, a so-called colonization, you get acne. There are also other factors that cause or worsen acne. Thus, chemicals, pressure and friction on the skin, and hereditary factors can play a role. In the scheme below you can see what factors for acne taking place in your body, also called internal factors. There are also the external factors that affect you from outside, which you can avoid or change.
Internal factors | External factors |
Hereditary factors | Contact with chemical products such as makeup remover or skin cleanser |
Hormonal factors such as menstruation, pregnancy, the pill | Mechanical factors such as tight clothes |
Hormonal disorder (PCOS) | Medicals |
Stress | Warm and humid environment |
Pregnancy | Excessive perspiration |
Excessive sebum production | Weather conditions |
Acne can occur to everyone. As you have read earlier in this blog, it is common for teenagers, but it could also come at later age. You can also get pimples if you wear makeup and don’t remove it before you go to bed. This can clog your pores and irritate and ignite the skin. Eventually this could lead to pimples. Nowadays there are a lot of different brands that sell ‘the best’ skincare products and many young people take the initiative to treat their own skin with creams and other skin care products. But how do you know what is the best for your skin? The best way to find out what kind of skincare products you need is to go to a skin therapist or dermatologist. They know which ones will help for your skin.
What can you do to prevent your acne?
The most important thing you can do with acne is to give your skin a rest. Rest is important for restoring the skin. Do not rub because this causes additional irritation to your skin. Therefore, when viewing a pimple or several, do not work independently by expressing, squeezing or scratching the pimples. This will cause you to get new pimples or even scars. Below we have a list of tips on what you can do with acne and what you certainly should not do. It’s a myth that sunlight helps against acne. After a couple of days your acne seems to reduce but after a couple of weeks it will be more severe. When you go into the sun, make sure you protect your skin. There are a lot of different sunscreen products available but the best sunscreen for someone with acne is an anti-comedogenic sunscreen. These sunscreens won’t clog your pores and are also better for your acne instead of the normal sunscreens.
DO’S | DONT’S |
Leave your acne alone | Don’t rub on your face, this will cause irritation of the skin |
Clean your face with lukewarm water and dry it with a clean towel | It’s a myth that sunlight helps reducing acne |
Always use sun protection | Don’t scratch, pop, rub or touch the pimples too much because this will cause even more pimples or scars. |
Go find a skin therapist or a dermatologist and let them help you | Don’t use a lot of make-up because it contains a lot of chemical products that make your acne look worse. |