Most people know about the skin condition called acne that may affect the face, shoulders, neck or chest with inflamed pores. Acne can affect anyone, no matter what their age.

Acne is caused when pores of the skin become plugged with dead skin cells that mix with the oils of the skin. There is also a bacterial that lives in the oils of the skin, which can aggravate the problem.

Acne activity is often triggered by hormonal changes. These changes often occur in teens, women as they progress through pregnancy or their monthly cycle, or even when starting or stopping birth control.

If acne becomes infected, it can leave scaring. Facial scars from acne can affect a person for a lifetime.

Many people may have recommendations of ways to treat acne. Some will work, while others will not. Over the counter products that contain benzyl peroxide are some of the most effective treatments available for teens. Daily use of an antibacterial facial cleanser may also help.

Benzyl peroxide is often too strong for adults with acne and they have better results with products that contain salicylic acid.

When you have an outbreak of acne, you should avoid squeezing, picking or touching the skin that is already irritated. This can cause the scaring to become even worse.

If over the counter products are not clearing up the acne problem, you should see your doctor or a dermatologist. They may decide to prescribe an antibiotic to be taken as directed. This will help to keep down possible infection and prevent further scaring.

While it is not always possible to prevent outbreaks of acne, there are steps that can be taken that will lessen the chances of permanent scaring. While these steps may seem like a hassle in an already busy teen’s life, in the long run this preventative care will be worthwhile for the rest of your life.

Your workplace could be a major contributor towards acne, coming into contact with oils, tars and halogenated hydrocarbons can be a big problem. Also drugs such as corticosteroids (topical and systemic), progestogens, and anabolic steroids are a cause of acne. Acne can be very difficult to cope with. Make sure you treat acne quickly because if you don’t, it can progress rapidly, moving from the face to the body and spreading over once healthy skin.

Acne can also be caused by environmental and genetic factors, but genetics seems to predominate. In one large twin study of acne treatments, for example, 81 percent of disease variance (that is, the difference from what would normally be expected) was attributed to genetic effects, and the remaining 19 percent to environmental factors.

Prescription medicines are a good acne treatments, including Accutane. Some people view Accutane as a miracle cure; however, the drug has been linked to a number of different side effects, ranging from dry mouth and nose bleeds to birth defects and depression.

Women are more likely to have shorter experiences of acne usually caused by changes in hormones or by certain types of cosmetics. Many people believe that greasy cafeteria food or eating too much chocolate might be a cause of acne outbreaks, but this is not true as food does not cause the outbreak of acne.

Stress has an effect on the levels of androgens, causing further breakouts. A very good idea for managing hormonal outbreaks is using oral contraceptives, specifically ortho tri-cyclens that are FDA approved for the treatment of acne.

Stress and bad cosmetics can also cause adult acne, stress causes oil glands to be over active and cosmetics that are bad can place bacteria in the pores. Stress usually aggravates the condition, but everyday stress does not bring on acne.

Oral retinoids (isotretinoin) are used to treat severe acne and can only be prescribed by a dermatologist. Treatment with isotretinoin generally lasts 5-7 months. Antibiotics taken orally can control the acne by stopping bacterial growth and reducing inflammation. Common antibiotics used to treat acne include: tretracycline, minocycline, doxycycline, and lymecycline.

Scarring is more common in men because deep acne affects more men than women – and because men don’t seek a doctor’s advice as often as women do.

Scars are not just a physical thing they are also emotional, especially in the younger generation which leads to some being withdrawn using acne as the excuse to hide from the world. These cases can get so bad in some instances that counselling is required not only for the patient but the parents as well. Scarring is one of the worst things that may be even worse than the acne pimple itself as much epidermis skin is destroyed just as it would be from a wound intrusion. Usually over the years it will improve.

More Information, products and resources on acne treatments can be had by visiting www.acnetoday.info