Family Encyclopedia >> Beauty & Style

All about acne:causes and solutions


Acne concerns many of us, at all ages! If the causes can be multiple, acne is not a fatality. A diagnosis to put your finger on the causes, and an adapted lifestyle can allow your skin to live again! How to treat acne? How to have flawless skin? Veld's gives you its tips.

Acne, what is it exactly?

Acne is considered a very common skin disease. It affects 70% of adolescents, but can also appear later. Indeed, among the 6 million people affected by acne in France, 25% are adults over the age of 25 . There are three forms of acne:

  • Retentional acne:not very visible but persistent, retentional acne causes relatively discreet blackheads and whiteheads.
  • Inflammatory acne:it is characterized by red, raised and painful pimples, which come and go in a few days.
  • Severe acne:there are several forms of so-called severe acne, but the most common is nodular acne. The pimples are red, painful, and very large (more than 5 mm), they are anchored deep in the skin.

While the severity of acne varies, the process of pimple formation is always the same :the accumulation of sebum clogs the pores (small holes in the skin that allow the evacuation of perspiration and sebum), creating a pimple, in relief.

This "cap" then causes inflammation, and the pimple becomes red, sometimes painful. When the inflammation is significant, this leads to a reaction of the white blood cells, and the production of pus:whitehead pimples then form.

In some cases, when the pore is clogged, the sebum does not evolve into a pimple, but oxidizes on contact with the air:this is how blackheads appear on the surface of the skin.

Acne:understanding the causes

The causes of acne can vary from person to person:

Hormonal imbalance :in most cases, acne occurs at puberty, due to the hormonal surge, which increases the production of sebum. In women, hormonal variations around menstruation, pregnancy, menopause, or in response to a contraceptive can also cause acne.

Stress :several researchers believe that stress is one of the factors favoring acne. Stress would increase the production of insulin, a hormone that stimulates androgens, responsible for an overproduction of sebum. Stress is also known to affect immune function, so during times of stress, acne lesions take longer to heal.

Food :a diet too rich in carbohydrates and fats would promote the overproduction of sebum, and therefore, the appearance of comedones.

Tobacco :smoking causes oxidative stress and changes the composition of sebum. Result:smokers are more prone to acne than non-smokers.

An unsuitable beauty routine :the choice of products for your daily beauty routine must be made according to your skin type, and the use of care must be adapted. Indeed, the appearance of imperfections can come from a skin subjected to products that are too aggressive, or on the contrary, too rich.

How to effectively get rid of acne?

The first step to get rid of acne is to understand the cause . If necessary, do not hesitate to consult a dermatologist. Acne is one of the main reasons for consultation, and the dermatologist can help you make an exact diagnosis, to really improve the condition of your skin. At the same time, an anti-blemish beauty routine and a healthy lifestyle can help you improve the situation.

Fight acne, cleanse, exfoliate and hydrate the skin!

To obtain a clearer and more balanced skin, it should be cleansed morning and evening, with a gentle cleanser. Exfoliation should also be on the program:either as an exfoliating mask once a week, or as a light exfoliant on a daily basis. Exfoliating the skin will allow you to dislodge blackheads and limit excess sebum, which could clog pores .

On a daily basis, it is also essential to moisturize your skin. If it is in excess of lipids, it is not in excess of water and if your skin is not sufficiently hydrated, it will respond with hyperseborrhoea. So choose a moisturizing treatment, rich in water and very low in lipids, to provide what your skin lacks, without greasing it.

Choosing your products well:stop using comedogenic treatments

When you have skin prone to imperfections, you have to be vigilant about the products used. Avoid products that are too aggressive. Indeed, when you have combination to oily skin with imperfections, you tend to go for abrasive treatments:stripping face cleanser, coarse-grain exfoliator, very aggressive anti-imperfection creams. Often, these treatments prove to be counterproductive:the skin is attacked, dried out, and it responds with hypersebhorrea to protect itself .

However, care should also be avoided if it is too enveloping. For example, serums and creams high in lipids will be too oily to suit your skin and will only make the situation worse. If you use natural products, be careful with vegetable oils, some of which are very comedogenic, like coconut oil.

The term comedogenic is used to refer to very enveloping treatments or ingredients, which tend to suffocate the skin . This is the case for certain oils, certain creams, but also certain foundations or concealers. When buying your make-up, be careful about the composition, so as not to use a foundation that will further clog the pores and lead to the appearance of new imperfections.

We don't touch the buttons!

When you have noticed a blackhead, there, on your face, the urge is too strong:pierce it, scratch it, grind it, in short, everything possible to make it disappear from there! And yet, this is a very bad reflex. Breaking a pimple increases the risk of infection, and eventually, ending up with scars all over your face .

In the same way, touching the pimple all day long simply risks accentuating the inflammation and making healing take longer:our hands, even when washed regularly, carry many bacteria which do nothing to help blemishes disappear. .